Post-season honors have rolled in for Blaine County prep basketball players.
Stilling named top coach
Wood River High School's athletic department hit an unprecedented trifecta that may never be repeated when the 2012 Great Basin Conference All-League basketball teams were announced last week.
Voted "Coach of the Year" for girls' basketball was Kevin Stilling, who also captured the Great Basin's "Coach of the Year" for football last fall. That's unusual for a high school coach to supervise football and girls' basketball in back-to-back seasons and excel in both assignments.
Stilling, the girls' basketball assistant to his wife Mendy Benson the past three campaigns, stepped in as the head coach when Benson pulled back on her coaching duties in 2011-12 because of health concerns in pregnancy.
Wood River also boasted not one, but two players as the Great Basin "Co-Players of the Year" for the winter season.
They were seniors Haylee Thompson and Kaitana Martinez. They led Stilling's Wolverines to their second straight GBC tournament title and third-place in the State 4A meet. It was the second straight "Player of the Year" honor for point guard Martinez.
Making second team were seniors Cheyenne Swanson and Austin Hafer of Wood River, while senior Haillie Taylor was an honorable mention pick.
At the Wolverine girls' awards banquet Feb. 28, Martinez earned the Most Inspirational honor, Taylor was Best Defensive Player and Swanson won the Coaches Award. Among the junior varsity awards were top scorer to freshman post Haylee Pettit.
Here are GBC selections:
Great Basin girls
Co-Players of the Year: Haylee Thompson (WRHS senior) and Kaintana Martinez (WRHS senior).
Coach of the Year: Kevin Stilling (WRHS).
First team: Josie Jordan (Twin Falls senior); Marlee Chandler (Minico senior); Haylee Burnham (Jerome senior); Chelsee Baker (Burley soph); and Micaela Merrill (Minico senior).
Second team: Aubrie Vale (Burley junior); Cheyenne Swanson (WRHS senior); Mikayla Harris (Twin Falls junior); Frankie Carey (Jerome senior); and Chloe Bradford (Minico soph).
Honorable mention: Haillie Taylor (WRHS senior); Colleen Joslin and Staci Bird (Canyon Ridge seniors); Brylee Bartlett (Twin Falls senior); Jasmine Branch (Jerome senior); Karly Hudelson (Canyon Ridge senior); Kaitlyn Merritt (Twin Falls soph); and Brooke Bowers (Burley junior).
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Great Basin boys
Player of the Year: Eric Harr (Twin Falls senior).
Coach of the Year: Matt Harr (Twin Falls).
First team: Jake Hollifield (Jerome senior); Robert Sanchez and Jared Allen (Twin Falls seniors); Shaquille Kennedy (Jerome seniors); and Taylor Carson (Burley senior).
Second team: Garrett Leavitt (Jerome soph); Brandon Hosteen (Burley soph); Alec Meyerhoffer (Twin Falls soph); Connor Meyerhoffer (Twin Falls soph); and Austin Hafer (WRHS senior).
Honorable mention: Ethan Belnap (Minico senior); Chase Petty (Canyon Ridge senior); Logan Anderson (Minico senior); Spencer Geist (Jerome senior); Kody Coltrin (Burley junior); Thomas Corr (Twin Falls junior); Cody Gates (Canyon Ridge junior); Jason Boehmer (Burley senior); and Casey Merritt (Twin Falls junior).
Northside picks its top hoops players
The Northside Conference has revealed its 2011-12 girls' and boys' basketball All-League teams led by two-time State 1A Division 2 girls' champ Dietrich and State 1A Division 2 boys' runner-up Carey.
Coaches of the Year were Dick Simpson of the Carey boys and Acey Shaw of the Dietrich girls. Simpson led the Panthers to their third straight championship game appearance. Shaw's Blue Devils captured another thrilling title game win, this time over Summit Academy of Cottonwood.
Seniors Baley Barg and junior Jaide Parke were Carey's first-team picks. From Dietrich, first-teamers were Moriah Dill, Charley Bingham and Jakob Howard. From Camas County of Fairfield, Katelyn Peterson made the Northside first team.
Here are the selections:
Northside boys
Coach of the Year: Dick Simpson (Carey).
First team: Humberto Pacheco (Murtaugh); Baley Barg (Carey); Mitch Howard (Castleford); Jakob Howard (Dietrich); and Austin Stanger (Murtaugh).
Second team: Dillon Cenarrusa (Carey); Andy Simon (Camas County); Cody Hansen (Castleford); Andru Howard (Dietrich); and Destry Weeks (Castleford).
Honorable mention: Jordan Robles and George Simon (Camas County); Will Brokaw and Henry Rickbeil (Community School); Chance Chavez and Charlie Rivera (Carey); Eli Berndt, Gabe Heath and Erick Helman (Lighthouse Christian); Gray Weber and Vance Perron (Dietrich).
Northside girls
Coach of the Year: Acey Shaw (Dietrich).
First team: Moriah Dill (Dietrich); Sasha Kent (Richfield); Katelyn Peterson (Camas County); Jaide Parke (Carey); and Charley Bingham (Dietrich).
Second team: Micaela Adamson (Carey); Michaela Edwards (Richfield); Kendra Flores (Castleford); Keegan Cenarrusa (Richfield); and Ellie Dalton (Dietrich).
Honorable mention: Hannah Bates (Murtaugh); Stephanie Moore (Camas County); Demsie Butler (Bliss); Darby Northcott (Carey); Kendra McConnell (Dietrich); Tawni Smith (Richfield); Jessica Welch (Castleford); Brooklyn VanderStelt (Lighthouse); and Cheyenne Hubert (Dietrich).