Kirtland girls basketball leads All-Ohio honors

The All-Ohio girls basketball teams for Divisions III and IV were announced March 12. Kirtland’s Sydney Snyder and Coach Bob Bell lead area honorees.

The Kirtland girls basketball team accomplished more this season than any team in program history.

For that, the Hornets have been richly rewarded on the state level.

Coach Bob Bell, who guided the Hornets to the most wins in a season (23) has been named the Division III Coach of the Year in Ohio, and senior guard/ forward Sydney Snyder has been named first team Division III All-Ohio.

The voting was done March 11 at the OHSAA offices in Columbus by district chairmen throughout the state, as well as members of the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association, which now sponsors the All-Ohio process.

Snyder, a 5-foot-6 senior, led Kirtland in every major statistical category this year, including points (21 points per game), rebounds (7.8), steals (4.2) and assists (4.0). She shot 47 percent from the field and 69 percent from the free-throw line.

In his 47th year coaching, Bell led the Hornets to a 22-0 regular season. With their victory over Beachwood in a sectional final, they set a program record for wins in a season with 23.

Earning second-team Division III honors is Beachwood’s Taylor Royster. A 5-foot-8 guard, she averaged 23.1 points this year. She also became Beachwood’s all-time leading scorer this season.

In Division IV, Cornerstone Christian’s sophomore twins Madison and Michaela Cloonan received second- and third-team AllOhio recognition, respectively.

Madison Cloonan averaged 13.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 assists, while Michaela averaged 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 assists.

The Division I and Division II teams will be released at 6 p.m. on March 13.