One is a dynamic athlete and scorer, the other has a smooth subtlety to his game. No matter how they play, Central’s Phillip Corthen and Winchester’s Kiante Enis are now linked.
As all-state boys basketball players.
When the lengthy ICBA/Subway honors came out, Corthen’s name appeared on the underclass large school team while Enis was in the small state group. The juniors were joined by seven area honorable mentions.
Enis was the central cog of a Golden Falcon’s team that went 14-11. He scored 23.1 points per game, grabbed 6.2 rebounds and shot 53.9 percent from the field.
Corthen emerged as the top offensive option for the Bearcats, posting 17.4 points per game while connecting on 46 percent of his 155 3-pointers. He was a constant for a team that had some roster changes through the season and went 11-12 against a top-30 schedule.
His teammate Andre Jones made underclass honorable mention after averaging 11.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 blocks in his 12 games. He transferred from Indianapolis Scecina at mid-year and grew into a versatile inside anchor.
He was joined by Jay County’s Adam Dirksen and Jay Houck, who helped the Patriots to an 18-7 record and played their part in the grinding, patient system that allowed the fewest points per game in the state.
The senior honorable mentions included two local duos of longtime stalwarts. Yorktown had Riley Miller (11.1 points, 4.6 assists, 2.7 steals per game) and Caleb Morey (13.4 points, 72-for-183 3-point shooting) on the team. Miller was a do-everything wing, while Morey served as a release valve for the offense with his shooting. The Tigers went 17-8 behind a stingy zone defense and came within a few points of a sectional title.
Kyle Bumbalough (13.6 points per game, 2.4 assists) and Abe Haler (13.6 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, shot 42 percent from 3) both made the list from New Castle. The Trojans went 9-12 and pushed eventual regional champion Richmond to overtime in sectionals.