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5 boys prep hoops players to watch in Hillsdale County for the 2023-24 season

Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News
·3 min read

HILLSDALE COUNTY — With the basketball season getting underway, many prep hoops returning stars from 2022-23 take the court to try and take their teams to conference gold this season. Hillsdale County boys varsity basketball teams will compete in the LCAA, Big 8, Cascades and SCAA conferences this season.

More: Meet the Hillsdale County 2023 boys soccer players of the year

Multiple athletes will look to make their mark early in the season leading up to the annual Pat Patterson Holiday Tournament. These are five student-athletes that to watch out for as the season progresses towards the Holiday break.

Jack Bowles led the LCAA in three-pointer last season. He looks to continue to be a force for the Hornet boys prep hoops team in the 2023-24 season.
Jack Bowles led the LCAA in three-pointer last season. He looks to continue to be a force for the Hornet boys prep hoops team in the 2023-24 season.

Jack Bowles – Senior – Hillsdale

Bowles lit up the LCAA offensive stats books last season, finishing second in scoring and free throw percentage. Bowles led the entire conference in three-pointers and led his team in points, averaging 19.35 a game. He earned First Team All-Conference and Team MVP. He is one of the returning members of last year’s All-Area Dream Team and was a Detroit News D3 All-State honorable mention honoree.

More: 2 Hillsdale County players on All-State 8-player Division 2 football team

Junior Alvarez – Senior – Litchfield

There might not be another 3-point ace as accurate as Alvarez in the entire SCAA conference. The two-time All-Area Dream Team honoree came close to tying his own season 3-pointer school record last season. Alvarez averaged 13.6 points a game, earning himself second team All-Conference honors. He looks to get back to an All-State honor this season, which he received his sophomore year as an honorable mention.

Litchfield senior Junior Alvarez (22) may be the best three-point shooter in the SCAA. He looks to add another Dream Team honor to his career accolades this season.
Litchfield senior Junior Alvarez (22) may be the best three-point shooter in the SCAA. He looks to add another Dream Team honor to his career accolades this season.
Hillsdale Academy senior Dominic Scharer (35) was a 2022-23 Dream Team honoree. He looks to help lead his team to another district title and conference championship in 2023-24.
Hillsdale Academy senior Dominic Scharer (35) was a 2022-23 Dream Team honoree. He looks to help lead his team to another district title and conference championship in 2023-24.

More: Introducing the SCAA-East All-Conference football and volleyball teams

Dominic Scharer – Senior – Hillsdale Academy

Scharer is a two-time All-Area Dream Team honoree who looks to help the Colts earn a third district title in a row this season. Scharer nearly averaged a double-double while helping take the Hillsdale Academy Colts to a SCAA East title and an 18-5 record. He averaged 17.3 points a game and 9.7 rebounds a game. He had a 5.2 FG percentage that helped him earn First Team All-Conference honors.

More: Hillsdale Academy's scrappy defensive effort seals fourth consecutive district title win

Thomas Maier – Junior – Hillsdale Will Carleton Academy

As a sophomore, Maier led the Cougars in scoring, averaging 15.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.6 points a game in 2022-23. He was named All-Conference and All-Area Dream team. WCA’s coaching staff believes Maier will take an even bigger leap forward this year for the Cougars.

Will Carleton junior Thomas Maier (0) looks to be one of the top junior players in the County in 2023-24.
Will Carleton junior Thomas Maier (0) looks to be one of the top junior players in the County in 2023-24.
Jonesville senior Warrick Elder is the top returning scorer from the Comets' district title team last year. He looks to make an impact in the Cascades Conference for the Comets.
Jonesville senior Warrick Elder is the top returning scorer from the Comets' district title team last year. He looks to make an impact in the Cascades Conference for the Comets.

Warrick Elder – Senior – Jonesville

After earning honorable mention Dream Team and First Team All-Conference honors las year, Elder looks to break out with a chance to carry the offensive workload for the Comets after the departers of ‘23 seniors Brady Wright and Jaxson Phifer. Elder helped lead Jonesville to a district title and a 19-6 record last winter, averaging 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.1 assists a game. He was third in team scoring, second in assists and second in steals.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: 5 boys prep hoops players to watch in Hillsdale County for the 2023-24 season