High school basketball: 2020 Daily Citizen-News All-Area Boys Basketball Teams

Published 9:00 am Sunday, March 29, 2020

First team

Player of the Year – Franklin Almonte, junior, Dalton High School (center, forward): 22.6 points per game; 17.4 rebounds per game; 2.2 assists per game; 2 blocks per game. GACA 6A North All-State Team. GACA All-Star Basketball Classic selection.

“Our region was tough and he consistently rose to the challenge,” Dalton head coach Ryan Scoggins said. “He is a fun guy to watch for sure.”

Drew Clements, senior, Christian Heritage (guard): 20 points per game; 4 assists per game; 3 steals per game. Region 6-A player of the year. 1,000 career point scorer.

“Drew is a gritty point guard who can score at all three levels,” said Christian Heritage head coach Tyler Watkins. “He is extremely tough and is very aggressive offensively and defensively. He has started for us for the last two years.”

Blane Greene, senior, Northwest Whitfield (guard/forward): 17 points per game. All-Region 6-4A team. 1,000 career point scorer. GACA 4A North All-State Team

“Blane was our go-to man throughout the season,” Northwest head coach Ryan Richards said. “He allowed our offense to be very creative because Blane could hit the three, the pull-up and finish with contact at the rim.”

Ladd McConkey, senior, North Murray (guard): 17.8 points per game; 6.8 rebounds per game; 5.7 assists per game; 2.9 steals per game. GACA 3A North All-State Team. All-Region 6-3A team.

“Ladd is the type of kid that can take over a game,” North Murray head coach Tim Ellis said. “His quickness and ability to involve everyone in the offense is why he is a special point guard. Ladd is a very unselfish young man that has tremendous leadership.”

Haden Newport, junior, Murray County (guard/forward): 16.6 points per game; 8 rebounds per game; 3 assists per game; 3 steals per game. Region 6-3A Player of the Year. GACA 3A North All-State Team. 1,000 career point scorer.

“Haden plays everywhere on the floor for us,” Murray County head coach Greg Linder said. “We ask him to bring the ball up the floor, post up, play on the perimeter as well as defend and rebound for us. He is an unselfish player who wants to get his teammates involved but understands that his team needs him to score to be successful.”

Second team

Athan Hicks, junior, Murray County (guard): 16 points per game; 3 rebounds per game, 2 assists per game; 3.2 steals per game. All-Region 6-3A team.

“Athan plays the 2 guard for us and really excelled at attacking the basket,” Linder said. “He became the spark of our transition offense and really was effective in the open floor.”

Ethan Lederer, senior, North Murray (guard/forward): 15.5 points per game; 6.2 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game. All-Region 6-3A team.

“Ethan has a great feel for the game,” Ellis said. “He is a great 3-point shooter. His ability to stretch the defense made him a difficult matchup for our opponent.”

Evan Lester, junior, Christian Heritage (forward): 14 points per game; 9 rebounds per game.

“Evan has started every game since his freshman year,” Watkins said. “He is a 6’3” athlete who is really tough to handle around the rim. He is a fierce competitor who plays extremely hard.”

Gage Seibenhener, senior, Coahulla Creek (forward): 10.1 points per game; 8.3 rebounds per game; 1.2 blocks per game. All-Region 6-3A team.

“Gage was a three-year varsity starter for us at Coahulla Creek,” head coach Matthew Legg said. “He was instrumental in getting us into the state tournament as a junior. Gage was blessed with all the necessary skills to become a threat necessary for many coaches in our region to comment on how we would be a difficult matchup for them.”

Kooper Pardee, senior, Northwest Whitfield (guard): 14 points per game; led team in rebounds, assists and steals as a point guard. All-Region 6-4A team.

“Kooper plays with high intensity,” Richards said. “He was the leading rebounder even as our point guard. His high competitive nature led our team to region runner-up and a state playoff berth.”

Honorable mention

Nash Bingham, junior, Christian Heritage (guard): 14 points per game; 3 assists per game; 36% from 3-point range.

Ashton Blackwell, sophomore, Dalton (guard): 9.3 points per game; 4.8 assists per game; 3.2 rebounds per game.

Chaisen Buckner, senior, North Murray (forward): 10.4 points per game; 8.9 rebounds per game. All Region 6-3A team.

Landon Burrell, senior, North Murray (guard): 8.8 points per game; 6 rebounds per game; 2 steals per game. All Region 6-3A team.

Cal Rich, freshman, Southeast Whitfield (forward): 10.5 points per game; 9.6 rebounds per game; 4.3 blocks per game.

Sam White, senior, Dalton (forward): 13.2 points per game; 5.1 rebounds per game. GACA All-Star Basketball Classic selection. All-Region 6-6A Honorable Mention.