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Sixteen girls basketball teams from Section 4 have captured New York state titles, and with team success has come a bunch of individual talent.
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this summer and the USA TODAY Network recognizes top athletes from across the country, we are taking a look at the most impactful girls basketball players to come through New York's Southern Tier.
While it's a daunting task trying to narrow all that talent into a single player, we're giving it a shot while seeking your assistance.
Fans can vote on Section 4's greatest girls basketball player from this list of 10 who have starred on Section 4 courts. We realize lists like this are subjective and offer you an opportunity to write in your own selection as well.
Our list is based on a combination of criteria, including individual accolades, team success, and a bit on achievements beyond high school.
Print readers can find the poll online at stargazette.com.
Our 10 selections, in alphabetical order.
Collins checks all the boxes when it comes to her standing as one of the best to ever play in Section 4.
She scored 2,204 career points at Odessa-Montour, at one time the highest total in Section 4 history. Collins led O-M to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D title in 2001.
At Division I St. Bonaventure, she scored 1,421 points to rank among that program's career scoring leaders.
She went on to play professional basketball in the Women's British Basketball League and played for Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics.
Drummond was a tenacious two-way standout on a Corning West team that won the NYSPHSAA Class B title in 1995 and was a bucket away from winning the Federation state title to cap what would have been an undefeated season.
Drummond had a combined 61 points and 26 rebounds in the public schools final four, including 30 points and 16 rebounds against Kenmore East in the championship game.
She was named Class B Player of the Year in New York as a senior and finished her West career with 1,590 points and 1,055 rebounds.
Drummond played four seasons at Division I Siena.
Drummond scored 1,930 career points at Harpursville and few players in Section 4 history have registered such a high percentage of meaningful points. She played in 95 games at Harpursville and 87 times was on the winning side.
She led Harpursville to back-to-back appearances in the NYSPHSAA Class C championship game in 2012 and 2013, followed by a berth in the state semifinals her senior season.
Drummond was two-time Elite Player of the Year as selected by the staffs of the Press & Sun-Bulletin, Elmira Star-Gazette, and Ithaca Journal. She averaged 26.3 points per game her senior season.
There are some questions left from Kiara Fisher's career at Elmira High School.
Would a loaded Express team have won a state title her senior season if COVID didn't lead to the cancellation of the state tournament? How many points would she have scored if an injury didn't take away her junior season?
There is no question, though, as to the impact and talent of Fisher. She ended up with 1,324 points while taking a pass-first approach to her game. As a senior, she averaged 17 points, 8.2 assists, 5.6 steals, and 5.2 rebounds.
Fisher was a two-time Elite 10 Player of the Year and went on to play at Syracuse and Marist, setting a program record for the latter with 44 points in a 2023 win over Mount St. Mary's.
You can't have a list of Section 4's top players without its No. 1 scorer. Kimmel finished her Harpursville days with 2,692 points, more than 200 points ahead of any other Section 4 girl. She is the No. 9 all-time scorer in New York history.
Kimmel led Section 4 in scoring each of her final three seasons, including an average of 30.6 points per game as a senior. That group earned Harpursville's first Section 4 title and ended up as New York's Class C runner-up with a 23-2 record.
She started all four seasons at Division I Sacred Heart, where she had a career scoring average of 14.5 points per game and ranks among the program's all-time scoring leaders with 1,758 points.
L'Amoreaux will go down as the last Player of the Year in women's basketball in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference given the league is now known as the Metro Conference. For good measure, she was also DI-AAA Scholar Athlete of the Year this past season at Fairfield.
She has carried on the hoops dominance she displayed at Maine-Endwell, where L'Amoreaux's 1,853 career points put her among Section 4's all-time scoring leaders.
L'Amoreaux was a first-team all-state selection her final two seasons at M-E. She closed her high school career by averaging 27.1 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Few athletes in Section 4 history have reached the heights of big-time college sports that Horseheads High's Saundi Lamoureux did. The thing was her chosen college path was volleyball, where she was an All-American, Academic All-American, and two-time All Big East selection. Lamoureux was part of two Penn State trips to the final four, including a national runner-up finish in 1993.
No doubt Lamoureux could have chosen a Division I college basketball career.
She finished her Horseheads career with 1,800 points, at one time the Section 4 record, to go with 1,074 rebounds and 378 blocked shots. Senior averages for the 6-foot-2 center who led the Raiders to the Section 4 Class A title and a 23-1 record included 26.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots per game.
Said her coach, Lou Mortimer, at the time: "She just demoralized other teams."
The 2016-17 Binghamton Seton Catholic Central girls basketball team ranked among the most successful in Section 4 history. The Saints finished with a 28-1 record and won New York public schools and Federation titles.
Star of the show was guard Lexi Levy, who averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and converted 82 3-pointers. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Federation tournament, where she had 30 points, 6 steals, and 4 assists in the semifinals.
Levy, who scored 1,344 points at Seton, was named New York's Class B Player of the Year as a senior and went on to play Division I college basketball for George Washington.
The most recent player on this list to showcase her skills on Section 4 courts, Warpus capped her Forks career by being named New York Class B Player of the Year for the second straight season this year.
She led the Blue Devils to back-to-back appearances in the state's Class B final four, including this season's championship game.
Final numbers for Warpus included 1,886 career points and 1,215 rebounds. She has committed to play at Oregon State.
Oneonta's run to back-to-back state championships in 1997 and 1998 was led by point guard Krissy Zeh, who was named New York's Class B Player of the Year as a junior after leading the Yellowjackets to a 27-0 record in 1998.
Zeh ended up with 1,698 career points at Oneonta and was a two-time first-team all-state selection.
With Zeh leading the way, Oneonta won three consecutive Section 4 titles. During that stretch, Oneonta had a 76-2 record and added a Federation state title to go with the two public schools championships.
Who’s the greatest high school girls basketball player in Section 4 history?
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Ten candidates for Section 4's greatest girls basketball player
Continue reading...
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this summer and the USA TODAY Network recognizes top athletes from across the country, we are taking a look at the most impactful girls basketball players to come through New York's Southern Tier.
While it's a daunting task trying to narrow all that talent into a single player, we're giving it a shot while seeking your assistance.
Fans can vote on Section 4's greatest girls basketball player from this list of 10 who have starred on Section 4 courts. We realize lists like this are subjective and offer you an opportunity to write in your own selection as well.
Our list is based on a combination of criteria, including individual accolades, team success, and a bit on achievements beyond high school.
Print readers can find the poll online at stargazette.com.
Our 10 selections, in alphabetical order.
Stefanie Collins, Odessa-Montour
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Collins checks all the boxes when it comes to her standing as one of the best to ever play in Section 4.
She scored 2,204 career points at Odessa-Montour, at one time the highest total in Section 4 history. Collins led O-M to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D title in 2001.
At Division I St. Bonaventure, she scored 1,421 points to rank among that program's career scoring leaders.
She went on to play professional basketball in the Women's British Basketball League and played for Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics.
Cori Drummond, Corning West
Drummond was a tenacious two-way standout on a Corning West team that won the NYSPHSAA Class B title in 1995 and was a bucket away from winning the Federation state title to cap what would have been an undefeated season.
Drummond had a combined 61 points and 26 rebounds in the public schools final four, including 30 points and 16 rebounds against Kenmore East in the championship game.
She was named Class B Player of the Year in New York as a senior and finished her West career with 1,590 points and 1,055 rebounds.
Drummond played four seasons at Division I Siena.
Miranda Drummond, Harpursville
Drummond scored 1,930 career points at Harpursville and few players in Section 4 history have registered such a high percentage of meaningful points. She played in 95 games at Harpursville and 87 times was on the winning side.
She led Harpursville to back-to-back appearances in the NYSPHSAA Class C championship game in 2012 and 2013, followed by a berth in the state semifinals her senior season.
Drummond was two-time Elite Player of the Year as selected by the staffs of the Press & Sun-Bulletin, Elmira Star-Gazette, and Ithaca Journal. She averaged 26.3 points per game her senior season.
Kiara Fisher, Elmira
There are some questions left from Kiara Fisher's career at Elmira High School.
Would a loaded Express team have won a state title her senior season if COVID didn't lead to the cancellation of the state tournament? How many points would she have scored if an injury didn't take away her junior season?
There is no question, though, as to the impact and talent of Fisher. She ended up with 1,324 points while taking a pass-first approach to her game. As a senior, she averaged 17 points, 8.2 assists, 5.6 steals, and 5.2 rebounds.
Fisher was a two-time Elite 10 Player of the Year and went on to play at Syracuse and Marist, setting a program record for the latter with 44 points in a 2023 win over Mount St. Mary's.
Hannah Kimmel, Harpursville
You must be registered for see images attach
You can't have a list of Section 4's top players without its No. 1 scorer. Kimmel finished her Harpursville days with 2,692 points, more than 200 points ahead of any other Section 4 girl. She is the No. 9 all-time scorer in New York history.
Kimmel led Section 4 in scoring each of her final three seasons, including an average of 30.6 points per game as a senior. That group earned Harpursville's first Section 4 title and ended up as New York's Class C runner-up with a 23-2 record.
She started all four seasons at Division I Sacred Heart, where she had a career scoring average of 14.5 points per game and ranks among the program's all-time scoring leaders with 1,758 points.
Kaety L’Amoreaux, Maine-Endwell
L'Amoreaux will go down as the last Player of the Year in women's basketball in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference given the league is now known as the Metro Conference. For good measure, she was also DI-AAA Scholar Athlete of the Year this past season at Fairfield.
She has carried on the hoops dominance she displayed at Maine-Endwell, where L'Amoreaux's 1,853 career points put her among Section 4's all-time scoring leaders.
L'Amoreaux was a first-team all-state selection her final two seasons at M-E. She closed her high school career by averaging 27.1 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Saundi Lamoureux, Horseheads
Few athletes in Section 4 history have reached the heights of big-time college sports that Horseheads High's Saundi Lamoureux did. The thing was her chosen college path was volleyball, where she was an All-American, Academic All-American, and two-time All Big East selection. Lamoureux was part of two Penn State trips to the final four, including a national runner-up finish in 1993.
No doubt Lamoureux could have chosen a Division I college basketball career.
She finished her Horseheads career with 1,800 points, at one time the Section 4 record, to go with 1,074 rebounds and 378 blocked shots. Senior averages for the 6-foot-2 center who led the Raiders to the Section 4 Class A title and a 23-1 record included 26.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots per game.
Said her coach, Lou Mortimer, at the time: "She just demoralized other teams."
Lexi Levy, Seton Catholic Central
You must be registered for see images attach
The 2016-17 Binghamton Seton Catholic Central girls basketball team ranked among the most successful in Section 4 history. The Saints finished with a 28-1 record and won New York public schools and Federation titles.
Star of the show was guard Lexi Levy, who averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and converted 82 3-pointers. She was named Most Valuable Player of the Federation tournament, where she had 30 points, 6 steals, and 4 assists in the semifinals.
Levy, who scored 1,344 points at Seton, was named New York's Class B Player of the Year as a senior and went on to play Division I college basketball for George Washington.
Maggie Warpus, Chenango Forks
The most recent player on this list to showcase her skills on Section 4 courts, Warpus capped her Forks career by being named New York Class B Player of the Year for the second straight season this year.
She led the Blue Devils to back-to-back appearances in the state's Class B final four, including this season's championship game.
Final numbers for Warpus included 1,886 career points and 1,215 rebounds. She has committed to play at Oregon State.
Krissy Zeh, Oneonta
Oneonta's run to back-to-back state championships in 1997 and 1998 was led by point guard Krissy Zeh, who was named New York's Class B Player of the Year as a junior after leading the Yellowjackets to a 27-0 record in 1998.
Zeh ended up with 1,698 career points at Oneonta and was a two-time first-team all-state selection.
With Zeh leading the way, Oneonta won three consecutive Section 4 titles. During that stretch, Oneonta had a 76-2 record and added a Federation state title to go with the two public schools championships.
Who’s the greatest high school girls basketball player in Section 4 history?
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Ten candidates for Section 4's greatest girls basketball player
Continue reading...
