Meet the 2010 Big 30 Basketball All-Stars

By Jim Melaro
Olean Times Herald

Recently, a 10-person panel assembled at the Olean Times Herald for the purpose of selecting the 2010 Big 30 Basketball All-Stars.

In a span of nearly four hours, three girls’ coaches, a trio of boys’ coaches, two game officials and a pair of media representatives scoured a list of 40-or-so names for each gender and attempted to choose 15 boys and 15 girls who they felt displayed the qualities that make for a good basketball player, a team leader and a solid individual.

Thus, we take pride in announcing this year’s Big 30 Basketball All-Star selections.

The Boys’ First-Team selections: Nick Biedakiewicz (Wellsville), Ryan Carney (Olean High), David Fuhrman (Bradford High), Alex Moore (Olean High) and Joe Palumbo (Olean High).

The Girls’ First-Team selections: Rachel Bantelman (Olean High), Stephany Ellison (Whitesville), Ashling Flannery (Pioneer), Lyndsay Stoddard (Allegany-Limestone) and Allie Whitehouse (Wellsville).

GIRLS’ FIRST-TEAM

Rachel Bantelman: Averaged 20 points, eight rebounds, two steals and seven blocked shots while leading Olean High to a record of 19-4 and a Section 6 Class B-1 title.

Bantelman will continue her basketball career at the University at Buffalo next year.

She claims the toughest player she competed against this year was fellow first-team selection Ashling Flannery from Pioneer.

Stephany Ellison: Averaged 14 points, three rebounds, four steals, four assists and two blocked shots while leading Whitesville to a 14-6 record.

A junior, she lists her most cherished memory of this season the night she scored her 1,000th point during the Houghton tournament.

She claims the toughest player she opposed this year was Canaseraga’s Kristen Ross.

Ashling Flannery: Averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals, and six blocked shots while leading Pioneer to a record of 18-3.

Having been accepted at Brockport State, Jamestown CC and Yale, she has elected Cortland to seek a degree in physical education.

Conversely, she lists Bantelman and Amherst’s Shaquita Smith, who signed with Xavier, as the toughest opponents she faced this year.

Lindsay Stoddard: Averaged 23 points, six rebounds, eight assists and seven steals, while leading Allegany-Limestone to a record of 16-4.

Listed No. 2 on Allegany Limestone’s all-time scoring list with 1,298 points, Stoddard will attend Daeman College and continue her basketball career there.

Stoddard, who was the Big 30 Player of the Year in girls’ soccer last fall, was also a Big 30 selection last season.

Allie Whitehouse: Averaged 16 points, three rebounds, five assists, and five steals while leading Wellsville to a record of 13-8.

Whitehouse is the only sophomore named to the first team.