Washington's Monique Mitchell voted Tribune Girls Basketball Preseason Player of the Year

SOUTH BEND — The people have spoken.

Congratulations to South Bend Washington junior Monique Mitchell on winning the South Bend Tribune Girls Basketball Preseason Player of the Year fan vote. Mitchell received 17.2% of the vote, winning a balanced poll that saw seven of the 13 nominees receive at least 8%.

Here is a closer look at Mitchell, as well as the other players that were nominated from our area.

WINNER: South Bend Washington junior Monique Mitchell

Mitchell also averaged double-digit points for Washington last year, scoring 13.4 per game on average.

OTHER NOMINEES

Bethany Christian senior Zoe Willems

Willems averaged 17.1 points. 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game last year for the Class 1A state runner-up Bruins. She’s committed to play at Trine in the fall of 2024.

Bethany Christian senior Mariah Stoltzfus

The starting point guard for the Bruins last year, Stoltzfus averaged 10.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4.1 steals a season ago. She had a combined 44 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the two semistate round games to advance Bethany to the state finals. She’s committed to Goshen College.

Elkhart sophomore Shaniyah Stout

Stout broke onto the scene as a freshman last year, averaging 13.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Her older sister, Samiyah, was expected to be on this list as well, but a torn ACL playing summer basketball will have her sidelined for most, if not all, of her senior season.

Fairfield senior Kaylee Dillon

The only starter returning for the defending 3A champs, Dillon had a solid junior campaign, averaging 7.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Her defensive prowess helped the Falcons be the top defense in the state last year.

Goshen senior Kyra Hill

Hill was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star team after averaging 15.8 points and 10.3 rebounds. She also added two assists and three blocks per game as well.

Mishawaka senior Asiah Shaffer

One of two dynamic scoring options returning for the Cavemen, Shaffer led the team with a 12.2 points per game average. She also added three rebounds, two assists and two steals per game as well.

Mishawaka senior Kasha Davidovic

Davidovic was second on the team in scoring for Mishawaka last year, averaging 11.8 points per game. She also averaged nearly seven rebounds each contest, too.

Northridge senior Morgan Cross

Cross played a big part of a sectional-winning Raiders team last year, averaging 10 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

NorthWood junior Claire Payne

Limited to just 16 games due to injury, Payne was still effective in her time on the court, nearly averaging a double-double with 9.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per contest.

Penn junior Jessa Troy

Troy led the Kingsmen in scoring as a sophomore, averaging 14.1 points per game. She also averaged 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game a season ago.

South Bend Washington Kira Reynolds

Voted a second-team All-State player, Reynolds averaged 16.1 points, 12 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 5.8 blocks per game last year for a 27-1 Panthers team.

South Bend Washington junior Ryiah Wilson

The third Washington Panther listed here, Wilson averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, four assists and 6.2 steals per contest last year.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Tribune Girls Basketball Preseason POY: Monique Mitchell