Branch County boasts 9 All Big 8 girls basketball honors; Bronson's Calloway voted MVP

The battle for the Big 8 girls basketball conference championship quickly became a one-horse race at the midway point of the season, with the Bronson Lady Vikings taking control after the first round of game and rolling through their conference schedule undefeated, finishing the 2022-23 Big 8 season at 14-0.

The Vikings took control of the conference title race on Jan. 20 when Bronson met the also undefeated Springport Lady Spartans in the final game of their initial trek through the Big 8 conference. Bronson served notice to the rest of the conference, blowing past Springport for the 62-42 win. Bronson was rarely tested the rest of the way, finishing their conference schedule at 14-0 overall. The Springport Spartans finished in second place in the conference with a record of 12-2, with their only two losses on the year coming at the hands of the Vikings. Reading finished in a close third, sporting a record of 10-4, with their four losses coming at the hands of Bronson and Springport. Jonesville finished in fourth place at 7-7, followed by Homer at 5-9, Concord and Quincy at 4-10, and Union City at 0-14.

Rolling to a Big 8 conference title comes with certain perks, and one of those perks comes in the form of individual recognition for your team, as the Vikings saw five players earn All Big 8 honors, with three earning First Team recognition while another two earned Honorable Mention.

Included in the three First Team All-Conference Vikings was the 2022-23 Big 8 Most Valuable Player, sophomore guard/forward Aubree Calloway. Calloway capped off her second full season at the varsity level by playing in all 24 games for the Vikings, averaging 13.6 points per contest to go along with 7.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Calloway scored in double figures in 21 of 24 games on the year, including 12 of 14 conference contests, a number that included a season high total of 23 points in a 74-35 win over Concord on Jan. 26. During the season the athletic sophomore also recorded six double-doubles, including an 11 point and 15 rebound performance in a 53-21 win over Quincy on Jan. 6.

Joining Calloway on the All-Big 8 First Team was senior teammate Haylie Wilson who made her return trip to the All-Conference team in this her final season. Wilson finished the year leading the team in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game in 24 games played to go along with 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 3.7 steals a game. Wilson scored in double figures in 21 of 24 games on the year with a season high of 31 points in a 74-35 win over Concord on Jan. 26. Wilson added another 30-point outing way back on Dec. 9 when the senior added 30 points even in a 74-34 win over Concord. Wilson recorded three double-doubles on the season with a season high 11 rebounds in back-to-back games to begin the season while also adding a nine steal effort in a 62-42 win over Springport on Jan. 20.

The final Bronson Viking to earn All Conference First Team honors was junior guard Brealyn Lasky. Lasky played in all 24 games on the season, averaging 5.7 points per game to go along with 1.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.7 steals a contest. Lasky scored in double figures four times on the year with a season high of 14 points, which came in a tough 59-52 loss to Adrian Lenawee Christian back on Feb. 7. Lasky also recorded a dynamic nine point and 13 assist performance just one game later as the Vikings defeated Homer 67-47 on Feb. 9. Many of Lasky’s efforts for the Big 8 champion Vikings could not be found in the scorebook however, as the junior guard helped lead Bronson to the top of the heap thanks to her ball handling, hustle, intelligence, and defense, all the little things teams need to become champions.

Joining the trio of Vikings on the All-Big 8 First Team was Paige Austin and Emma Jones of Homer; Alexis Trine of Jonesville; Aubree Ervans and Ariana McDowell of Reading; and Breanna Crittenden and Maddux Overweg of Springport.

All Big 8 Conference Honorable Mention

A total of six Branch County athletes earned Big 8 All-Conference Honorable Mention honors for their respective teams this season.

Bronson had two Honorable Mention players in addition to their three First Team honorees, as senior Helena Eley and sophomore Payton Springstead both were honored by the conference coaches. Eley played in all 24 games for the Vikings this year, averaging 4.8 points and 7.0 rebounds a contest while Springstead averaged 5.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game in 24 contests this year.

The Quincy Lady Orioles had two players earn Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention honors this season as sophomore Deziray Skirka and junior Alyssa McCavit were both honored for their work on the hardwood. Skirka was a key member of the Oriole backcourt all season long and provided superb ball handling, shooting and defense for her Quincy teammates. McCavit had a breakout season for the Orioles, finishing among the top in both points and rebounds per contest. McCavit turned into a true inside force for the Orioles this season and will join Skirka in returning next year to once again lead the Orioles on the hardwood.

The Union City Lady Chargers also had two players earn Big 8 Honorable Mention this season as junior Jordan Chard and senior Carley Gordon were both honored by the conference coaches. Chard was the go-to ball handler for the Chargers this season, finishing with a team high 9.0 points a game to go with 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.2 steals a game in 21 games played. Gordon played in 23 games this season, finishing the year with an average of 3.6 points a game to go along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.2 steals a contest. Chard will return next season looking for her fourth Big 8 All Conference honor while Gordon will move on due to graduation, leaving a big hole in the Charger back court next year.

Joining the six Branch County athletes with Big 8 All Conference Honorable Mention honors for the 2022-23 Girls Basketball season was Cece Barrett, Hannah Stimer and Grace Thorrez of Concord; Lexis Fleming of Homer; Lyra Nichols and Julie Mach of Jonesville; Abby Affholter and Jenna Londeau of Reading; and Rylee Siefert and Hope Overweg of Springport.

The Bronson JV Lady Vikings and the Jonesville JV Lady Comets finished atop the Big 8 conference JV standings with only one blemish on their records, with Bronson finishing at 13-1 while Jonesville finished at 11-1. Springport finished in third with a record of 10-4, followed by Homer at 6-7, Union City at 4-8, Reading at 3-11, Quincy at 3-10, and Concord at 1-13.

Congratulations to all those athletes earning Big 8 All Conference Girls Basketball honors for the 2022-23 school year.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Introducing the Big 8 All Conference Girls Basketball honors