Thanks to St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine for sponsoring our girls’ high school basketball coverage once again this season. See all of our girls’ basketball stories here and watch for state tournament coverage March 8-12 from BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Ally Johnson, the first Beechwood girls’ basketball player to score more than 2,000 points during her varsity career, has another addition to her resume. The senior guard was voted Division II Player of the Year for the 2016-17 season by the Northern Kentucky Girls Basketball Coaches Association.
Beechwood senior Ally Johnson
Johnson did not let up after she eclipsed the 2,000 mark in January. The Bucknell University recruit went into the final game of the regular season with team-high averages of 20.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
The other Player of the Year awards went to Cooper junior guard Lexi Held in Division I and Bellevue senior guard Courtney Schmits in Division III. Both of them were among the top scorers in the 9th Region at the end of the regular season with Held averaging 17 points and Schmitts averaging 14.
Held finishing on top in the Division I voting is a major accomplishment. Simon Kenton all-state junior guard Ally Niece was the Player of the Year in that division the last two years and she put up some impressive numbers once again this season. Niece is averaging 19.1 points and 6.7 rebounds and ranks among the leading free throw shooters in the state.
The top players selected in each division will be honored during the coaches association awards banquet on Tuesday, March 14 at Lloyd High School. Winners of the Miss Hustle and Academic Award in each division will also be recognized.
The Coach of the Year awards will go to Nicole Levandusky of Cooper in Division I, Paul Sturgeon of St. Henry in Division II and Tommy Sorrell of Bellevue in Division III. Cooper got off to a 1-3 start this season and then won 18 of its next 20 games.
Here are the award-winners in each division as chosen by the coaches:
DIVISION I
Boone County – Zyah Beal. Campbell County – Taylor Clos, Mackenzie Schwarber. Conner – Courtney Hurst, Maddie Burcham. Cooper — Hailey Anderson, Lexi Held. Notre Dame – Sophie Hagen. Ryle – Lauren Schwartz, Maddie Scherr. Scott – Anna Clephane, Lexie Stapleton. Simon Kenton – Ally Niece, Madi Meier.
Player of the Year – Lexi Held (Cooper)
Coach of the Year – Nicole Levandusky (Cooper)
Miss Hustle – Lexi Held (Cooper)
Academic Award – Caylee Duncan (Conner)
DIVISION II
Beechwood – Ally Johnson, Kimi Stokes. Highlands – Zoie Barth, Jenna Martin. Holmes – Tyrah Englemon, Jaynice Stovall, Laila Johnson. Holy Cross – Alehia Tucker, Olivia Crigler. Lloyd – Devin Cheatum. Newport Central Catholic – Lexy Breen. St. Henry – Paige Noble, Chisom Iloegbunam. Walton Verona – Brooke Perry.
Player of the Year – Ally Johnson (Beechwood)
Coach of the year – Paul Sturgeon (St. Henry)
Miss Hustle – Trinity McClendon (Holy Cross), Ramey Garland (Newport), Rachel Lehkamp (Walton-Verona)
Academic Award – Emma Little (Highlands)
DIVISION III
Bellevue – Courtney Schmits, Reagan Atwood, Autumn Ryan. Calvary Christian – Rebekah Fryman, Sydney Hennemann. Dayton – Megan Downard, Grace Workman, Reba Sanders. Ludlow – Haley Warndorf, Haley Turner, Adriana Lovell. Villa Madonna – Madison Perry.
Player of the Year – Courtney Schmits (Bellevue)
Coach of the Year – Tommy Sorrell (Bellevue)
Miss Hustle – Grace Workman (Dayton), Haley Turner (Ludlow)
Academic Award – Brooke Maehren (Bellevue)
