By DOUG DONNELLY
It was a banner year for Lenawee County’s girls basketball programs and the recent Associated Press all-state teams reflect that.
Two coaches and four area players have earned all-state status from the statewide panel of writers.
Tecumseh head coach Kristy Zajac led her squad to 22 wins, shared the league title with Southeastern Conference-White Division powerhouse Chelsea and reached the quarterfinals for the first time in nearly 50 years. She was named the Division 2 AP Coach of the Year.
She’s joined on the Division 2 team by her daughter Alli, a junior, who was named to the first team, and her daughter, Addi, a freshman, who was named to the second team.
Alli led the county in scoring at about 17.6 points a game while shooting 50 percent from the floor. She also pulled down 7.9 rebounds a game and made 56 3-pointers. She already is Tecumseh’s all-time leading scorer.
Addi set Tecumseh’s single game and season records for rebounds and led the county by averaging 10.6 rebounds a game. She averaged a double-double by scoring 10.5 points a game.
In Division 3, Blissfield’s Avery Collins was a repeat all-state selection.
Collins finished her career with more than 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, 300 assists and 300 steals. She averaged 14.6 points a game this season and led the county in steals with 107.
In Division 4, Morenci’s Emersyn Bachelder was the top scorer on a Bulldog team that reached the quarterfinals. She had several big tournament games and averaged 10 points a game.
Her coach, Ashley Joughin, was named the AP’s second team Division 4 coach after leading the Bulldogs to 21 wins. The Bulldogs went 6-31 in the two years before Joughin took over the program and they are 51-17 since.
The Bulldogs did it with defense, giving up just 26.8 points a game.
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE 