Hill, Rhodes repeat as county’s best
LISBON — Beaver Local’s Owen Hill and Crestview’s Addison Rhodes made their senior seasons their best ones yet.
They repeated as Columbiana County players of the year in balloting by coaches Sunday.
Hill is joined by Lisbon senior AJ Ramgeet and Heartland Christian junior Collin Kalaher as unanimous selections on the boys team.
Hill missed six games with a foot injury, but the Beavers are 14-3 with him in the lineup. He averages 23.5 points and 9.8 rebounds a game, both team highs, along with 2.1 blocks, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals. He is shooting 56% from two-point range, 41% from three-point range and 68% from the foul line.
He is the Beaver Local boys career scoring leader with 1,420 points.
Rhodes is a three-time county player of the year and the only unanimous girls selection this year.
She is one of the top scorers in the state, averaging 31.6 points a game along with 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.6 steals. She is shooting 57% from the field, 43% from three-point range and 94% from the foul line.
Rhodes is Columbiana County’s all-time leading scorer with 2,471 career points.
The Rebels are 23-2 on the season and captured their first district title since 2007. The top-seeded Rebels will Doylestown Chippewa in the Division VI regional semifinals at 6 p.m. today at Elryia Catholic Stadium.
Beaver Local’s Nick Miller and Heartland Christian’s Josh Scott share boys coach of the year honors, while Southern Local’s Mike Skrinjar is the girls coach of the year.
Miller led the Beavers to one of their best seasons with a 17-6 record. The fourth-seeded Beavers will play fifth-seeded Carrollton in a Division IV district semifinal at 7 p.m. today at Steubenville’s Crimson Center.
Scott has guided the Lions to a 20-4 season and third straight trip to the district final. The third-seeded Lions will play seventh-seeded Kidron Central Christian in the district final at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Smithville High School.
Skrinjar directed the Southern girls to a school-best 24-1 record, the outright Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference title and a trip to the district final for the first time since 1995.
Hill, Ramgeet and Kalaher are boys first-team returnees. Joining them on the first team are East Liverpool junior Dre’Keim Abercrombie, Columbiana senior Cooper Brown, Wellsville junior Darnell Roe, Salem senior Deontay Steele and United senior Jason Pratt.
Rhodes is a four-time county first-teamer, while Southern senior Allyssa Shroades is on the first team for a second year in a row. Joining them on the girls first team are Southern freshman Katie Kellogg, Salem junior Abby Knickerbocker, United sophomore Maelee Smith, Crestview senior Ava Bucey, East Liverpool senior LaNease Andrews and Lisbon senior Jayden Smyth.
The boys second team includes Beaver Local senior Luke Rettos, Columbiana junior Senator Johnson, Heartland Christian junior Brody Conaway, Lisbon sophomore Aidan Ramgeet, Wellsville senior Austin Adkins, Salem junior Ty Manion, East Palestine senior Drew Bycroft and Crestview senior Tyler Savage.
The girls second team includes Columbiana junior Annah Clemmer, Southern freshman Kalayah Crute, Southern senior Maddy Jones, Columbiana senior Evy Rapp, Heartland Christian junior Sarah Reynolds, East Palestine sophomore Jacklyn Ogle, Salem senior Karlie Sampson and Salem senior Maddy Andres.


