Union teams fill All-SEC boys list

The Southeast Conference released its All-Conference boys basketball team for the 2022-23 season, and the Union area schools were prevalent on the list. Mt. Pleasant, Fairfield and Washington made up five of the six first team names and three of the six second-teamers.

After winning the conference championship with an 8-2 conference record, Mt. Pleasant had two players on the first team. Junior Payton Hagans and senior Aaiden Ashton both made the list.

Hagans was the only non-senior on the first team. He finished the year with 20.7 points per game, the second-most in the league. Hagans was third in the league with 8.2 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game, and second with 2.4 steals per game.

Ashton served as the second scorer for the Panthers all season long. He scored 14.5 points per game on the year, and also added 5.1 rebounds per game.

Fairfield’s Max Weaton made the first team after finishing third in the league with 19.5 points per game and leading the conference with 13.6 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game.

JJ Lane found his way on the first team after scoring 18.2 points per game, the fifth-most in the conference. Lane also finished second in the league with 3.7 assists per game.

Making the first team for Washington was Ethan Patterson. He finished right on par with Weaton with 19.5 points per game this season to tie for third in the conference. Patterson led the league with four assists per game.

The only non-Union area player to make the first team was Burlington’s Merquiche Lewis, who also won the 2022-23 SEC Player of the Year award. Lewis scored 24.2 points per game and finished second with 9.5 rebounds per game. He led the league in steals, with 3.3.

Washington led the way with two names on the second-team list. Ajay Six (10.4 PPG 5.8 RPG) and Aden Six (9.8 PPG), a pair of seniors both made the list. Mt. Pleasant’s Owen Vansickel (7.3 PPG, 3.3 APG) was also selected.

Each team was given two honorable mentions. Fairfield seniors Riley Perkins and Tate Allen each earned an honorable mention, as did Mt. Pleasant junior Nate Stroud, Mt. Pleasant senior Carson Amos, Washington sophomore Logan McDole and Washington senior Avery Six.

ALL SEC FIRST TEAM

Payton Hagans (11), Mt. Pleasant

Aaiden Ashton (12), Mt. Pleasant

Max Weaton (12), Fairfield

JJ Lane (12), Fairfield

Merquiche Lewis (12), Burlington (POY)

Ethan Patterson (12), Washington

ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM

Diego Garcia (11), Keokuk

Owen Vansickel (12), Mt. Pleasant

Hunter Cresswell (11), Fort Madison

JJ Martin (12), Burlington

AJ Six (12), Washington

Aden Six (12), Washington

ALL-SEC HONORABLE MENTION

Nehemiah Lewis (10), Burlington

Riley Perkins (12), Fairfield

Tate Allen (12), Fairfield

Carson Rashid (11), Fort Madison

Leif Boeding (11), Fort Madison

Brenton Hoard (10), Keokuk

Blake Chase (10), Keokuk

Nate Stroud (11), Mt. Pleasant

Carter Amos (12), Mt. Pleasant

Logan McDole (10), Washington

Avery Six (12), Washington

SEC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Burlington: Mateo Rascon, Merquiche Lewis Jr., Christos Kantzavelos, Joey Jolin, Carson Ziegler, Thomas Fell, Adam Johnson, Minka Buhmeyer, Kyanne Dowell, Jaymee Magill and Penelope Taylor.

FAIRFIELD: Cooper Polonsky, Max Weaton, Austin Lisk, Ben Boatright, Tate Allen, Ryan Higgins and Sam Weaton.

FORT MADISON: Cade Denning, Henry Morris, Carson Rashid and Leif Boeding.

Keokuk: Chase Eckland, Liam O’Donnell

Washington: Roman Roth, Andrew Shepherd, Ethan Patterson, Aden Six, Ajay Six, Avery Six and Evan Van Der Molen.