Used to be all-star recognition on these pages was reserved mainly for seniors, a few juniors, and once in a great while, the odd sophomore or freshman sensation. Not anymore. Players are becoming more and more skilled at a younger age, and our exhibit to hammer home that point is this year’s select group of nine Evening Sun all-stars, two-thirds of which are underclassmen.
Still, while the quantity of seniors is low, the quality is indeed superb. Two of those three seniors played for the team with the best overall record – and winning percentage – in Chenango County this year, Unadilla Valley. Seniors Amanda Off and Jordan Anderson, the former winning our scoring title, finished one and two overall in local scoring, and led their club to its first Midstate Athletic Conference championship.
Off and Anderson, all-star alumni from last season, completed their four-year careers as the number one and two all-time leading scorers in their school’s history. Not too shabby a legacy to leave.
Along with our other senior selection, returning all-star Kaitlin Gorton of Greene, we have four juniors, one sophomore, and one freshman If next season plays out anything like this past one, we expect an even mix of newcomers and returning veteran.
Making up the rest our all-star collection are Jenni Borfitz and Breanna Cashman of Norwich; Jordan VanAlthuis and Lilly Berg of Sherburne-Earlville; Taylor Davis of Unadilla Valley; and Morgan Bullis of Bainbridge-Guilford.
All-star selections were based on our observations of players this season and the recommendations of area coaches. Players are listed alphabetically.
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Jordan Anderson, sr., 5-foot-2, Unadilla Valley
Anderson, a four-year starter for UV – just like Off – finished her distinguished career as the number two all-time scorer at UV with 928 points. A fearless competitor who regularly drove to the basket amongst players much bigger than herself, Anderson went to the foul line more than any player in Chenango County over the past two seasons, and this year alone she averaged nearly 8.5 foul shots per game. In addition to her 13.3 points per game average, Anderson rounded out her game with 4.4 assists, 3.6 steals, and 3.7 rebounds per game. She was particularly effective in the MAC championship game scoring a game-high 17 points in her club’s first league title. “Jordan has been the leader of this team since she was a freshman, and she showed her heart and determination in the MAC championship,” said UV coach Brandi Backus
Lilly Berg, fr., 6-foot-1, Sherburne-Earlville
In terms of low-post play, Berg was as polished a freshman as we’ve seen in some time. Berg led the Marauders with 254 points this season and shared the team lead at 12.7 points per game, but she was easily the most consistent scorer reaching double figures 17 times in 20 games, the best on her club this season. “She obviously drew a lot of attention on the inside, and that led to open shots for her teammates,” said S-E coach Karen Mulligan. “She rebounds well on both ends of the floor, and does a great job of running the floor. As she continues to get stronger and mature, she should be one of the best big girls in our league over the next few years.” Berg averaged a team-best 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. She was over 20 points three times this season scoring a season-high 23 points against powerhouse Holland Patent.
Jennifer Borfitz, jr., 5-foot-5, Norwich
A third-year varsity player for Norwich, Borfitz came into her own this season as one of its team leaders. Borfitz was a true inside-outside scoring threat hitting a team-best 27 free throws, while also showing a knack for driving to the basket. Borfitz either finished the hoop or drew a foul, the latter fact resulting in 122 free throw attempts in just 19 games. “In addition to leading us in almost every statistical category except for rebounds and blocked shots, you can’t measure the level of leadership and intangibles she brought to our team,” said NHS head coach Josh Bennett. Borfitz had few off games, and she was at her best down the stretch averaging over 16 points a game over her final six contests. She averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 steals, and 3.3 assists per game – all tops on the Tornado, and was in double figures scoring 14 times. “Jenni was obviously of much greater value to us than anything that showed up in the paper,” Bennett said. “She was our primary ballhandler, our shut-down defender, and our one-person press-breaker.”
Morgan Bullis, so., 5-foot-9, Bainbridge-Guilford
Perhaps no player on our all-star list made bigger strides from last season than Bullis, who went from minor contributor to leading scorer and rebounder for the Bobcats. The lanky sophomore averaged a double-double for the season – 11 points and 11 rebounds – and was instrumental in B-G’s strong second half of the season that pushed it into one of the top-four playoff spots in the Midstate Athletic Conference. “She worked really hard during the offseason and spent a lot of time developing her ballhandling and all-around skills,” said B-G coach Bob Conway. “She’s just a kid with a strong competitive streak. She jumps well and elevates, and that is a big plus on this level.” Bullis was adept at getting to the line, and her 125 trips to the charity stripe were among the top three in the area. She reached double figures scoring 11 times finishing with a career-high 22 in a Section IV playoff win over Groton. “Morgan is someone we have to build our team around, and she will be a big factor in our league the next two years because of her quickness and ability to get to the rim,” Conway said.
