Before we get to the Outside the Huddle All-Area Team and our end-of-year awards, Bounce wanted to take some time and take a last glance at area conferences and hand out some league-specific metaphorical hardware.
We tip things off with the ACAC.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Macy Pries, South Adams
Pries was one of the very best scorers in Northeast Indiana, regardless of class or gender. She was phenomenal most nights for the Starfires with 20 games of double digits scoring, including 13 in the 20’s and a season high 34 points opposite South Side.
While the Starfires were not at the top of the conference, it was difficult for any team to contain Pries. She shot 37 percent from the field and 57 percent from three point range during her senior season where she surpassed 1,000 career points in November and then in January surpassed Lexi Dellinger as the top scorer in the history of the South Adams girls basketball program.
She also averaged 5.2 points, three steals and 3.9 assists during her senior season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Hallie Schwieterman (Jay County), Isabella Stout (Bluffton)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Sophie Saxman, Jay County
If you know Bounce’s awards and OTH history, you know MVP means something different than Player of the Year. MVP to us is someone who is legit the most valuable to their team and overall success of that program.
While the Patriots had a lot of players that played critical roles and that is what led to the team’s success, Saxman was a multi tooled glue player during her senior season. Her 11.2 points per game was the second best on the team but she led Jay County with 7.5 rebounds and was also second best in steals at 3.2 and 2.6 assists per game.
Whatever Jay County needed, Saxman did it and it made her inclusion in games so very significant for the Patriots to reach 222 wins through the season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Taylor Kneubuhler (Woodlan), Macy Pries (South Adams)
BREAKOUT PLAYER: Isabella Stout, Bluffton
After being a contributor her first two seasons with the Tigers, Stout became one of the most reliable players for their team during the 2023-2024 season, often putting up really high level and balanced stat lines.
She saw her main averages in scoring and rebounding go from 5.4 and 3.9 to a team best 13.2 and team second best 5.8 while also averaging 2.1 steals per contest and helping Bluffton to a second place finish in the ACAC.
Stout’s highest scoring game as a sophomore was 12, a career high she broke in the first game of her junior season with 16 points opposite Northfield. She would go on to have double digit scoring in all but six games with three games of 20-plus points and three triple doubles.
HONORABLE MENTION: Hallie Schwieterman (Jay County), Alyssa Anderson (Woodlan)
COACH OF THE YEAR: Doug Curtis, Bluffton
When Curtis took the job at Bluffton, the hire was universally applauded and for good reason. Curtis has been successful everywhere he has been and taking over a Tiger program that has been successful lately gave him a good head start.
Though, Curtis and his staff didn’t just stick with the status quo. Instead, they developed younger and different players and had a good mesh of those we knew to be good and those we saw break out.
While Bluffton fell short in Sectionals to eventual Class 2A state champion Bishop Luers and also came up short in the ACAC, it was clear that Bluffton is building to be a power once again under Curtis’ leadership. The Tigers improved their win total by 6 and their scoring average by more than 13 points per game while racking up multiple six game win streaks.
HONORABLE MENTION: Sherri McIntire (Jay County), Dave Randall (Woodlan)
GAME OF THE YEAR: Bluffton at Woodlan, December 8
It was fairly early in the season when this game took place and while it ultimately didn’t play into the final ACAC standings, it was still a great contest. Almost makes you want to have it at the end of the end of the season instead of early December.
It was one of the first really good games in a breakout season for Woodlan’s Alyssa Anderson with team highs in points (14) and rebounds (9). Anderson’s emergence throughout the season as well as that of Reagan Widenhoefer (10 points), helped take the stress off of senior Taylor Kneubuhler and also make the Warriors know they could be strong for the rest of the season amidst the changes in their program this season.
But Bluffton’s win was a big moment to show that they were the team to contend with Jay County. Isabella Stout, who also was a great breakout player, scored a game high 24 points and got down the lane and into contact very well, getting to the free throw line 13 times, hitting 11 of those shots. Maryn Schreiber had 11 rebounds and Marly Drayer registered eight assists for the Tigers.
EARLY 2024 SAC CHAMPION PREDICTION: Jay County
The question remains why budge from this pick at this point? Jay County remains superhuman like in the ACAC, even with what we thought would be legit contenders this past season. They graduate several players of consequence but all signs point to the Patriots just passing the torch instead of hitting reset. If anything, last offseason’s coaching change was clearly justified with the Patriots’ play and not missing a beat from who they have been since they entered the ACAC.
There are young, hungry players in this program that have a taste of the good life. And while Bluffton will continue to rise and other programs will also be better next season, there is just zero reason right now to say that anyone other than Jay County will be crowned champions.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
Be the first to comment