JEROMESVILLE — Hillsdale’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in nearly 25 years didn’t go unnoticed.
Bradey Krichbaum was selected the District 4 Player of the Year in Division VII, while Ben Ferguson was voted the Coach of the Year.
The Falcons won a district championship and advanced to the regional tournament for the first time since 2001. Hillsdale fell to Cornerstone Christian earlier this week in the regional semifinals.
A 6-foot-6 center, Krichbaum averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds a game. He scored 26 points and grabbed a single-game school record 26 rebounds in Hillsdale’s 73-54 win over Heartland Christian in last weekend’s district championship game.
A 1995 Hillsdale graduate, Ferguson has turned the program around in just his second season. The Falcons were 18-7 and reached the district tournament for the first time in nearly a decade last year. The 2025 Falcons were 19-7 and advanced to the regional tournament for the first time since 2001 this year.
Mapleton’s Scotty Hickey was selected the District 4 Player of the Year in Division VI. The senior averaged 26.2 points a game.
Loudonville’s Judah Layton joined Krichbaum and Hickey on the combined Division VI/VII District 4 first team. The 6-foot-2 senior averaged 22.1 points a game.
Hillsdale’s Troy Bennett and Lowen Ferguson and Loudonville’s Dillon Wade were Division VI/VII honorable-mention selections. Bennett averaged 10 points a game, while Ferguson was good for 11.5 points and 4.7 assists a night and Wade dropped 16.8 points a game.
On the girls side, Mapleton’s Hailey Bergosh and Addison Hess and Loudonville’s Alesha Felix were first-team selection on the Division VI/VII team. Bergosh averaged 13 points and 6.6 rebounds a game, while teammate Hess chipped in with 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 steals a night. Felix averaged a double-double, scoring 10.1 points and grabbing 10.8 rebounds a game.
Loudonville’s Sydney Strouse and Addison Wolford and Hillsdale’s Kennedy Fickes were honorable-mention selections.