E-G All-Area Girls basketball | FC's Gillum named Player of the Year

[ASFN Admin]

LANCASTER — There were certainly some outstanding players in the area this season in girls' high school basketball, but one stood out from the rest.

What set Fisher Catholic’s Hadli Gillum apart was just how much she meant to her team and that she seemed to be at her best when her team needed her the most despite having opposing defenses key on her throughout every game.

Gillum, a sophomore, demonstrated she could score in a variety of ways and was a lethal passer, getting her teammates involved. She was a constant throughout the season.

For her efforts, Gillum is the 2026 Eagle-Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Lancaster coach Dusty Miller, who led a huge turnaround for the Lady Gales after they started the season 2-6. At one point, they won five consecutive games and 10 of 12, playing in the always-tough Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division. The Lady Gales went on the road and knocked off high-seeded Grove City in the tournament before falling just short against Newark in the Division I district championship. It was the first time the Gales reached a district title game in more than 20 years. Lancaster finished with 13 wins.

More: Player of the Year snub fuels Hadli Gillum's district win over FCA

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After having a standout freshman season that saw Gillum average 15.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and finishing with 408 points, she took her game to another level this season.

She helped lead the Irish to a 22-4 record, an undefeated Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championship and a second straight Central District Division VII district title. She scored a career-high 36 points and broke a school record with nine 3-pointers in a second-round tournament game and followed it up by scoring 30 points and connecting on eight 3-pointers in a district final win over rival Fairfield Christian Academy.

Gillum averaged 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She scored 573 points this season and, after just two years, is closing in on the 1,000-point plateau with 977 career points. She was named Central District Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Eagle-Gazette All-Area Girls Basketball Team​

Player of the Year:Hadli Gillum, Soph., Fisher Catholic

Coach of the Year: Dusty Miller, Lancaster

First Team

Hadli Gillum, Soph., Fisher Catholic

Molly Stedman, Sr., Lancaster

Ilahna Speelman, Fr., Berne Union

Josie Burr, Jr., Bloom-Carroll

Taylor Evans, Sr., Amanda-Clearcreek

Zarah Roby, Sr., Fairfield Christian Academy

Second Team

Harper Allen, Sr., Lancaster

Macey Smith, Jr., Liberty Union

Taylor Smeck, Sr., Fairfield Union

Nakayla Cash, Sr., Fairfield Christian Academy

Whitney Passen, Sr., Bloom-Carroll

Maycee Martindill, Sr., Fairfield Union

Third Team

Carlee Arledge, Sr., Lancaster

Maddie Mitchell, Jr., Fairfield Union

Stella Haughn, Soph., Bloom-Carroll

Lilly Atkinson, Sr., Millersport

Abby Heisner, Fairfield Christian Academy

Kaylie Wilson, Sr., Amanda-Clearcreek

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Hadli Gillum is the Eagle-Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year

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