By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
The conference championship basketball teams in the Northwestern Foothills 2A also produced the league’s top players.
In voting by conference head coaches, Addison Wray of Bunker Hill was selected girls’ player of the year and Caleb Castle of Patton won boys’ player of the year.
Wray, a high-scoring senior who has signed to play softball at Appalachian State, led Bunker Hill to a 10-0 record and a league title.
In the state 2A playoffs, the Bears completed a 12-1 season with a third-round 67-61 loss at top-seeded West Stokes.
In one of their best seasons since 2000, the Bears were a win shy of reaching the West 2A Regional title game. They won a league title for the first time since sharing one in 2002-03 and played in a West Regional for the first time since 2001-02.
Bunker Hill’s girls now have four West Regional appearances – this season 2001-02, 2000-01, and they were West 2A champs in 1998-99 (falling 72-63 to Clinton in the state title game.).
Lee Swanson, in his second season with Bunker Hill’s girls after coaching the boys for four years, guided the Bears to their seventh league title since 1982.
The conference girls’ coach of the year award went to Maury Patterson of Hibriten, whose team (6-8) finished fifth in the league.
Castle, a senior shooting guard, sparked Patton’s 8-0 finish in the boys’ title race. The Panthers finished 8-1, losing 89-75 to Shelby in the first round of the state 2A playoffs.
Dennis Brittain, in his 10th season at Patton, won coach of the year.
The Panthers had only two games with small win margins of fewer than 13 points (69-68 at West Caldwell in the second game of the year and 80-75 over Bunker Hill in the seventh game).
Brittain has guided Patton to a record of 134-113 with eight straight playoff bids and two conference titles.
ALL-NORTHWESTERN FOOTHILLS 2A BASKETBALL
GIRLS
Addison Wray, Bunker Hill
Olivia Ellis, Bunker Hill
Faith Isenhour, Bunker Hill
Camryn Bryant, Bunker Hill
Elia Abernathy, Draughn
Haley Lowman, Draughn
Aubree Craig, E. Burke
Alexis Woglemuth, Fred T. Foard
Samaria Tipps, Fred T. Foard
Katie Story, Hibriten
Reece Fisher, Patton
Madilyn Brown, Patton
Cambria Crisp, W. Caldwell
Lariyah Clark, W. Iredell
POY: Wray, Bunker Hill
COY: Maury Patterson, Hibriten
BOYS
Ethan Hildebran, Bunker Hill
Kaliq Ramseur, Bunker Hill
Luke Rector, Draughn
Aasin Lor, E. Burke
Lane Essery, Fred T. Foard
Nordre Battle, Hibriten
Garrett Smargian, Hibriten
Caleb Castle, Patton
Waylon Rutherford, Patton
Jayden Powell, Patton
Connor Rudisill, Patton
Malek Patterson, W. Caldwell
Jakobe Patterson, W. Caldwell
Qualyne Johnson, W. Iredell
POY: Castle, Patton
COY: Dennis Brittain, Patton