OWEGO'S DONOVAN HIGHLIGHTS ALL-TIOGA COUNTY GIRLS TOP 10 'ATHLETES OF THE WINTER' (2020-03-26)

Tioga County Sports Report
TIOGA COUNTY — Owego's Kaci Donovan broke a 15-year-old scoring record, her own single-game scoring mark twice and spearheaded a 10-game win streak to be named the 2019-20 girls “Athlete of the Winter.”

The Penn State-bound guard leaves as the Indians' all-time leading scorer, boys or girls, with 1,974 points, breaking the record set in 2005 by Kyle Dougherty, who went on to play at Villanova. The senior snapped her single-game mark of 35 points twice, scoring 44 against Chenango Forks in the season opener, then pumping out 55 in a win over Ithaca Feb. 10.

She finished the season with 519 points, averaging 27.3 per game. She also averaged 6.9 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.4 assists per game. She also which ended in the sectional semifinals. The senior was also named the All-Tioga County "Player of the Year" for a second consecutive year.

Owego advanced to the Section IV Class B semifinals, finishing the season 13-7 and ranked 21st in the state in Class B with a schedule which included seven games against state-ranked opponents. Along the way the Indians upset M-E, which was ranked third in the state in Class A at the time.

Rounding out the All-Tioga County Girls Top 10 Athletes of the Winter list are:

Evee Coleman, Owego, basketball: The junior forward was one of just two players in Tioga County to average a double-double, scoring 20.2 points while pulling down 13 rebounds per game.

She would repeat as the All-Tioga County "Defensive Player of the Year," averaging 9.2 defensive rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.1 steals per outing. Coleman, who suffered an off-season knee injury, also handed out 1.9 assists per game.

Sidney Tomasso, Waverly, girls basketball: A solid all-around player, the junior led the Wolverines to a 15-5 record and was named an IAC South Large School first-team all-star and was selected to the All-Tioga County first team.

Tomasso averaged 19.8 points and six rebounds per game, as well as four assists and four steals per outing. She connected for 48 3-pointers this season and shot 85 percent from from the free throw line.

Sheridan Talada, Waverly, indoor track & field: The senior set three school records before being slowed by an injury in the second half of the season.

Talada placed in the top four in three as the Wolverines won their first-ever Section IV Indoor Division 2 team title. She ran on the victorious 3,200-meter relay team, placed second in the 3,000 and took fourth in the 1500.

She set school records in the 1500-meter run (4:55.45) and the 3,000 (10:36.09), and joined classmates Melina Ortiz, Cora Smith and Elizabeth Fritzen to break a 19-year-old mark in the distance medley relay (13:00.29) by more than 19 seconds.

Braelyn Hornick, Candor, basketball: A junior, she was one of two Tioga County players to average a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13.3 rebounds per game.

Hornick posted 11 double-doubles in 20 games and also led the team with 58 steals and 30 assists.

She was an IAC South Small School first-team all-star and an All-Tioga County first-team pick this season.

Melina Ortiz, Waverly, indoor track & field: Another of the Wolverines' talented seniors, she placed in the top five in three events as Waverly won its first-ever Section IV Division 2 team championship.

Ortiz placed third in the 300-meter dash (43.83 seconds), fourth in the 55 dash in (7.68 seconds) and fifth in the 600 (1:44.1). She also finished third in the 55 (7.62 seconds) and fourth in the 200 (44.0 seconds) at the state qualifier.

She was also part of the distance medley relay which shattered a 19-year old school mark.

Mackenna Nechwedowich, Newark Valley, basketball: The junior averaged 12 points per game, second best on the team, but was equally as vital in other areas. She led the Cardinals in rebounding with 7.8 per game, blocks with 3.7 per outing and assists with 3.5 per contest.

Nechwedowich played a key role for a group which emphasized teamwork to win its first IAC championship since 1991. The IAC Large School and South Large School champions won their first 22 games before falling to defending champion Norwich in the Section IV Class B title game. NV would be ranked as high as fourth in the state before ending the season at No. 14.

She was an IAC South Large School first-team all-star and an All-Tioga County first-team pick this season.

Olivia Ayres, Tioga, basketball: A junior, she led the Tigers with 14.4 points per game, and knocked down a whopping 62 3-pointers. She also averaged 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 assists per game.

Ayres was named an IAC South Small School first-team all-star and was also an All-Tioga County first-team pick.

Hannah Ferguson, Newark Valley, basketball: The sophomore averaged 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She also contributed 25 3-pointers.

Ferguson played a key role in the Cardinals' 22-1 season in which they won their first IAC championship since 1991, finished as the Section IV Class B runner-up and were ranked as high as fourth in the state.

She was an IAC South Large School first-team all-star and an All-Tioga County first-team pick this season.

Victoria Houseknecht, Waverly, bowling: A freshman, she logged the third-highest average in the IAC at 176 and was named the 2019-20 All-Tioga County girls “Bowler of the Year.”

She rolled a high game of 279 and 649 high series as the Wolverines finished second in IAC Division and also placed second at the IAC championships, leading Waverly to a runner-up showing there as well. Houseknecht was also sixth in the Section IV Class C tournament and 13th at the Section IV state qualifier.

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IN PHOTO: Owego's Kaci Donovan. ... TCSR STOCK PHOTO.