The Milford High School boys basketball team, which finished third in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference this season, placed four players on the All-ECC squads, including a pair of first team selections. Seniors Jack Engelman and Brad Hall headline the list as Milford’s first team awardees, with classmates Keenan Farrell (second team) and Mitchell Wenzler (honorable mention) also earning recognition.
Engelman ranked second on the team in both points (8.6) and rebounds (5.6) and reached double figure scoring nine times, including a pair of double-doubles. The 5’10” post player enjoyed the biggest game of his career late in the season at Turpin, making 10 of 11 shots, including an overtime-forcing three-pointer, on his way to 22 points and 11 rebounds. Engelman was an honorable mention All-ECC selection last season.
Hall was a warrior for Milford this winter, coming back from a baseball injury to pace the squad in points (12.6), rebounds (6.5) and three-point field goal percent (.435). He reached double digits in scoring in all but six of Milford’s 23 contests, topping the 20-point plateau three times, including a personal-best 22 in a win over Colerain. Hall refused to beaten on the boards, reaching double figures in rebounds on three occasions, including a high of 14 in a win over Withrow. A threat both offensively and defensively, Hall also made a team-best 30 three-pointers and was second with 22 steals. This marks the third straight year Hall has been honored by the ECC coaches and the second consecutive year he has earned first team recognition.
Farrell returned from health issues which cut short his junior season to be a sparkplug for the Eagles as one of two point guards in the starting line-up. He was one of the best passers in the league this year, handing out a team-best 2.9 assists per game (including back-to-back six assist games), while also topping the squad with 24 steals. Farrell made his mark as a scorer as well with six double figure games, including a career-high 19 in a loss at Kings. This is Farrell’s first time as an All-ECC selection.
Wenzler was also a strong contributor to Milford’s success in his first season as a starter, putting up averages of seven points, two rebounds and two assists per game. Joining Farrell as co-point guards, Wenzler exploded in the first match-up of the year against Kings, scoring 24 points (one of six 10+ point scoring games) and pulling down seven rebounds. He dished a best of five assists in a win at Loveland. Wenzler has now been honored by ECC coaches in two sports this season after earning first team honors in soccer during the fall.
The 2016 ECC Player of the Year award was shared by two top performers in Anderson senior DeAnthony McCallum and Kings junior Tyler Mitchell. Mitchell’s head coach Mike Stevens, who guided the Knights to the conference crown was selected by his peers as the league’s coach of the year.
Milford concluded the 2015-16 season with its 10th consecutive winning campaign, finishing 14-9 overall and 9-5 in ECC play.