Coldwater's Dirschell voted MVP as Cardinal basketball celebrates season
COLDWATER – The Coldwater Cardinal boys basketball program celebrated their roller coaster 2023-24 season Tuesday night, holding their annual awards banquet at Bill’s Grill House at the Coldwater Golf Course.
Coldwater finished the season at 6-17 overall on the year, tying the Hastings Saxons for fifth place in the Interstate 8 with a conference record of 4-8.
Coldwater’s Ayden Dirschell was announced as this year’s Most Valuable Player as voted on by the team, after a season that saw the junior lead the team in scoring while also earning himself a place in the Coldwater High School record books with his 7.59 rebounds per game average this season, the tenth highest average in school history. Dirschell also finished in eighth place on the list for average steals in a season with his 2.39 average.
Additional team awards handed out after a teammate vote included the Most Improved Player award which went to Austin Downs; the Leadership Award which was presented to Zach Coffing; the Scout Team/Bench Player award which went to the duo of Austin Downs and Kaden Lewis; and the Best Defensive Player award which was shared by Niko Downs and Zach Coffing.
Niko Downs heard his name called several times on the night, as Downs was also awarded the Hustle Award, the Dedication Award, and the Most Sportsmanlike Award.
Interstate 8 All-Conference honors
Junior Ayden Dirschell was the only Coldwater representative on the Interstate 8 All Conference First Team this season, while sophomore Gavin Taylor earned Honorable Mention honors.
For all their success on the court the Cardinals were even better in the classroom, placing five on the Interstate 8 Academic All-Conference team. Earning academic honors were Dirschell, Taylor, Niko Downs, Kaden Lewis, and Jackson Reilly.
More: Coldwater swim and dive celebrates season
Coldwater will now say goodbye to seniors Keavyn Zabonick, Zach Coffing, and Tyson Roby.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Dirschell voted MVP as Coldwater boys basketball celebrates season
