Olin, Schwartz garner All-IEL basketball honors

SANDPOINT — Seniors Ryan Schwartz and Jackson Olin were a potent one-two scoring punch for the Bulldogs this season, and on Monday the pair was recognized with a selection on the 4A All-Inland Empire League team, as voted on by the league’s coaches.

Olin led the Bulldogs with 15 points and four rebounds per game, and was second on the team in assists, blocks and steals. He scored more than 20 points a game six times, no small accomplishment considering he was the focal point of opposing defenses, each well aware of his long range marksmanship.

“Jackson has been a huge part of this program for the past three seasons. This season he had a huge roll in nearly every aspect of this team with the exception of driving the bus to away games,” said Bulldogs head coach Tyler Haynes of Olin. “He is a very selfless individual who did an outstanding job of taking on the roll of the go-to offensive player. He accomplished all this by playing within our system, in chorus with playing to the strengths of his teammates.”  

Schwartz averaged 10 points per game and led the team in steals. He scored more than 14 points seven times this season, including 27 points in a win over Lakeland in the district playoff opener.

“Ryan was the heart that fed this varsity team —its strength and courage. In five years I have never known Ryan to show a negative emotion,” described Haynes of Schwartz, who averaged 17 points a game in the district tournament. “He had as fine a senior season as anyone I have ever coached.”

Both players were nominated to the district 1 all-star game in Mullan on Friday night, and Olin was chosen to represent Sandpoint in the North vs. South all-star game at NIC on the March 17.

4A All-Inland Empire League boys basketball

n Coach of the Year — Tracy Donaldson, Moscow.    

n Player of the Year — Lane Brooks, senior, Moscow.

n Newcomer of the Year — Tyrel Derrick, freshman, Lakeland.

n 4A IEL team: Jackson Olin, senior, Sandpoint; Ryan Schwartz, senior, Sandpoint; Eric Cooper, senior, Lakeland; Derek Pennington, senior, Moscow; Dan McGurkin, senior, Moscow.