'It means a lot': Hiland's Mullet, Loudonville's Vermilya soaking in North-South experience

Hiland's Ashley Mullet and Loudonville's Corri Vermilya have been two of the top girls basketball players in the area for most of their high school careers.

For their efforts, the local tandem has been selected to play in the annual OHSBCA North-South All-Star Game, which will take place this Friday at Olentangy Liberty High School. The girls contest starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the boys game at 8:15.

“This game is a great way to end my high school career,” said Mullet, an Ashland University recruit. “It means a lot that I was selected to play in this game and with these other great players.”

Both Mullet and Vermilya have done more than enough to earn that spot, too, as both were All-Ohio selections in Division IV this past winter.

Mullet, a 5-foot-8 point guard averaged 21 points a night, along with 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals as she was tabbed at the Inter-Valley Conference South Division Player of the Year for the second straight season. The talented floor general also was one the top perimeter shooters around, connecting on 45% of her shots from the beyond the arc.

But it was Mullet's ability to guard the other team's top playmaker or just her ability to manage the game that set her apart.

“Ashley has always been the hardest worker in every gym she stepped foot into,” Hiland coach Brady Schlabach said. “Her basketball IQ is that of another coach out on the floor.

“Ashley obviously has all the accolades offensively, but is an extremely high-level defender, most times guarding the other team's best player,” he added. “Her ability to get it done on both ends of the floor at such a high level is what makes her such a phenomenal player.”

Vermilya also capped her off her prep career in style as she was the overall Player of the Year for the entire small-school division and was the runner-up for Ohio's Ms. Basketball award. The four-year starter had a senior season to remember as she scored an eye-popping 27.8 points a night and finished her stint with the Redbirds with over 2,000 points, along shattering school records for rebounds and steals.

And for Vermilya to be selected as the lone player representative from a district that includes the Federal League, Wayne County Athletic League and Principals Athletic Conference further highlights just how dominant she was.

“More than ever, with each district now only receiving one representative in the game, it is an honor to be chosen as a North-South All-Star,” former Loudonville coach Tyler Bates said. “When you look at District 4 and all of the great schools that comprise ... to be the one kid chosen from the head coaches is something to be very proud of.

“Corri has shown over the years that she is obviously one of Ohio's top players and is very deserving of the opportunity,” he added. “Her consistency and toughness were really unmatched.”

It will be a bittersweet weekend for Vermilya, however, as she will be on crutches for the next month and a half, thanks to a fractured femur injury that she had battled through all season long.

But after watching the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game from the sidelines last weekend, she is ready to just enjoy the experience once again.

“I met some amazing girls, basketball players, and coaches, and had so much fun hanging out with them for a few days,” Vermilya said last weekend’s game versus the Bluegrass State. “Not being able to participate was hard for me, but being able to come along for the ride was totally worth it and I expect this week's North-South game to be the same.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls Basketball: Hiland, Loudonville stars rep area in North-South