2020-2021 Conference Preview: Ohio Cardinal Conference

The Ohio Cardinal Conference is an athletic conference spanning schools from Richland, Holmes, Ashland, Wayne and Knox Counties. The high schools comprising the league include Ashland, Lexington, Madison, Mansfield Senior, Mount Vernon, West Holmes, Wooster. <strong>5 Players to Watch:</strong> (schools are as of last year – unless PGH is 100% certain that a player has enrolled elsewhere) [player_tooltip player_id="91127" first="Katie" last="Sprang"] - 5’7 Guard - West Holmes - Class of 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="212630" first="Avery" last="Coleman"] - 5’11 Forward - Lexington - Class of 2021 [player_tooltip player_id="157711" first="Nora" last="Levy"] - 5’6 Guard - Wooster - Class of 2023 Chesney Davis - 5’8 Guard - Madison - Class of 2021 Breena Plank - 5’10 Forward - Ashland - Class of 2021 <strong>4 Thoughts:</strong> West Holmes returns nearly their entire team from last season. They are an early season favorite to win the title. The Knights led the OCC for a majority of the season, before Lexington stole the conference crown at the end of the year. [player_tooltip player_id="91127" first="Katie" last="Sprang"] leads the way for West Holmes - as the All-Ohioan is a standout on both ends of the floor. She is joined by sharpshooter Kinsey Patterson, as well as a host of other talented kids, including [player_tooltip player_id="214502" first="Ella" last="McMillen"], Alicia Alexander, Katrina Rolince, Claire Reynolds and Melanie Fair. Speaking of Lexington - the Minutemen will look a little bit different this winter, after losing OCC Player of the Year Gabby Stover to graduation. Lexington will most likely play through the super-athletic [player_tooltip player_id="212630" first="Avery" last="Coleman"] in the post. Coleman is a rebounding machine who is improved as a scorer on the block. She is joined by 4/5 prospect Kaleigh Leadbetter who can expect an increased role in the offense. Wooster has been very successful in the OCC in recent years. They battled significant injuries last season, but did gain valuable experience for a host of young players. The best of the bunch is point guard [player_tooltip player_id="157711" first="Nora" last="Levy"]. Abbi Jones provides some good size around the rim. Eily Baderstcher transferred in from nearby Central Christian - she will provide instance offense as a legitimate scoring option from 15 feet and in. If Mansfield Madison can get settled in early in the season - they may be the team that can knock off West Holmes. The Rams have an absolutely super senior class - league champions in both soccer and track, but have not been able to win the conference yet in basketball. A large reason for this is because the Rams are the #1 ranked girls soccer team in the state. If Chesney Davis, Kari Eckenwiler and company can avoid a run of losses early in the season after what is sure to be a long post-season run on the pitch - Madison has a shot to be playing very meaningful games in February. <strong>3 Big Games:</strong> Wooster @ Mansfield Senior on December 3rd Wooster @ West Holmes on December 10th West Holmes @ Madison on February 11th <strong>2 Fun Facts:</strong> New Philadelphia will add another solid girls basketball program to the Ohio Cardinal Conference when they join for athletic competition at the conclusion of this school year, putting the league back at 8 teams. Former Ashland University standout Renee Stimpert is the new head coach at Ashland HS. The rumor is that numbers are at an all-time high, including some outstanding young kids - who may not be ready to win a lot of games this year, but should form a foundation for future success at Ashland - something that their new head coach is very used to. <strong>1 League Champion Prediction:</strong> West Holmes