Jonathan Alder guard Jack Santa-Emma (4) moves past a defender in this file photo. The Pioneers are ranked 18th in this week’s Division II boys state basketball poll. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The initial Ohio High School girls and boys basketball polls for the 2019-20 season include three local teams.
The polls were released by The Associated Press.
Teams are selected based on voting by sports writers from around the state.
The highest-ranked team in the area resides in Plain City.
The Jonathan Alder girls squad (8-2) is ranked seventh in Division II.
North Union’s boys, who sport an 8-0 record, are listed at 15th in Division III.
Jonathan Alder’s boys (7-2) are No. 18 in Division II.
The Lady Pioneers stand at the top of the Central Buckeye Conference’s Kenton Trail Division race with a 4-0 mark.
They are one game ahead of Madison County rival London (3-1).
Alder is led by Abby Jones and Sydney Bourquin. They currently are rated as third and fourth in the conference in scoring.
Jones is averaging 13.6 points per game, while Bourquin stands at 13.4.
Bourquin is at the top of the circuit in assists with 6.5 per game. She recently became JA’s all-time girls basketball assists leader.
Melissa Walbom of JA is averaging 3.8 assists per outing and 11.4 points per game.
North Union and Jonathan Alder’s boys teams also stand at the top of their CBC divisional races.
NU has a 4-0 mark in the Mad River Division, while JA is 4-0 in the Kenton Trail.
The Wildcats have a balanced scoring attack with Preston Crabtree and Harley Day leading the way.
Crabtree is averaging 15.5 points per game, while Day stands at 12.3.
Connor Terrill (9.6) and Zach Vernon (8.6) are just shy of the double figure scoring mark.
Jack Santa-Emma of JA leads the Kenton Trail Division with 5.7 assists per game and is fourth in steals at 2.4
Jackson Izzard leads the Pioneers in scoring at 15.7 per game, while Santa-Emma is right behind him at 14.3.
In the top photo, Jonathan Alder’s Abby Jones, left, applies defensive pressure to a Bishop Ready ball handler. In the bottom photo, North Union’s Connor Terrill (0) passes the ball along the baseline against Marysville’s Garrett Taylor. Also pictured for MHS is Joey Duke (11). The Lady Pioneers and the NU boys are ranked in the first state polls of the season. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller)