Shelby County Athletic League Preview

The Shelby County Athletic League will be very competitive this season, as the defending Division Four state champion Fort Loramie Redskins look to lead the way again in 2021-22. They are joined in the conference by Anna, Botkins, Fairlawn, Houston, Jackson Center and Russia. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">5 Players to Watch</span></strong></span> Carmen Hueker, 5-7 2022, Botkins Lonna Heath, 5-8 2022, Fairlawn [player_tooltip player_id="270603" first="Kate" last="Sherman"], 6-0 2023, Russia [player_tooltip player_id="159381" first="Ava" last="Sholtis"], 6-0 2022, Fort Loramie Breann Reaman, 5-9 2022, Anna <span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong>4 Teams to Watch</strong></span> The SCAL starts every year with Fort Loramie as they have been the team to watch every year in recent memory. Carla Siegel does a tremendous job preparing them for the challenges, and this year is no different. The defending state champions return Sholtis, who is a multidimensional athlete who can score in a variety of ways, and defend. She uses her height well to create opportunities for her. Riley Heitkamp is a 5-7 2022 guard who is a smart and aggressive player with good hands and a high intensity. Colleen Brandewie was the first player off the bench last season on their state title team, her production will be much improved this season. Keep an eye on 2025s Avery Brandewie and [player_tooltip player_id="329476" first="Victoria" last="Mescher"]. Russia is going to be a major factor this season, as they advanced to the districts last season. Expect them to be even better this season. Ella Hoehne is a 5-11 2022 who is committed to Edison State and has a good post game with good hands and does a good job on the boards. Love what Cece Borchers brings to the game, excellent court vision and a good passer. Can score with good footwork and a smart athletic player.  Junior [player_tooltip player_id="270603" first="Kate" last="Sherman"] is a 6-foot post player who will be tough to defend and is strong around the rim. Anna is another team who knows what it takes to be a successful team, and their best attribute I like as a team is their good pressuring defense. They win a lot of low scoring games and they will get after you. Really like the senior Reaman who can get by her defender and score at the rim with good hands. Can also score from the perimeter. Botkins is under the direction of new coach Brittany Gross and the first-year boss will return some very talented players from their solid season last year. Leading the way is Hueker, one of the most electrifying guard in the area, and the uncommitted senior is very quick and athletic, can get into the paint and finish, and loves to play at a high pace. Boston Paul was a player who stepped up big in the tournament last season and is a player who can be dangerous with a good shot and is a smart player on the court. <span style="font-family: ’arial black’, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2 Tidbits from the SCAL</span></strong></span> Paul Bremigan is back on the sidelines at Russia but it is a different look for the veteran coach. He was very successful for a long time as the boys coach at Russia, now he takes over a very talented girls team after Andy Zimmerman left for New Bremen. Lonna Heath and Hoehne are both off the market, as Heath will head to Bluffton following her career at Fairlawn, and Hoehne as reported earlier is headed to JUCO power Edison State. &nbsp;