THE SPORTS REPORTS: OWEGO'S BANGEL NAMED BOYS HOOP 'PLAYER OF THE YEAR;' CANDOR'S HEIDL ALSO EARNS TOP HONOR ON ALL-REGION TEAM (2023-03-30)

The Sports Reports
It was another exciting year on the hardwood as several area teams made some memorable runs.

North of the border Horseheads, Elmira and Owego boys’ basketball teams won Section IV titles, while Waverly won an IAC title.

South of the border NP-Mansfield went undefeated in NTL play for a league championship, while Troy defeated NP-Mansfield in the district title game for a District IV championship.

Even Sullivan County got into it, winning just their second district title in school history.

That gives this group of The Sports Reports "All-Region Boys’ Basketball" team a particularly gold sheen.

In a deep field, Owego’s John Bangel is the "Player of the Year." Bangel averaged 15.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 2.3 BPG to dominate on both sides of the court. He led Owego to a Section IV, Class B title, and was named the Section IV, Class B Co-Player of the Year.

Beside Bangel as "Offensive Player of the Year" is Waverly’s Joey Tomasso. Tomasso put up 30 PPG, while also getting 4.6 RPG, and 2.7 SPG. His 649 points this season and 49 points against Lansing in the IAC Large School Championship game are school records. He also reached the 1,000-point plateau this season.

The "Defensive Player of the Year" is Elmira’s Chris Woodard, who was a double-double threat at 16.1 PPG and 10 RPG. He also had two steals per game at the center position, while leading the Express to a Section IV, Class AA title.

Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Parker is the "Newcomer of the Year." Parker put up 20 PPG in his first season for the Crusaders, despite being the focus of defenses night in and night out.

Candor’s Jadon Heidl is the "Breakout Player of the Year." The first-year varsity player put up 17.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.2 SPG.

NP-Mansfield’s Kipper Burleigh is the "Coach of the Year." In his final season Burleigh led the Tigers to an undefeated league season, the District IV, Class AAA title game, and a win in the state playoffs.

This group had a deep field, as well, with Elmira’s Ryan Johnson, Horseheads’ Jeff Limoncelli, and Owego’s Chris Evans all winning sectional titles, Troy’s Bob Woodward and Sullivan County’s Glenn Vaughan winning district titles, Sayre’s John Ward winning his school’s first league title, and Canton’s Brock Kitchen returning his team to the playoffs despite returning just one starter.

FIRST TEAM
John Bangel, Owego - See above.

Chris Woodard, Elmira - See above.

Joey Tomasso, Waverly - See above.

Blake Morningstar, Wyalusing - Morningstar averaged 25.2 PPG and 12.9 RPG for the Rams this year, grabbing his 500th rebound and scoring his 1,000th point during the season.

Jeremy Truax, Horseheads - Truax scored 17 PPG to lead Horseheads to the Section IV, Class A boys’ basketball title.

Karson Dominick, NP-Mansfield - Dominick put up 19.1 PPG to go with 5.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.9 steals per game. He was named the NTL Player of the Year to lead the Tigers to an NTL title.

Logan Booker, Corning - Booker averaged 17 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.3 SPG for Corning and was named to the BCANY Section IV first team.

Mason Lister, Athens - Lister put up 18.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.2 APG and 3.1 SPG as he led the Wildcats to the district semifinals. Finished his career as a 1,000-point scorer with 600 rebounds.

SECOND TEAM
Jackson Casey, Corning - The floor leader for Corning, he averaged 10.5 PPG and 8.4 APG while also grabbing 4.2 RPG from the guard position.

Joe Bangel, Owego - A 2-way force like his brother John, he put up 10 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.8 blocks per game for the sectional champions.

Jackson Hubbard, Sayre - Hubbard averaged an NTL leading 25.8 PPG, while grabbing 6.2 RPG. He also had 2.3 APG, 3.2 SPG and hit 53 3-pointers on the season. Also scored a school-record 55 points in a game, and reached the 1,000-point plateau.

Derek Litzelman, NP-Liberty - Litzelman scored 19.6 PPG while also grabbing 8.2 RPG, and handing out 4.2 APG.

Amauri Truax, Horseheads - Put up 15 PPG for the Blue Raiders, and saved his best for big moments, like scoring 35 points between two sectional games.

Evan Sickler, Tioga - Sickler scored 22.5 PPG for the Tigers, while also led them in rebounding at 9.1 RPG, and posted a career-high 46-point outing. He was named the BCANY Section IV, "Class C Player of the Year."

Peyton McClure, Wellsboro - McClure nabbed 56 steals this season, and had three rebounds per game as a guard, often defending the opponent’s best player. He also hit 72 3-pointers on the year and averaged 14.4 PPG.

Jeremiah Parker, Notre Dame - See above.

THIRD TEAM
Conner Adams, Wellsboro - Adams was the floor general for the Hornets, as he averaged 13.4 PPG and 6.6 APG. He was the NTL "Offensive Player of the Year."

Weston Bellows, Canton - Bellows averaged 13.9 PPG while also grabbing 4.9 RPG from the guard position, and nabbing 2.6 SPG. He was also one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league.

Evan Woodward, Troy - Woodward led Troy in scoring at 12.9 PPG, while also doing a little bit of everything on the floor from shooting from deep, to ball handling to defense.

Riley King, Sullivan County - King scored 12.3 PPG to lead the Griffins while also avragi9ng 3.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 3.0 SPG for the district champions.

Jadon Heidl, Candor - See above.

Zeb Soper, Candor - Soper averaged a double-double of 10.6 PPG and 10.4 for Candor, while also handing 4.1 APG, and blocking 2.8 shots per game.

Drew Tavelli, Owego - The point guard averaged 11.6 PPG and 3.3 APG while shooting 48cpercent from the floor.

Anthony Kitching, Elmira - A defensive force for Elmira as they went 8-2 in their final 10 games when he started with a plus-minus of plus-5.2.

FOURTH TEAM
Nolyn Proudfoot, Corning - A 7th-grader and top prospect in New York, he averaged 11.4 PPG and shot 33 percent from deep for Corning.

 JB Burbage, Troy - Burbage was a double-double threat in his first year on varsity, averaging 12.2 PPG. He also came close to getting a triple-double a few times, too.

Dan Truesdail, Newark Valley - The forward shot 55 percent from the floor, and averaged 15.5 PPG, to go with 6.8 RPG, and 2 steals per contest.

Reed Walrath, Corning - A double-double type player with 9.2 PPG and 9.4 RPG, including a 22-point, 16-rebound game in the sectional semifinals.

Ben Carpenter, Sullivan County - Carpenter averaged 12.0 PPG to go with 3.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.5 APG for the championship Griffins.

Jake VanHouten, Waverly - He was a double-double threat with averages of 9.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG, while shooting 51.9-percent from the field.

Tyrus Peters, Corning Christian Academy - Averaged 15 RPG, and had a 19-point, 21-rebound game to finish the season. He was also an All-ESCAL selection.

Alex Daugherty, Horseheads - A strong two-way player who put up 10 PPG for the sectional champions.

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
John Bangel, Owego
Joe Bangel, Owego
Jay Pipher, Waverly
Weston Bellows, Canton
Peyton McClure, Wellsboro
Trey Higley, Sullivan County
Jackson Taylor, Troy
Anthony Kitching, Elmira
Cam Brought, Wellsboro
Da’mon Jackson, Elmira
Jackson Cook, Horseheads
Zeb Soper, Candor
Kolsen Keathley, Athens

ALL-ROOKIE
Jeremiah Parker, Notre Dame
Nolyn Proudfoot, Corning
Finn Schweitzer, Notre Dame
Jack Fesetch, Horseheads
Jadon Heidl, Candor
Jake VanHouten, Waverly
JB Burbage, Troy
Brayden Miller, NEB
Ben Fitch, Canton
Xavier Watson, Athens
Daniel Sherant, NPL
Trehnon Hugo, Wyalusing

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