NK’s Barreith, McMillian, Klahowya’s Koebelin, Kraft nab league MVPs

A pair of North Kitsap basketball players have been named the Most Valuable Player of their respective leagues.

Vikings seniors Noelani Barreith and Kobe McMillian are the 2019-2020 Olympic League MVPs for the 2A girls and 2A boys Olympic League.

Klahowya senior Drew Kraft and sophomore Ella Koebelin also picked up MVP honors in the final iterations of the Olympic League 1A.

The league MVP typically, though not always, comes from the team that finishes in first place, but the vote ultimately went in favor of Barreith, a versatile athlete who can play anywhere on the court.

“Noey is definitely my best player, I’ve had her do everything,” said North Kitsap head coach Penny Gienger.

As the team captain, Barreith led the charge for the Vikings, who ended up back at regionals for a fourth-consecutive year after a 2-3 start to their Olympic League season. They went on to finish third and then go 3-1 in the district tournament before losing to Black Hills last weekend.

Senior forward Grace Johnson was also a first-team selection for North Kitsap and junior Mia McNair made the second team. Kingston sophomore Ellee Brockman was also a second-team selection.

On the boys side, McMillian was the leading scorer for the North Kitsap boys, who captured the league title. He’s joined by first-team picks Shaa Humphrey and Logan Chmielewski and second-team selections Jonas La Tour and Johny Olmsted.

Bremerton sophomore D’Angelo Moore also got a first-team nod as the Knights’ leading scorer

In 1A, Koebelin averaged 18.7 points per game to lead the Klahowya girls to their first-ever winning season and playoff appearance. Senior guard Maile Lueck and junior forward Katie Cooper were also named to the first team.

Kraft led the boys team to a league championship and is joined by Matt Hytinen and Preston Roberts on the first team.

Klahowya coaches Chris Koebelin and Bryan Thoemke were both named Coach of the Year, as was Bremerton’s Miah Davis.