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 continue today with the ACAC.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Trace Maller, Adams Central
Maller was one of the top scorers in Northeast Indiana this season, averaging 22.8 points per game, putting him just behind Manchester’s Gavin Betten in area scoring. He put up an impressive 40-point performance against a strong Tipton team and also had a 39-point game later in the season. His offensive output was often a wow factor and no team really had much of an answer for how to defend him.
His final stats included 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists per game. Maller has been a standout player in the ACAC, and he ranked near the top in virtually every major statistical category in Northeast Indiana. Maller was massive for an Adams Central team in a bit of a rebuild and kept the Flying Jets competitive as a top team in both the conference and their Sectional.
HONORABLE MENTION: Trey Yoder (Woodlan), Landon Lybarger (Heritage), Declan Grieser (Bluffton)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Trey Yoder, Woodlan
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.
Yoder played at a high level again for the majority of this season, leading Woodlan to ACAC and ACAC Tournament titles along the way. He was one of only a handful of Northeast Indiana players to even flirt with a double double average. Yoder finished the year averaging 17.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. His value was huge down the stretch of the season, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in Woodlan’s two Sectional wins.
Yoder finished with 1,193 points (466 in his senior season) as he placed within the Top 100 on the all-time Allen County scoring list and finishes 5th on the program scoring list at Woodlan.
HONORABLE MENTION: Landon Lybarger (Heritage), Tytus Lehman (South Adams), Tucker Griffin (Jay County), Declan Grieser (Bluffton)
BREAKOUT/MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Braylend Reber
People around the area knew very well who Reber was coming out of last season. But as a junior, Reber had to step up in multiple ways and is our breakout player of the conference because of how much he was able to step out of a role player spot and into being one of the toughest and most reliable players in the conference.
Reber had a standout season, averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals per game. His scoring and rebounding numbers took a significant leap, and he was among the area leaders in steals, showcasing an improved defensive prowess.
HONORABLE MENTION: Nolan Lambert (Bluffton), Taurean Brown (Heritage), Gavin Herring (South Adams), Cole Forthofer (Jay County)
COACH OF THE YEAR: John Baker, Woodlan
It is a simple edge for Baker: he won all of it. The seventh year Woodlan head coach helped lead the program to ACAC regular season and ACAC Tournament titles with an appearance in the Sectional title game as well. The Warriors went 18-8, the second most wins in Baker’s time with the Warriors and also the second most wins in a season for Woodlan this century.
Woodlan did lose once in conference, but held the tiebreakers to win an outright regular season title. That one loss to an ACAC team (Adams Central) was remedied in the postseason when a Trey Yoder buzzer beater propelled Woodlan to a Sectional title game. Woodlan also won 15 of their final 17 games.
HONORABLE MENTION: Craig Teagle (Bluffton), Kyle Sovine (Heritage)
GAME OF THE YEAR: Woodlan vs. Adams Central, Sectional semis
Trey Yoder had 20 points. The last three of those came on a buzzer beater that ended the Flying Jets’ season and sent Woodlan to a Sectional championship. That was the headline in the Warriors’ 44-43 win that avenged an early season loss. But there was so much more to this game between two ACAC top teams.
Woodlan got into that trailing position because of a late Trace Maller three that gave Adams Central a 43-41 lead in the first place. He and Yoder exchanged big shots, including three pointers for most of the fourth quarter. Adams Central though did have some important other pieces that kept the game close. Each time in the second half that the Warriors started to gain traction, it wasn’t just Mallers that fought back. Braylend Reber was big in the third and a late third quarter corner triple from Maverick Becher in the same quarter cut into a brief four point lead for Woodlan.
EARLY 2025-26 CONFERENCE CHAMP PICK: Bluffton Tigers
Bluffton has two really important things going for them headed into next season: they have a future Hall of Fame coach and will have the top returning scorer (and likely player) in the conference.
Craig Teagle has earned worlds of respect over his career, both before and during his time leading Bluffton. His style and tempo are legendary things in Northeast Indiana basketball and he has been able to keep Bluffton in the running in the ACAC. This past season, the Tigers lost just once in regular season conference play and one other time to an ACAC team in the conference tournament: both of those losses came to Woodlan who graduates a lot.
Declan Grieser will be back for the Tigers after averaging a conference second best 18.1 points per game. Also during his junior season, Grieser shot 60 percent inside the arc and 47 percent from three point range. So while Bluffton will have some notable names back, the return of Grieser is a major catalyst moving forward.
While other teams have talent back, Bluffton looks to be one of the best teams in what could be a pretty balanced ACAC in 2025-2026.
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
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