COLUMBUS, Ohio — Editor's note: The above video is from a previous report on Elise Bender as WTOL 11's Athlete of the Week.
Anthony Wayne High School's Elise Bender has been named a finalist for the 2024 Ohio Ms. Basketball award.
Bender is one of eight finalists announced by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-1 junior is a two-time Northern Lakes League player of the year and has also been named twice to the All-Ohio third team in Division I. This season she averaged 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.9 steals per game. She also went over 1000 points for her career during the regular season.
Bender holds Division I college offers from Toledo, BGSU, Ohio, Kent State, Central Michigan, Villanova, Cleveland State, Harvard, Loyola-Chicago, Youngstown State and Oakland.
The Generals finished the regular season as NLL champs with a 20-2 overall record and finished No. 5 in the state in the final Associated Press poll.
Here are the rest of the finalists for the Ohio Ms. Basketball award:
- Dee Alexander, Purcell Marian (2023 winner of the award)
- Emily Bratton, Bloom-Carroll
- Saniyah Hall, Shaker Heights Laurel
- Bryn Martin, Springboro
- Ashley Mullet, Berlin Hiland
- Corri Vermilya, Loudonville
- Berry Wallace, Pickerington Central
Voting for the award is currently underway and will end on Monday, March 11. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 13.
Past Ohio Ms. Basketball winners:
- 2023 – Dee Alexander, Cincinnati Purcell Marian, sophomore
- 2022 – KK Bransford, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, senior
- 2021 – KK Bransford, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, junior
- 2020 – Madeline Westbeld, Kettering Fairmont, senior
- 2019 – Kierstan Bell, Canton McKinley, senior
- 2018 – Kierstan Bell, Canton McKinley, junior
- 2017 – Kierstan Bell, Canton McKinley, sophomore
- 2016 – Jensen Caretti, Hannibal River, senior
- 2015 – Hallie Thome, Chagrin Falls, senior
- 2014 – Kelsey Mitchell, Cin. Princeton, senior
- 2013 – Ashley Morrissette, Twinsburg, senior
- 2012 – Ameryst Alston, Canton McKinley, senior
- 2011 – Ameryst Alston, Canton McKinley, junior
- 2010 – Natasha Howard, Tol. Waite, senior
- 2009 – Kendall Hackney, Cin. Mount Notre Dame, senior
- 2008 – Amber Gray, West Chester Lakota West, senior
- 2007 – Jantel Lavender, Cleveland Central Catholic, senior
- 2006 – Tyra Grant, Youngstown Ursuline, senior
- 2005 – Maria Getty, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, senior
- 2004 – Mel Thomas, Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, senior
- 2003 – Brittany Hunter, Columbus Brookhaven, senior
- 2002 – Barbara Turner, Cleveland East Tech, senior
- 2001 – Michelle Munoz, Mason, senior
- 2000 – Michelle Munoz, Mason, junior
- 1999 – (TIE) Kaayla Chones, Eastlake North, senior; LaToya Turner, Pickerington, senior
- 1998 – Tamika Williams, Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, senior
- 1997 – Semeka Randall, Garfield Hts. Trinity, senior
- 1996 – Semeka Randall, Garfield Hts. Trinity, junior
- 1995 – Beth Ostendorf, Pickerington, senior
- 1994 – Na’Sheema Hillmon, Garfield Hts. Trinity, senior
- 1993 – Marlene Stollings, Beaver Eastern, senior
- 1992 – Katie Smith, Logan, senior
- 1991 – Vonda Ward, Garfield Hts. Trinity, senior
- 1990 – Vonda Ward, Garfield Hts. Trinity, junior
- 1989 – Carol Madsen, Reading, senior
- 1988 – Janet Haneberg, Cincinnati Seton, senior