Conley named to 3rd team; Gilbert named District 8 Asst. Coach of the Year

By Cort Reynolds

ADA – Ada High School junior wing Zack Zimmerman was voted to the six-player All-Blanchard Valley Conference first team in boys basketball by the league coaches recently.

The 6-2 Zimmerman led the Bulldogs in scoring at over 16 points per game. He hit several clutch late-game shots, and topped the team in three-point field goals.

He helped lead a young Ada squad to a 14-9 record, a nine-game improvement over the previous season. The Bulldogs also finished a solid 7-3 in their first season as a member of the 11-team league.

Sophomore point guard Carson Conley earned third team All-BVC honors.

Junior wing Kayleb Hickman was named honorable mention all-league.  The ballhawk led Ada in steals, was second in triples and averaged just under 10 ppg. His steal and buzzer-beating jumper defeated Arcadia 56-55 to cap a late comeback as a season highlight.

Junior defensive ace Gavin Oldfield also received honorable mention All-BVC notice.

Liberty-Benton senior Jake Gerken was named BVC Player of the Year.  

Liberty-Benton’s Doug Whiteman was tabbed BVC Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to an undefeated league crown with a 10-0 record. Arlington was a close second at 9-1, while Van Buren came in third at 8-2. Ada finished a strong fourth with a 7-3 record.

Leipsic and Pandora-Gilboa tied for fifth at 5-5, followed by Arcadia and Riverdale knotted in seventh (4-6). Elmwood was ninth at 2-8, while McComb came in 10th at 1-9. Vanlue finished 11th and last at 0-10 in league play.

Bulldog senior cagers Brody Erickson and Lexi Poling earned the Academic All-BVC awards for Ada.

Rounding out the All-BVC first team were Gerken, senior guard Jase Vermillion (Arlington), senior Seth Gregory (Van Buren), junior Lincoln Holler (L-B) and Jayce Brecht (Leipsic).

Veteran mentor Darren Gilbert of Ada was named District 8 Assistant Coach of the Year.