Eagle-Gazette All-Area Girls Basketball: Emily Bratton named Player of the Year
LANCASTER – There were certainly some outstanding players in the area this season in girls’ high school basketball, which made naming the top player an even harder choice.
However, what set Bloom-Carroll’s Emily Bratton apart was just how much she meant to her team and the fact that she seemed to be at her best when her team needed her the most, despite having opposing defenses key on her throughout every game.
Bratton, a junior point guard, thrived under pressure, and when the game was on the line, she delivered, and not only did she deliver game after game and was a mark of consistency, she made her teammates better because she was not only a high-volume scorer, but an outstanding passer.
For her efforts, Bratton is the 2023 Eagle-Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year. It marks the second straight year she has received the honor.
Berne Union’s Matt Little, who led the Lady Rockets to their fourth consecutive Mid-State League-Cardinal Division title, as well as a 25-1 record, and Fisher Catholic’s Ben Bethel, who led the Irish to a Central District Division IV championship, are the 2023 Eagle-Gazette Girls Basketball Co-Coaches of the Year.
As a point guard, Bratton not only had the ball, but she was a proven scorer and showed she could score in a variety of different ways, including taking defenders off the dribble and pulling up for a mid-range jumper or attacking the basket and finishing against much-taller defenders. She is an outstanding three-point shooter, but maybe her biggest asset was getting her teammates involved with her outstanding passes.
In a game against Amanda-Clearcreek, Bratton scored a career-high 41 points, including 19 in the first quarter.
Bratton led the area by averaging 23.6 points per game, as well as 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.9 steals a game, and scored her 1,000th career point.
Bratton took home a ton of postseason honors, including being named first All-Ohio by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association, as well as being named the Mid State League, District 11 Coaches Association and Central District Player of the Year.
Eagle-Gazette All-Area Girls Basketball Team
Player of the Year: Emily Bratton, Bloom-Carroll
Co-Coaches of the Year: Matt Little, Berne Union; Ben Bethel, Fisher Catholic
First Team
Emily Bratton, Jr., Bloom-Carroll
Sophia Kline, Sr., Berne Union
Abbie Riddle, Sr., Liberty Union
Baylee Mirgon, Sr., Berne Union
Jenna Grabans, Jr., Lancaster
Ellie Bruce, Jr., Fisher Catholic
Second Team
Christian Thompson, Soph., Fairfield Union
Emily Buckley, Sr., Amanda-Clearcreek
Ely Lewis, Jr., Fairfield Union
Voni Bethel, Jr., Fisher Catholic
Nicole Terry, Sr., Fairfield Union
Taylor Evans, Fr., Amanda-Clearcreek
Third Team
Ava Albert, Jr., Fisher Catholic
Peyton Wilson, Sr., Lancaster
Abbie Evans, Sr., Berne Union
Marissa Wilkinson, Jr., Bloom-Carroll
Delaney Peck, Sr., Liberty Union
Molly Stedman, Fr., Lancaster
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Eagle-Gazette All-Area Girls Basketball: Emily Bratton named Player of the Year
