Girls' Basketball All-Stars
The two teams that advanced the farthest in postseason play lead our 2011-2012 girls’ basketball all-star squad.
Unadilla Valley and Norwich claimed exactly half of our 10 all-star spots with Unadilla Valley sporting an area-best three all-stars, while Norwich had two players garner select spots.
Unadilla Valley posted its first winning record in some seven years, and had three of the area’s top six scorers, all of whom are underclassmen. Jordan Anderson, Amanda Off, and Taylor Davis combined to average over 40 points per game this season as UV won 15 games in reaching the Section IV Class C semifinals. Just a season ago, the Storm averaged slightly over 42 points per game – as a team.
Norwich, meanwhile, had a mix of veterans along with youngsters in reaching its second straight Section IV championship game. Bryn Loomis, a returning all-star, justly earned all-Section IV honors, and when matching up against the best players and the best teams, she proved time and again she is among the elite players. Loomis’ teammate, Jenni Borfitz, makes her first all-star appearance, and is among a group of young players that should keep the Tornado competitive for many years to come.
Three of the remaining five all-star spots went to returning players. Bainbridge-Guilford seniors, Randi Conway and Shania Vandermark along with Greene junior Kaitlin Gorton make up the veteran trio, while our two first-time all-stars are Sherburne-Earlville senior Briana Vibbard, and Oxford senior Jacquelyn Heggie.
As always, all-star selections were made based on our season-long observations of local teams in concert with recommendations from area basketball coaches. Players are listed in alphabetical order by team.
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Shania Vandermark, sr. Bainbridge-Guilford, 5-foot-9
A four-year player for the Bobcats, the last three as a starter, Vandermark scored 573 points over her final two seasons, and averaged a double-double this past year with 13.8 points and 11.1 rebounds to go with a team-high four steals per contest. She had five 20-point games scoring a high of 29 against Unadilla Valley in the season-opener. Vandermark also posted the best rebounding game of our coverage area pulling down 23 rebounds in a three-point home win over UV in early February. “She was absolutely very athletic and very strong,” said B-G coach Bob Conway. “A big key to her game was rebounding. Kids just couldn’t keep her off the boards.”
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Randi Conway, sr., Bainbridge-Guilford, 5-foot-6
The third of the Conway sisters to play for the Bobcats, Conway repeats as a County all-star finishing with a solid 11.5 points per game average to go with a nifty six assists. As Conway went, so went the Bobcats in most instances as she manned the starting point guard position for most of the last four seasons. “She has definitely improved her overall game the past four years,” said coach Bob Conway. “She has always been a good passer, and her scoring improved the past two years.” Randi Conway was in double figures scoring 15 times to lead B-G this season, and scored a season-high 19 points in a victory over Class B Windsor.
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B-G honorable mention: Abbey Smith, so.
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Kaitlin Gorton, jr. Greene, 5-foot-6
The leading scorer and point guard for the Trojans, Gorton was the most prolific three-point shooter in the area with 36 three-pointers, a total that was 10 better than the next-best local shooter. She also hit a respectable 35 percent from behind the arc to go with 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists. One the best indicators of a point guard’s effectiveness is her assist-to-turnover ratio. Gorton had at least 2.3 assists to every turnover. "Kaitlin has proven herself to be an outstanding outside shooter,” said Greene head coach Dave Gorton. “We should be able to get her more opportunities next year as we move her from the point." Gorton scored at least 20 points on four occasions topping out at 28 points against Hancock. She had six three balls in the game, and actually matched the Wildcats’ overall point total.
Greene honorable mention: Jessica Brooks, sr.; Rebecca Smith, jr.
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Norwich
Bryn Loomis, sr., Norwich, 5-foot-7
Considered one of the best players in all of Section IV, Loomis was recently honored by the BCANY of Section IV as one of the section’s best players. Already a standout defender, Loomis picked up her offensive game, and was second in Chenango County scoring at 14.5 points per game. “She has an incredible knack for making the big play and making the big shot,” said Norwich third-year coach Josh Bennettt. “Her ability to create shots for herself and her teammates off the dribble was the key to our offense.” In 20 games, Loomis was in double figures 18 times. She had her best night against Unadilla Valley in which three of the area’s top four scorers were on the floor (UV’s Jordan Anderson and Amanda Off were the other two). Loomis established herself as the County’s premier player scoring a career-high 27 points. In addition to her scoring, Loomis led Norwich with 4.3 steals per game to go with 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots a contest.
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Jennifer Borfitz, so., Norwich, 5-foot-6
The floor leader for the Section IV Class B finalist Tornado, Borfitz was at her best down the stretch for the Tornado when they played their biggest games. Over her last seven games, Borfitz averaged nearly 12 points per game including a career-high 23 points in a sectional playoff victory over Dryden. The team’s best free throw shooter at 67 percent, she led the team in assists at 4.1 per game, and added 2.6 steals and a solid 34 percent three-point shooting percentage. “We really saw Jenni grow as a floor leader,” Bennett said. “She is a true point guard with a pass-first-shoot-second mentality. At times she is almost unselfish to a fault, and we have to constantly remind Jenni that she is a great shooter and she needs to shoot.” Borfiz was in double figures scoring 10 times, and was 75 percent from the foul line over the final nine games of the season.
Norwich honorable mention: Hailey Dietrich, sr.
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Jacquelyn Heggie, sr., Oxford, 5-foot-7
Oxford progressed from a team that struggled to score the first half of the season to a club that won eight games in a row during the second half of the season and advanced to the Midstate Athletic Conference championship game. Heggie was the top scorer for the Blackhawks averaging 11 points per game. “Jackie is a very competitive athlete, and she competes hard not only in games, but in every practice drill,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer. “She is outstanding in the classroom, too, and I believe is second in this year’s senior class.” Palmer was also quick to point out the contributions of Heggie’s teammates, Lacey Barry, Brooke Noble, Julianne Heggie, and Meg Golden. “Jackie was our top scorer, but the season was a success due to a total team effort,” Palmer said. In averaging 11 points per game, Heggie broke loose with a pair of 21-point nights – career-high games – in a three-point victory over Bainbridge-Guilford and a 12-point win over Greene.
Oxford honorable mention: Julianne Heggie, sr., Lacey Barry, sr.
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Briana Vibbard, sr., Sherburne-Earlville, 5-foot-4
Vibbard did everything exceptionally well for the 15-win Marauders, and even proved she was a prolific scorer when she determined that was what her team needed. “Briana was the heart of our team, and we relied on her for so many things,” said S-E coach Karen Mulligan. “Without her, we would have had a hard time getting the ball up the court...even though she didn’t lead the team in scoring, her assists and steals set up her teammates for easy scoring opportunities.” Vibbard led S-E in steals (4.6/game), assists (4.7/game), and deflections (4.1/game) to go with 7.1 points scored. Always a pass-first player, Vibbard had back-to-back career-high scoring nights in division wins over Ilion and Canastota. She put in 18 to hand Ilion its first division loss, and followed that up with 22 against Canastota. Typical of her normal game, she also had five assists and five rebounds against the Raiders. “Without a doubt, she had the best understanding of the game of anyone on the team,” Mulligan said. “She comes from a basketball family, so it was really like having another coach on the floor.”
S-E honorable mention: Cassie Beaver, sr.; Jordan VanAlthuis, jr.
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Jordan Anderson, jr., Unadilla Valley, 5-foot-2
The smallest in stature among our 10 all-stars, Anderson had the biggest scoring presence averaging a county-best 15.0 points per game. According to our records, Anderson is the first UV girl to win the area scoring title, and she did so with a combination of determination and obvious ability. “I think Jordan became the leader of this team in every way possible,” said UV coach Brandi Backus. “Her maturity really showed this year. After having an average sophomore year, she was definitely a force to be reckoned with this season.” Anderson went to the line a remarkable 175 times, better than eight times per game, and her 124 made free throws alone would have placed her among the top 25 scorers in our coverage area. She averaged nearly five assists, 3 1/2 steals, and 3 1/2 rebounds per game, and reached double figures scoring 18 times in 21 games, scoring season-high 21 points twice as UV reached the Section IV Class C semifinals.
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Taylor Davis, so., Unadilla Valley, 5-foot-6
An athlete playing basketball is the first description of Davis, who typically drew the toughest defensive assignment for the Storm. On the offensive side of the ball, Davis was at her best running the floor and finishing on fast breaks. Inside the three-point line she shot a remarkable 90-for-156 (58 percent), a total more impressive considering she played guard. “A lot of Taylor offense was generated with her defense,” Backus said. “She stepped in and played a tremendous role for us this year.” Davis averaged 11.8 points per game, sixth in our coverage area, and was in double figures scoring 14 times. Davis had the highest scoring night for the Storm all season when she tossed in 24 points in a 30-point romp over Greene. To go with her scoring, Davis averaged 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game.
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Amanda Off, jr., Unadilla Valley, 6-foot
A two-time all-star, Off shrugged off a slow start to the season finishing at or above the level that made her one of the best players in the area last season. Off averaged 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field. Off was not your typical low-post player showing a knack for hitting outside 15-footers, while also fleet afoot to regularly finish on the fast break. “Every team knew they had to key on Amanda this year,” Backus said. “She started the year slow, but became more confident as the year went on. It was definitely a different role for Amanda (and Jordan) this year. She was now one of the upperclassmen her teammates were looking up to for leadership.” Off was in double figures scoring 17 times, and finished the season with 10 straight double-doubles in points and rebounds. She was over 20 points four times reaching a season-high 23 against unbeaten MAC champion Harpursville in a close regular season loss.
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Other honorable mention selections: Miranda Hill, sr., G-MU; Hope Reynolds, Otselic Valley.
Unadilla Valley and Norwich claimed exactly half of our 10 all-star spots with Unadilla Valley sporting an area-best three all-stars, while Norwich had two players garner select spots.
Unadilla Valley posted its first winning record in some seven years, and had three of the area’s top six scorers, all of whom are underclassmen. Jordan Anderson, Amanda Off, and Taylor Davis combined to average over 40 points per game this season as UV won 15 games in reaching the Section IV Class C semifinals. Just a season ago, the Storm averaged slightly over 42 points per game – as a team.
Norwich, meanwhile, had a mix of veterans along with youngsters in reaching its second straight Section IV championship game. Bryn Loomis, a returning all-star, justly earned all-Section IV honors, and when matching up against the best players and the best teams, she proved time and again she is among the elite players. Loomis’ teammate, Jenni Borfitz, makes her first all-star appearance, and is among a group of young players that should keep the Tornado competitive for many years to come.
Three of the remaining five all-star spots went to returning players. Bainbridge-Guilford seniors, Randi Conway and Shania Vandermark along with Greene junior Kaitlin Gorton make up the veteran trio, while our two first-time all-stars are Sherburne-Earlville senior Briana Vibbard, and Oxford senior Jacquelyn Heggie.
As always, all-star selections were made based on our season-long observations of local teams in concert with recommendations from area basketball coaches. Players are listed in alphabetical order by team.
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Shania Vandermark, sr. Bainbridge-Guilford, 5-foot-9
A four-year player for the Bobcats, the last three as a starter, Vandermark scored 573 points over her final two seasons, and averaged a double-double this past year with 13.8 points and 11.1 rebounds to go with a team-high four steals per contest. She had five 20-point games scoring a high of 29 against Unadilla Valley in the season-opener. Vandermark also posted the best rebounding game of our coverage area pulling down 23 rebounds in a three-point home win over UV in early February. “She was absolutely very athletic and very strong,” said B-G coach Bob Conway. “A big key to her game was rebounding. Kids just couldn’t keep her off the boards.”
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Randi Conway, sr., Bainbridge-Guilford, 5-foot-6
The third of the Conway sisters to play for the Bobcats, Conway repeats as a County all-star finishing with a solid 11.5 points per game average to go with a nifty six assists. As Conway went, so went the Bobcats in most instances as she manned the starting point guard position for most of the last four seasons. “She has definitely improved her overall game the past four years,” said coach Bob Conway. “She has always been a good passer, and her scoring improved the past two years.” Randi Conway was in double figures scoring 15 times to lead B-G this season, and scored a season-high 19 points in a victory over Class B Windsor.
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B-G honorable mention: Abbey Smith, so.
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Kaitlin Gorton, jr. Greene, 5-foot-6
The leading scorer and point guard for the Trojans, Gorton was the most prolific three-point shooter in the area with 36 three-pointers, a total that was 10 better than the next-best local shooter. She also hit a respectable 35 percent from behind the arc to go with 6.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists. One the best indicators of a point guard’s effectiveness is her assist-to-turnover ratio. Gorton had at least 2.3 assists to every turnover. "Kaitlin has proven herself to be an outstanding outside shooter,” said Greene head coach Dave Gorton. “We should be able to get her more opportunities next year as we move her from the point." Gorton scored at least 20 points on four occasions topping out at 28 points against Hancock. She had six three balls in the game, and actually matched the Wildcats’ overall point total.
Greene honorable mention: Jessica Brooks, sr.; Rebecca Smith, jr.
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Norwich
Bryn Loomis, sr., Norwich, 5-foot-7
Considered one of the best players in all of Section IV, Loomis was recently honored by the BCANY of Section IV as one of the section’s best players. Already a standout defender, Loomis picked up her offensive game, and was second in Chenango County scoring at 14.5 points per game. “She has an incredible knack for making the big play and making the big shot,” said Norwich third-year coach Josh Bennettt. “Her ability to create shots for herself and her teammates off the dribble was the key to our offense.” In 20 games, Loomis was in double figures 18 times. She had her best night against Unadilla Valley in which three of the area’s top four scorers were on the floor (UV’s Jordan Anderson and Amanda Off were the other two). Loomis established herself as the County’s premier player scoring a career-high 27 points. In addition to her scoring, Loomis led Norwich with 4.3 steals per game to go with 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots a contest.
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Jennifer Borfitz, so., Norwich, 5-foot-6
The floor leader for the Section IV Class B finalist Tornado, Borfitz was at her best down the stretch for the Tornado when they played their biggest games. Over her last seven games, Borfitz averaged nearly 12 points per game including a career-high 23 points in a sectional playoff victory over Dryden. The team’s best free throw shooter at 67 percent, she led the team in assists at 4.1 per game, and added 2.6 steals and a solid 34 percent three-point shooting percentage. “We really saw Jenni grow as a floor leader,” Bennett said. “She is a true point guard with a pass-first-shoot-second mentality. At times she is almost unselfish to a fault, and we have to constantly remind Jenni that she is a great shooter and she needs to shoot.” Borfiz was in double figures scoring 10 times, and was 75 percent from the foul line over the final nine games of the season.
Norwich honorable mention: Hailey Dietrich, sr.
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Jacquelyn Heggie, sr., Oxford, 5-foot-7
Oxford progressed from a team that struggled to score the first half of the season to a club that won eight games in a row during the second half of the season and advanced to the Midstate Athletic Conference championship game. Heggie was the top scorer for the Blackhawks averaging 11 points per game. “Jackie is a very competitive athlete, and she competes hard not only in games, but in every practice drill,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer. “She is outstanding in the classroom, too, and I believe is second in this year’s senior class.” Palmer was also quick to point out the contributions of Heggie’s teammates, Lacey Barry, Brooke Noble, Julianne Heggie, and Meg Golden. “Jackie was our top scorer, but the season was a success due to a total team effort,” Palmer said. In averaging 11 points per game, Heggie broke loose with a pair of 21-point nights – career-high games – in a three-point victory over Bainbridge-Guilford and a 12-point win over Greene.
Oxford honorable mention: Julianne Heggie, sr., Lacey Barry, sr.
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Briana Vibbard, sr., Sherburne-Earlville, 5-foot-4
Vibbard did everything exceptionally well for the 15-win Marauders, and even proved she was a prolific scorer when she determined that was what her team needed. “Briana was the heart of our team, and we relied on her for so many things,” said S-E coach Karen Mulligan. “Without her, we would have had a hard time getting the ball up the court...even though she didn’t lead the team in scoring, her assists and steals set up her teammates for easy scoring opportunities.” Vibbard led S-E in steals (4.6/game), assists (4.7/game), and deflections (4.1/game) to go with 7.1 points scored. Always a pass-first player, Vibbard had back-to-back career-high scoring nights in division wins over Ilion and Canastota. She put in 18 to hand Ilion its first division loss, and followed that up with 22 against Canastota. Typical of her normal game, she also had five assists and five rebounds against the Raiders. “Without a doubt, she had the best understanding of the game of anyone on the team,” Mulligan said. “She comes from a basketball family, so it was really like having another coach on the floor.”
S-E honorable mention: Cassie Beaver, sr.; Jordan VanAlthuis, jr.
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Jordan Anderson, jr., Unadilla Valley, 5-foot-2
The smallest in stature among our 10 all-stars, Anderson had the biggest scoring presence averaging a county-best 15.0 points per game. According to our records, Anderson is the first UV girl to win the area scoring title, and she did so with a combination of determination and obvious ability. “I think Jordan became the leader of this team in every way possible,” said UV coach Brandi Backus. “Her maturity really showed this year. After having an average sophomore year, she was definitely a force to be reckoned with this season.” Anderson went to the line a remarkable 175 times, better than eight times per game, and her 124 made free throws alone would have placed her among the top 25 scorers in our coverage area. She averaged nearly five assists, 3 1/2 steals, and 3 1/2 rebounds per game, and reached double figures scoring 18 times in 21 games, scoring season-high 21 points twice as UV reached the Section IV Class C semifinals.
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Taylor Davis, so., Unadilla Valley, 5-foot-6
An athlete playing basketball is the first description of Davis, who typically drew the toughest defensive assignment for the Storm. On the offensive side of the ball, Davis was at her best running the floor and finishing on fast breaks. Inside the three-point line she shot a remarkable 90-for-156 (58 percent), a total more impressive considering she played guard. “A lot of Taylor offense was generated with her defense,” Backus said. “She stepped in and played a tremendous role for us this year.” Davis averaged 11.8 points per game, sixth in our coverage area, and was in double figures scoring 14 times. Davis had the highest scoring night for the Storm all season when she tossed in 24 points in a 30-point romp over Greene. To go with her scoring, Davis averaged 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game.
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Amanda Off, jr., Unadilla Valley, 6-foot
A two-time all-star, Off shrugged off a slow start to the season finishing at or above the level that made her one of the best players in the area last season. Off averaged 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field. Off was not your typical low-post player showing a knack for hitting outside 15-footers, while also fleet afoot to regularly finish on the fast break. “Every team knew they had to key on Amanda this year,” Backus said. “She started the year slow, but became more confident as the year went on. It was definitely a different role for Amanda (and Jordan) this year. She was now one of the upperclassmen her teammates were looking up to for leadership.” Off was in double figures scoring 17 times, and finished the season with 10 straight double-doubles in points and rebounds. She was over 20 points four times reaching a season-high 23 against unbeaten MAC champion Harpursville in a close regular season loss.
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Other honorable mention selections: Miranda Hill, sr., G-MU; Hope Reynolds, Otselic Valley.
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