Fifteen basketball players representing Callaway County - eight girls and seven boys - were selected this past week to the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters' 2016-17 all-Central District teams.
Named to the Class 4 boys' squad from Fulton were a pair of juniors, forward Cameron Vaughn and guard Makygh Galbreath, and senior guard Justin Adams. Fulton's lone pick on the Class 4 girls' team was senior guard Dionne Vaughn.
South Callaway junior guard Kaden Helsel was a first-team choice on the Class 3 boys' squad and North Callaway freshman guard Tully Thomsen was a second-team selection. South Callaway junior guard Adrian Mann was also a first-team pick on the Class 3 girls' team and her senior teammate, center Konnor Arrowood, was a second-team choice.
Three North Callaway players - junior forward Allie Schlueter, junior guard Kyla Bertschinger and senior center Samantha Schaefer - were also second-team selections.
In Class 2, New Bloomfield junior forward Jak Kitchens and junior guard Madi Craighead were respective boys' and girls' first-team picks. Sophomore center Samantha Haas was chosen to the girls' second team.
Missouri School for the Deaf senior guard Ste'Quan Scott was named to the Class 1 boys' second team.
Meanwhile, New Bloomfield's Brett Craighead was selected the Class 2 girls' coach of the year.
Cameron Vaughn (6-foot-1) - a first-team all-North Central Missouri Conference selection - averaged 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season in helping direct the Hornets to a 20-7 record. Galbreath (5-11), a second-team all-NCMC pick, averaged 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while Adams (6-2) - also a second-team all-NCMC choice - averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Dionne Vaughn (5-6), a first-team all-NCMC selection, averaged 14 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals as the Lady Hornets finished with a 3-24 mark.
The 6-1 Helsel - named to the all-Show-Me Conference first team - averaged 22.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game as the Bulldogs went 9-17. Mann (5-7), also a first-team all-SMC pick, averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 steals for the 16-11 Lady Bulldogs. The 6-1 Arrowood - a second-team all-SMC choice - averaged 8.9 points and 12.4 rebounds.
Thomsen (6-1), selected to the all-Eastern Missouri Conference first team, averaged 12.7 points and 4.4 rebounds as the Thunderbirds logged a 16-11 record. The 5-9 Schlueter - a unanimous all-EMO pick - averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds as the Ladybirds posted a 19-9 mark, while Bertschinger (5-8) - also a unanimous all-EMO choice - averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 steals.
The 6-0 Schaefer, a second-team all-EMO selection, averaged 9.3 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Kitchens (6-5) - chosen to the all-SMC first team - averaged a dazzling double-double with 24.1 points and 13.5 rebounds in guiding the Wildcats to a 16-11 record. Madi Craighead (5-6), also a first-team all-SMC pick, averaged 18.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while Haas - a second-team all-SMC selection - averaged 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds.
The 6-1 Scott averaged 13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 steals as the Eagles ended up with an 11-7 record.
Brett Craighead - in his 10th season at New Bloomfield - steered the Lady Wildcats to a 23-7 record and their second appearance in the state playoffs in four years. New Bloomfield eventually lost to Scotland County in the Class 2 quarterfinals.