For The Tribune
Following a 17-7 season, the Seymour girls basketball team gathered for its awards program Tuesday.
Senior Kelley Sharp received the coaches award.
“I enjoyed the honesty she showed all season,” coach Jason Longmeier said in presenting Sharp with her award.
“When we were getting ready to practice, she was the first one on the floor with the scout team.”
Lindsey Hume and Brooklin Klopf were co-winners of the most improved award.
Hume is a junior and Klopf is a sophomore, and Longmeier said both players did what was asked of them.
Emilee Pollmann was named to the Hoosier Hills all-conference first team and received the scoring and defensive player awards.
Pollmann topped the team in scoring with 273 points for an average of 11.4 per game. Her high games were 29 against Austin and 20 against Columbus East.
Longmeier said the defensive award is based on total steals, deflections and defensive rebounds.
Kayla Griffin received the rebounding award for averaging seven boards per game.
Griffin and Maci Lubker were named HHC honorable mention.
Longmeier spoke of his dislike for individual awards. He said every day in practice he talks to the girls about teamwork and playing together.
The Owls were 17-7 and Longmeier said that win total is one short of the regular-season record.
“The record is a reward for the amount of time they put in,” he said, and mentioned that a lot of the returning players are playing AAU basketball this spring.
He talked about the team’s balance.
“We didn’t rely on one individual,” Longmeier said. “We had four players average between 9.6 and 11.4 points per game, and we had three players average above five rebounds. It’s hard to scout a team like that.
“We got off to a great start at 6-0, and we really played good basketball against some good competition,” Longmeier said.
The team was 2-2 over its next four games with wins against Madison and Whiteland, and losses to Jennings County and Columbus North, which won the 4A state championship earlier this month.
The Owls were 2-1 in the Bedford Shootout, then beat Columbus East before losing to North Harrison. Seymour then put together another six-game winning streak.
Included in that string was a home win against Jennings County that Longmeier said “was a great atmosphere.”
The Owls topped Floyd Central, Jeffersonville and New Albany, and Longmeier said he believes that is the first time in at least 10 years that Seymour has beaten those three in the same season.
Seymour then lost to Austin, and Bedford North Lawrence twice.
“What got us was the short turnaround games,” Longmeier said.
Seniors on the team were Sharp, Mazie Caudill, Brittany Trimnell and Macy Hall. Hall suffered a knee injury prior to the season and was unable to play.
Juniors Lubker, Pollmann, Mikayla Fee and Morgan Ritz received their third varsity awards.
“I think great things are going to happen to us next year,” Longmeier said. “If we’re not cutting nets down it will be a very disappointing season.”
JV coach Amanda Gerth introduced members of her team and said that squad was 12-9.