Heiby, Stechschulte tops in the area

Minster's Nann Stechschulte was a shoo-in for The Daily Standard Dream Team Coach of the Year after taking her team to its first Midwest Athletic Conference title in five years and a regional semifinal appearance.

Deciding the Dream Team Player of the Year required a little more thought and debate in considering several deserving players from across our coverage area.

As it turned out, the selection for top player was right in The Daily Standard's backyard.

Celina senior point guard Heather Heiby was named the area's top player for her all-around statistics and clutch play throughout the season.

"Winning this definitely means a lot," Heiby said. "Over the last four years there's been a lot of good talent that's come through the area who have gone on to play college ball. It's just really exciting to be a senior this year and win the award. Now little girls are looking up to me like I did to girls who won it in the past."

An honorable mention selection last season, Heiby becomes the first Celina player to earn top-player honors since Cenzie Yoder in 2010.

Heiby ranked among the area's best in scoring (10.0 ppg., 17th on leaderboard), free throw percentage (81.8, second), three-point shooting (39.8, fourth), assists (4.1, third) and steals (1.8, 11th). In her four seasons with the Bulldogs, she totaled 779 points (10th all-time at Celina), 103 three-pointers (second all-time) and 309 assists, and was a 74.7 percent free-throw shooter.

"There's definitely a lot of work put in, especially during the offseason, in the spring and in the summer," said Heiby, also a first team All-Western Buckeye League selection. "I played AAU ball for two years. Three to four times a week we'd be in the gym for a couple hours, working on our shots and working on playing as a team.

"Once fall hits, you get into soccer mode, but as soon as soccer is over, we're right back in the gym, working with a basketball and trying to get better every day."   

The Bulldogs upped their win total from seven in 2014-2015 to 13 this year - a run that included multiple game-winners by Heiby.

On Dec. 3, Heiby's half-court heave gave her team a 29-26 victory over Kenton at the Fieldhouse. On Feb. 20, Heiby helped the Bulldogs claim a Division II sectional title with late-game heroics against Napoleon. Heiby sent the game to overtime with a three-pointer and then hit the game-winning layup - a victory that sent Celina to the district tournament for the first time since the 2013 season.

"We didn't want it to be our last game," Heiby said. "I just got determined and did what I had to do to hit those shots. It was a surreal feeling - knowing that I helped my teammates like that and knowing that we accomplished something that we hadn't been able to. It was just a fantastic feeling."

This is the third time in her career Stechschulte has been named coach of the year. And what a career it has been for Stechschulte, who, in 27 years at Minster, has won 440 games - an average of 16.2 wins per season.

Stechschulte said sustaining that success at Minster over the years has taken a lot of commitment from the coaching staff, players and parents.

"I've been blessed with very supportive parents in terms of time and financially," Stechschulte noted. "They send their kids to team camps and individual camps and drive them all over for AAU."

That commitment to excellence on the hardwood has made Minster one of the premier programs in Division IV.

The Wildcats went 21-5 this season, were unbeaten in MAC play and finished ninth in the final state rankings. They fell to Fort Loramie, 36-30, in last week's regional semifinal - the same Redskins team whom they had beaten 46-45 earlier in the season.

Minster earned the top seed in the Division IV Wapakoneta district and captured the district championship by defeating Marion Local 36-24 on Feb. 27.

"The thing that means the most is the MAC title. That's always our first goal as a team," Stechschulte said. "Our second goal is to win district. I always tell them if we win district, everything else is icing on the cake. We did achieve those two goals.

"More than anything about our team this year is we really had great, positive leadership and they really came together as a team."

Stechschulte, a two-time state champion, has racked up the accolades this season, winning coach of the year honors in the MAC, District 8 and Northwest District. This is her first Dream Team award since 2010, when she guided Minster to a state semifinal appearance.

Dream Team:
Player of the Year
Heather Heiby,
Celina
10.0 ppg., 4.1 apg., 81.8 FT%, 39.8 3-point%

Rosie Westerbeck,
Minster
10.1 ppg., 2.3 apg., 81.7 FT%

Paige Jones,
New Bremen
11.7 ppg., 2.6 apg., 5.4 rpg.

Courtney Prenger,
Minster
10.4 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 54.3 FG%

Whitney Will,
Fort Recovery
11.3 ppg., 4.9 rpg., 50.9 FG%

Emily Mescher,
Marion Local
12.0 ppg., 8.8 rpg., 71 FT%

Coach of the Year
Nann Stechschulte,
Minster
21-5, MAC and District Champion

Honorable Mention:
Celina - Jenna Berry, Kelly Stahl
Coldwater - Maura Hoyng, Kourtney Diller
Fort Recovery - Kendra Siefring
Marion Local -Allie Prueter
Minster - Hannah Schmitmeyer, LeAnn Huelsman
New Bremen - Debbie Paul, Alyse Clune
New Knoxville - Kenzie Schroer, Rachel Leffel, Abby Lageman
Parkway - Haley Hawk, Sarah Gehron
St. Henry - Ellie Stammen
St. Marys - Erika Angstmann, Shania Taylor