Hiland’s Yoder a finalist for Ohio Ms. Basketball Award
Hiland’s Joplin Yoder is among the finalists for the 2025 Ohio Ms. Basketball Award.
The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association has announced the finalists for the 2025 Ohio Ms. Basketball Award. The winner will be announced on March 12.
Voting is underway for the 226 registered OPSMA members and will end at noon on March 10.
The voting process for OPSMA members is the same as that used to determine the Heisman Trophy winner in college football. First place votes get three points, second-place votes get two points and third-place votes get one point.
Ohio’s Ms. Basketball was selected by the Associated Press from 1987-2016. Since 2017 it has been presented by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.
2025 Ohio Ms. Basketball Finalists
—Dee Alexander, Purcell-Marian: Ohio Ms. Basketball in 2022-23 and 2023-24 will play collegiately at Cincinnati. The 6-foot-1 senior averaged 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals for the three-time defending state champions. She shot 63.4% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range. Southwest District Division III Player of the Year. Will play in the McDonald’s All-American game.
—Elise Bender, Whitehouse Anthony Wayne: The 6-foot-1 senior wing averaged 24.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 3.8 steals for 23-2 team, which is headed to the Division II state semifinals. She helped Wayne reach the Division I state semifinals in 2022. Bender has committed and signed with Villanova University. Through the district round, Bender was shooting 67% 2FG, 41% 3FG, and 86% free throws. She had 1,918 career points and was also first team Division I All-Ohio and our Ms. Basketball finalist in 2024.
—Naomi Benson, Streetsboro: The 6-foot-3 senior post led the Rockets to 23 wins and the regional finals with her 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.6 blocks and 2.2 assists per game. She’s an Illinois commit who delivered 24 points in the regional finals against Laurel. She finished her career with more than 1,650 points and 1,250 rebounds. Benson does all this while being extremely selfless. When she needs to take over a game, against elite competition, she is more than capable. She has led Streetsboro to any number of firsts, including its first two league titles and its first two district championships.
—Ariyana Cradle, Westerville South: The 5-foot-8 junior guard is the Central District’s Division II player of the year. She averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.9 steals while hitting 44 three-pointers for a 21-6 regional finalist that went unbeaten in OCC Capital play (beating state semifinalist Big Walnut twice). A Power Five recruit, Cradle missed most of her first two seasons with injuries.
—Bryn Martin, Springboro: Ohio Ms. Basketball nominee in 2023-24 will play collegiately at Washington. The 6-foot-1 senior averaged 23 points, 5.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals for the defending state runner-up in Division I. She shot 52.4% from the field, 37.6% from three-point range and 86.8% from the free-throw line. Southwest District Division I Player of the Year. Was nominated for McDonald’s All-American game.
—Tatiana Mason, Lyndhurst Brush: Northeast Lakes District Player of the Year in Division III as just a sophomore, the 5-foot-10 combo guard led Brush to a 20-win regular season. She averaged 19.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals. The daughter of 2000 Mr. Basketball winner Chet Mason, who is now Brush’s boys coach, she is beginning to carve her own place in Ohio high school basketball history. Brush reached the state final four with her leading the Arcs, who also star another sophomore in Chaniyra McDowell-Isaacs and freshman sister Nyla Mason. They reached the state semifinals for the first time in program history.
—Riley Thomas, Strasburg-Franklin: The 5-foot-11 senior forward was a dominant force for the Tigers, who had one of the best seasons in program history. She averaged a double-double of 18 points and 10.9 rebounds and shot 58% from the field despite facing double and even triple teams by the opposition. She owns several school records, including career points (1,617), career rebounds (807), career wins (79) and career field goal percentage (61.5). She is a three-time All-Ohioan.
—Joplin Yoder, Berlin Hiland: The 6-foot senior forward led the Hawks to their 30th straight Inter-Valley Conference title with 17 points and 9 rebounds per game. Yoder has been a consistent force, especially this season against one of the state’s toughest schedules. She led the Hawks to back-to-back regional finals and made Third Team All-Ohio as a junior. She will continue her basketball career at Ashland University.