A total of 16 local prep basketball players earned all-Southwest District accolades this winter.
The all-district teams are selected by a panel of media members from across the district.
The highest local honor went to Indian Lake sophomore Caiden Nicol, who was named to the Division III boys third team.
Nicol, a guard, is averaging 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game entering the Lakers’ district final game against Cincinnati Taft on Saturday.
In last weekend’s sectional final against Dayton Christian, Nicol scored 18 points in the first quarter alone. He went on to finish with 24 in the Lakers’ 69-59 victory.
Three of Nicol’s teammates, seniors Luke Jackson and Caleb Wurster and sophomore Camdon Tuttle, were selected to the Division III honorable mention list.
Wurster is averaging 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5 assists per game, Jackson is contributing 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2 assists per contest and Tuttle is adding 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Lakers.
Also earning honorable mention honors in Division III for the boys were West Liberty-Salem’s Logan Saylor and Matt Jones and Triad’s Ayden Spriggs and Ayden Sanford.
A senior, Saylor led the Tigers with 13.4 points and seven rebounds per game. His teammate Jones, a junior, averaged 8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. He shot 43 percent from three-point range.
Spriggs and Sanford, both seniors, helped Triad to a big turnaround this season. Spriggs averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Sanford collected averages of 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds.
There were two local boys on the Division II honorable mention list in Bellefontaine’s C.J. Wilson and Benjamin Logan’s Kaden Arn.
Wilson, a sophomore, led the Chiefs in scoring at 8.6 points per game. He also chipped in 2.5 rebounds per contest.
A senior, Arn powered the Raiders by averaging 14.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Riverside sophomore Myles Platfoot was an honorable mention selection for the Division IV all-district team. He averaged 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
On the girls side, there were five area players receiving honorable mention awards.
In Division II, Benjamin Logan senior Lynzee Cronkleton and Bellefontaine senior Tayteum Vigansky were honorable mention selections.
Cronkleton led the Raiders in scoring this winter at 14.7 points per game. She also averaged 3.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals.
Vigansky was a versatile weapon for the Chiefs, averaging 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2.4 blocks per game.
West Liberty-Salem’s Chaley Wade and Indian Lake’s Stephanie Altstaetter were named to the honorable mention list in Division III.
A sophomore, Wade scored 9.5 points and pulled down 8.6 rebounds per game in her first year starting for the Tigers.
A junior, Altstaetter sparked the Lakers by averaging 13.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest.
Riverside’s Jade Copas was an honorable mention pick in Division IV. Copas, a junior, averaged 7.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.