Local athletes receive recognition
Guden, Ackley selected as allstate honorees
Makenna Guden was a lethal outside shooter for the Edgar Wildcats girls basketball team all season long.
The talented junior player developed a step-back jump shot while scoring over 1,000 career points and was chosen as a unanimous selection on the All-Marawood South Conference first team.
Guden led the Wildcats in scoring this season by averaging 20.2 points per game for a total of 485 points. She helped Edgar win a WIAA Division 5 regional championship and finish with an 18-8 record.
She also earned Division 5 honorable mention all-state this season. If Guden can build off her performance from this season the talented guard has an excellent shot to break the Edgar girls basketball all-time scoring record, currently held by her varsity assistant coach Holly (Denfeld) Nowak.
Her teammate, junior power forward Gabriella Keim, earned a spot on the All-Marawood South Conference second team. Keim brought her lunch-pail-towork, hard nose playing style to both the offense and defense sides of the court. Keim was a potent compliment to Guden, and was extremely effective when she operated close to the basket, either off the block or in the post.
She led the Wildcats with 195 rebounds and she was second on the team in scoring with an average of 12.7 points per game for a total of 305 points.
A pair of Edgar seniors picked up more honors for the 2019-20 Wildcats. Senior guards Marissa Ellenbecker and Teresa Hackel earned All-Marawood South Conference honorable mention.
Lira is unanimous
Athens senior point guard Paula Lira was a unanimous selection on the all-Marawood Conference North girls basketball team this season. Lira provided first-year head coach Kyncaide Diedrich with strong senior leadership in the backcourt by pacing the Bluejays with 50 assists and 47 steals.
Lira’s teammate, junior small forward Crystal Dearth, was named to the all-Marawood North Conference second team. Dearth was second in scoring on her Athens squad this season by averaging 7.2 points per game for a total of 158 points.
Two Athens seniors, Abigail Van Rixel and Allison Wolf, were also among those Bluejays who took home post-season hardware. Van Rixel and Wolf each earned all-Marawood North Conference honorable mention to wrap up their basketball careers.
Boehm leads Raiders
Marathon senior guard Elizabeth Boehm made the all-Marawood Conference South first team this season. She helped guide the Red Raiders to their fifth WIAA D-4 regional title in five years and improve from last years 3-15 season.
Boehm was instrumental in leading the Red Raiders to the WIAA Division 4 sectional championship game and an 18-8 record, after the team had struggled early in the season.
Boehm led Marathon in scoring this season by averaging 14.1 points per game for a total of 310 points. She was second on the team with 117 rebounds, 47 assists and 47 steals.
Her fellow senior, backcourt mate, Kyli Blume capped her career off by earning a spot on the all-Marawood Conference second team. Blume led Marathon with 64 assists and 55 steals. Junior Anna Cleven and sophomore Allison Wokatsch made all-Marawood Conference honorable mention.
Ackley is all-state
Stratford junior center Breanna Ackley picked up a pair of awards, being named Division 4 honorable mention all-state this season, while also earning all-Marawood South Conference second team honors.
Ackley led the Tigers in a handful of basketball statistical categories this season. They include her averaging 16.1 points per game for a total of 387 points, grabbing 185 rebounds, 40 steals and 62 blocks. She was second on the team with 46 assists.
Juniors Emily Hughes and Tanaya Schillinger each earned all-Marawood South Conference honorable mention this season.
