Depending on your basketball tastes, this year’s group of Evening Sun boys’ basketball all-stars offer something for everyone. Do you like slick point guards who mix unselfish play with their own ability to score? Got that covered. How about all-purpose players who can not only score, but stop the other team’s best scorer? Have that covered, too. And what about that pure points producer who can light up the scoreboard? No problem with that, either.
Our 10 elite Evening Sun players are a dynamic blend of players who were not only the best players on their respective teams, but among the best – if not the best – in their leagues. We even had three players – Norwich’s Kyle Edwards and Mike Sutton, along with B-G’s Austin Bauerle – who were named among the top 12 players in all of Section IV.
Oxford senior Andrew Golden became the first player at his school in 11 years to surpass 1,000 career points (James Dean, 2002), and his 24.2 points per game average was our highest single-season scoring average since Dean’s remarkable senior season.
Golden was averaging well over 20 points a game the entire season, while our number two and three scorers, Austin Bauerle of B-G and Justin Hofer of Unadilla Valley, would have easily eclipsed the 20-point-per-game average mark if not for slow starts to the season. Bauerle averaged over 21 points a game his final 15 contests, while Hofer averaged 21 points a game over his last 15 games as well.
Hofer, like Golden, surpassed 1,000 points for his career, and he became his school’s all-time leading scorer his penultimate game. Hofer, Bauerle, and Golden, all seniors, surely have athletics in their future on the next level.
Lastly, our all-star group of players were part of consistent winners. Before the playoffs commenced, seven of the eight clubs we regularly cover had .500 records or better. Greene posted its best record in nine years, and Norwich is becoming a regular in big games winning a second straight sectional title.
Below is our 10-person all-star team. Players were selected to this exclusive group based on our observations during the season along with the recommendations of area coaches. Players are listed alphabetically.
Austin Bauerle, sr., 6-foot-2, Bainbridge-Guilford
Bauerle had one of the more spectacular sign-offs to a career that we’ve seen. After averaging just over 14 points a game his first month of action, the senior four-year varsity player went on a scoring binge topping 20 points in 10 of his last 12 games. Along the way he had two 20-20 games (points and rebounds). In his final four games he scored 101 points and grabbed over 70 rebounds. “His ability to rebound and play inside and out on offense made him a tough matchup for a lot of teams this year,” said B-G coach Greg Warren. Check that, he was a tough matchup for “every” team the Bobcats faced. Bauerle averaged 19.3 points and 15.3 rebounds a game, and finished with 34 three-pointers. “He was a great kid to coach,” Warren said of Bauerle. “He understands the game, and does exactly what you teach him to do.” Bauerle was a first-team All-Midstate Athletic Conference pick, and was named to the BCANY all-Section IV team.
Sam Caton, sr., 6-foot-4, Sherburne-Earlville
Caton missed the early part of the season recovering from an injury, but once he was at full strength, he combined with teammate Austin Jasper to form a tough-to-stop, one-two inside punch. Caton was a first team all-league player in the Center State Conference, led Sherburne-Earlville in rebounding, and was its second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per tilt. Caton scored a season-high 20 points in a one-point victory over a well-regarded Clinton ballclub, and scored in double figures 11 times. “Sam is an athletic player who was comfortable facing the basket or with his back to the basket,” said S-E coach Kevin Vibbard. “Despite missing some games due to different injuries, he had an outstanding senior season.”
Kyle Edwards, sr., 6-foot-3, Norwich
Norwich’s top returning scorer, Edwards again led Norwich in scoring, that despite never reaching full health. He entered the season nursing a badly sprained ankle suffered at the end of the football season, then one month into the season, was diagnosed with stress fractures in both knees, injuries that kept him off the court 3 1/2 weeks. Still, when on the floor, Edwards was NHS’s missing puzzle piece. “His numbers don’t reflect his full ability because of the injuries he incurred,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “He had great leadership, is a great teammate, and is one of the all-time great people in my 20 years of coaching.” Edwards was at his best in big games scoring a season-high 23 in the Tornado’s sectional title win over Whitney Point, while averaging over 15 points a game the last eight games in Norwich’s most meaningful games. He finished with 12.33 points per game, and hit a team-high 29 three-pointers. He also led Norwich starters in free throw shooting connecting at 73.5 percent clip.
Andrew Golden, sr. Oxford, 6-foot-4
