THE SPORTS REPORTS: TROY'S BARRETT HEADLINES ALL-REGION BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM; WYALUSING'S MORNINGSTAR ALSO EARNS TOP HONOR (2022-03-31)
The Sports ReportsIt was quite the boys’ hoops season on both
sides of the border, with talent showing through within their leagues,
and into the playoffs.
Corning was a sectional champion and
reached the Elite Eight in the largest Class of New York, while Elmira
and Owego both reached sectional finals.
It
was a historically good postseason for teams in Pa., with four NTL teams
— NP-Liberty, Wyalusing, Troy, and Athens — making District 4 finals,
with the Rams winning a title.
The top scorer in the area, and one of the most exciting players in recent years, was Troy senior Ty Barrett.
Barrett
put up 26.5 points per game, to go with 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists
per game, leading the Trojans to their second straight NTL Large School
title, and their first district title berth since 2004.
He scored 30 or more points in eight games this year, had more than 20 points in 19 regular season games. All of that makes him
The Sports Reports’ All-Region Boys’ Basketball “
Player of the Year.”
Athens
senior J.J. Babcock could do it all for the Wildcats — run the point,
score inside, and hit the 3-ball — as he led his team to their its
district title game since 2000, and their first state win since the
1950s. His averages of 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, and
51.6 percent shooting percentage from the field make Babcock
The Sports Reports’ All-Region Boys’ Basketball “
Offensive Player of the Year.”
Owego’s
John Bangel used his 6-foot, 7-inch frame to lead the Indians to a
runner-up showing in the Section IV, Class B tournament, where they fell
to state semifinalist Seton Catholic. He averaged 9.5 rebounds and 2.1
blocks per game, to go with 14.0 points per game — all team highs — to
earn
The Sports Reports’ All-Region Boys’ Basketball “
Defensive Player of the Year” nod.
Corning’s
Isaiah Henderson is on the best scorers in Section IV, a 6-foot, 4-inch
walking mismatch, who also happens to be one of the best shooters in
the section. Henderson scored 18.7 points per game this year, shooting
40-percent from behind the 3-point arc, and 83-percent from the free
throw line.
Henderson made almost three 3-balls per contest this
year, as he helped lead Corning to the STAC West title, and then
capture the Section IV title, making it to the Elite 8 in the state. All
that makes Henderson
The Sports Reports' All-Region Boys’ Basketball “
Newcomer of the Year.”
Nobody
had quite the jump in production that Wyalusing junior Blake
Morningstar had. He went from a back-up center a year ago, to the best
low=post player in the league, with averages of 19.3 points and 10.1
rebounds per game..
Morningstar also helped lead Wyalusing to an
NTL Small School title, and a second straight District IV, Class AA
title, making him
The Sports Reports’ All-Region Boys’ Basketball
“Breakout Player of the Year”.
Few
teams lost as much in the offseason as NP-Liberty did, saying good-bye
to their stalwart players that had won them two straight NTL Small
School Division titles, along with a District IV, Class A finals
appearance. Yet, with four newcomers in the line-up, they were able to
challenge for the NTL Small School title, and once again reach the
District IV, Class A title game, making the state tournament for the
second time in three years. That makes their head coach, Brian
Litzelman,
The Sports Reports’ All-Region Boys’ Basketball “
Coach of the Year.”
ALL-REGION BOYS BASKETBALLPlayer of the Year: Troy’s Ty Barrett
Offensive Player of the Year: Athens’ JJ Babcock
Defensive Player of the Year: Owego’s John Bangel
Newcomer of the Year: Corning’s Isaiah Henderson
Breakout Player of the Year: Wyalusing’s Blake Morningstar
Coach of the Year: NP-Liberty’s Brian Litzelman
FIRST TEAMTroy’s Ty Barrett
Athens’ JJ Babcock
Owego’s John Bangel
Corning’s Isaiah Henderson
Wyalusing’s Blake Morningstar
Corning’s Jackson Casey
Horseheads’ Amauri Truax
Waverly’s Joey Tomasso
SECOND TEAMCandor’s Will Zimmer
Canton’s Isaiah Niemczyk
Wellsboro’s Liam Manning
NP-Mansfield’s Karson Dominick
S-VE's Markus Brock
Elmira’s Xavier Jones
Owego’s Joe Bangel
Wyalusing’s Grady Cobb
THIRD TEAMHorseheads’ Jeremy Truax
NP-Liberty’s Derek Litzelman
Tioga’s Evan Sickler
CV’s McGwire Painter
Corning’s Landen Burch
Elmira’s Mikey Middaugh
Notre Dame's Steven Gough
Troy’s Mason Imbt
FOURTH TEAMCandor’s Nick Thomas
Notre Dame's Malaki Owens
Wellsboro’s Conner Adams
Elmira’s Anthony Brooks
Athens’ Mason Lister
NP-Mansfield’s Brody Burleigh
Canton’s Caiden Williams
Towanda’s Dante Ottaviani
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAMOwego’s Jon Bangel
S-VE's Tyler Doster
Elmira’s Seth Myles
Wellsboro’s Darryn Callahan
Troy’s Jackson Taylor
Wyalusing’s Kashawn Cameron
Athens’ Tucker Brown
Tioga’s Gavin Godfrey
Waverly’s Jay Pipher
Canton’s Weston Bellows
Corning’s Nesu Maphosa
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAMNotre Dame's Savie Waters
Elmira’s Chris Woodward
Edison’s Blake Cobb
Troy’s Justice Chimics
NEB’s Josh Stanton
Tioga’s Gavin Fisher
Newark Valley’s Danny Pirger
Candor’s Zeb Soper
Owego’s John Larter
NP-Liberty’s Noah Shedden