Cedars Basketball Awards

Here is the list of seven awards given by the Cedars sports staff to honor the most significant players on Cedarville’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. Each award is given to the most deserving player, with one award handed out. Players from both the men’s and women’s rosters were selected as finalists, with one winner for each award, other than the All-Cedarville First Team.

All-Cedarville First Team

Five most outstanding players on either team
Selection 1: Branden Maughmer (unanimous)
Selection 2: Abby Wolford (unanimous)
Selection 3: Quinton Green (unanimous)
Selection 4: Ashlyn Huffman (unanimous)
Selection 5: Conner TenHove, Kollin Van Horn

Most Valuable Player

Awarded to the most indispensable and irreplaceable player.

Finalists: Quinton Green, Ashlyn Huffman, Branden Maughmer, Abby Wolford

Winner: Abby Wolford (pictured above)

Reasoning: Wolford led her team in scoring and brought valuable experience to a young team thanks to her sixth year with the program. She also slashed her foul totals from a season ago which helped her stay on the floor longer. Cedarville will greatly miss the tangible and intangible services provided by Wolford in what is assuredly her final season. — Tim Miller
Reasoning: Wolford’s career at Cedarville has been undeniably outstanding. She is the obvious choice for MVP as any game without her on the court was a different story. The Lady Jackets weren’t lost without her, but with her they were able to do significantly more when she was on the court. — Abby Hintz

Offensive Player of the Year

Branden Maughmer talks with head coach Pat Estepp this past season.

Skills considered: Shooting, passing, finishing, ability to create space off the dribble.

Finalists: Isebelle Boldender, Ashlynn Huffman, Quinton Green, Branden Maughmer, Abby Wolford

Winners: Ashlyn Huffman, Branden Maughmer

Reasoning: Maughmer shot 43.0% from behind the arc to lead the Yellow Jackets and was No. 1 in scoring on the team. Maughmer was named to the All-G-MAC first team thanks to impressive numbers and an ability to slash to the bucket, shoot from the elbow and 3-point line, and fly to the rim for rocking dunks. — Tim Miller
Reasoning: Huffman averaged 11.8 points per game, but her most impressive stat was her whopping 167 assists on the season — a team high by 84. — Abby Hintz

Defensive Player of the Year

Skills considered: On-ball defense, off-ball defense, disruption in passing lanes, shot blocking.

Finalists: Branden Maughmer, Kollin Van Horn, Demond Parker, Alli Roh, Abby Wolford

Winners: Branden Maughmer, Kollin Van Horn

Reasoning: On top of earning first-team All-G-MAC honors, Maughmer was also named to the conference defensive team. He plucked 44 steals, allowing his strong defense to quickly turn into offense as a fantastic outlet passer and coast-to-coast driver. Maughmer also averaged less than 1.5 fouls per game and never fouled out. — Tim Miller
Reasoning: With 30 blocks, 16 steals and 75 defensive rebounds on the season, Van Horn came up with big plays for his team whenever they needed him. — Abby Hintz

Bench Player of the Year

Awarded to the most productive contributor outside the starting five.

Finalists: Jacob Drees, Paige Garr, Stevie Johnting, Allison Mader, Isaiah Speelman

Winners: Allison Mader, Isaiah Speelman

Reasoning: While the men’s team rotated seven players through the starting lineup for most of the year, Speelman often found himself coming off the bench. The big man remained versatile in his sophomore year, knocking down triples while also scoring from the post. Speelman scored 20 points or more in four games, all of which came when he began the game on the bench, except for a three-overtime marathon against Quincy. — Tim Miller
Reasoning: Mader had no standout statistic, but was consistent across the board. Her team could always count on her when she came off the bench to have a strong defensive performance and quality offensive performance. — Abby Hintz

Freshman of the Year

Awarded to the campus’ top first-year player.

Finalists: Isabelle Bolender, Jacob Drees, Paige Garr

Winner: Isabelle Boldener

Reasoning: Boldender was the most athletic player on the floor in just about every game this season. Her ability to rise up above everyone else allowed her to hit a buzzer-beater to defeat Ursuline, and she finished third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding. Her ability to rise up a shoot, drive to the cup, and defend as just a freshman should lead to a fantastic career at Cedarville. — Tim Miller
Reasoning: Given the same award by the G-MAC, Bolender was undeniably the best freshman on the court at any given time. She had a number of massive plays for the Jackets, and averaged 9.9 points a game. The Cedarville-native also came up big under the net with 123 rebounds. — Abby Hintz