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Julia Makowski, Sam Yencha and Brenna Babcock led their teams to league titles.
Alexa Noone, Reese Mensinger and Victoria Benning proved to be the best players from teams who didn’t win a Wyoming Valley Conference championship.
All six were honored Sunday when the WVC girls basketball coaches voted them headliners of the league All-Star teams.
Crestwood’s Makowski in Division 1, Holy Redeemer’s Yencha in Division 2 and Northwest’s Babcock in Division 3 were selected as division MVPs after proving to be the focal points of teams that captured WVC regular-season titles.
Pittston Area’s Noone in Division 1 and and Berwick’s Mensinger in Division 2 were two of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the conference and Hanover Area’s Benning was a scoring stalwart in Division 3 who led the Hawkeyes to a guaranteed winning record and back to the District 2 playoffs after a year’s absence.
All three were chosen as the player of the year in their respective divisions.
Makowski averaged over 20 points per league game and scored her 1,000th career point in a division-clinching victory over Wyoming Valley West last Monday. She was joined on the Division 1 first team by stellar point guard Sara Hopkins, as the pair teamed to lead Crestwood to a 12-4 WVC record and the school’s first Division 1 championship in four years.
Yencha played big in Holy Redeemer’s return as a division champion, the school’s ninth in 10 seasons, by scoring 10 of 11 points in a fourth-quarter run that cracked open Saturday’s 52-41 league championship playoff victory over Nanticoke Area. Her Royals teammates Julia Andrejko and Sam Razja joined her on the Division 2 first team, as Redeemer was the only school in any conference to place three players on the first team.
Babcock scored 18.5 points and was the engine that drove Northwest to its second straight Division 3 title, as the Rangers became the WVC’s only repeat league champion this season, while her Northwest teammate Reagan Harrison also made the first team.
Hanover Area, Northwest and Wyoming Seminary in Division 3, Nanticoke Area in Division 2 and Crestwood, Pittston Area and Wyoming Valley West in Division 1 all put two players on the first team.
Here is a complete list of the WVC Girls Basketball All-Stars:
Division 1
First team
Crestwood — a-Julia Makowski, Sr., Sara Hopkins, Sr.; Hazleton Area — Maddie Mrochko, Sr.; Pittston Area — b-Alexa Noone, Sr., Leah Hodick, So.; Wyoming Valley West — Toni Amato, So., Nicole Boutanos, Jr.
Second team
Dallas — Gianna Centrella, Jr., Hanna Johnson, Sr., Olivia Johnson, Sr.; Hazleton Area — Faith Grula, So., Marissa Trivelpiece, So.; Wyoming Valley West — Grace Giza, Jr.
Honorable mention
Crestwood — Riley Magin, Jr.; Dallas — Lauren Charlton, So., Kendra Saba, Sr.; Hazleton Area — Virginia Yurchak, Jr.; Pittston Area — Andrea Ruby, Sr., Mary Silinskie, Sr., Portia Weidlich, Jr.
Division 2
First team
Berwick — b-Reese Mensinger, Sr.; Holy Redeemer — a-Sam Yencha, So., Julia Andrejko, Jr., Sam Rajza, Sr.; Nanticoke Area — Alyssa Lewis, Jr., Lisa Radziak, Sr.; Wyoming Area — Sarah Holweg, Sr.
Second team
Berwick
— Roni Isenberg, Sr.; Lake-Lehman — Madison Borum, Jr., Savannah Purdy, Jr.; Wyoming Area — Addison Orzel, Sr., Cassidy Orzel, So.
Honorable mention
Berwick — Megan Dalo, Jr., Renny Murphy, Fr.; Holy Redeemer — Cameron Marcinkowski, So.; Lake-Lehman — Savannah Salus, So., Corrina Scoblick, Jr.; Nanticoke Area — Katie Butczynski, Sr.; Tunkhannock — Rebecca Avery, Jr., Abby Ritz, Jr.; Wyoming Area — Nicole Silinskie, So.
Division 3
First team
Hanover Area
— b-Victoria Benning, Sr., Genesis Rodriguez, Sr.; Meyers — Allycia Harris, So.; Northwest — a-Brenna Babcock, Jr., Reagan Harrison, So.; Wyoming Seminary — Ally Vezendy, So., Alex Wesneski, So.
Second team
GAR — Olivia Prato, Jr.; Hanover Area — Sara Whitesell, Jr.; Meyers — Amanda Gray, Sr., Erin Morris, Jr.; Wyoming Seminary — Julia Gabriel, Sr.
a-Division MVP
b-Division Player of the Year