SKYLAR HERINGTON Sophomore Randolph

Skylar Herington has played varsity basketball for Randolph since seventh grade.

Her growth continued this year as a sophomore.

So much so that she has been named the 2025 Post-Journal/OBSERVER Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Herington put together a dynamic season this winter for the Cardinals.

She finished third in Section VI in scoring at 25.3 points per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists per night. Herington’s 81 3-pointers made was also good for No. 1 in the section.

The best night of Herington’s season came Jan. 17 against Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 3 foe Cassadaga Valley. The sharp shooter scored a career-high 46 points on 17-of-30 shooting, which included 9-of-18 shooting from 3-point range, in a 77-43 win over the Cougars.

Randolph’s schedule was loaded with stiff competition.

In the Cardinals’ season opener against Cardinal O’Hara, which finished the season as the New York State Sportswriters Association’s No. 15 Class AAA program, Herington had 16 points in a 59-39 loss. She followed that up with 33 points in a 51-36 victory over Nichols, the NYSSWA’s No. 23 Class A school.

Herington’s lowest scoring output of the season came Dec. 14 against Hornell with 14 points in a 49-38 loss in the Roger Weiss Showcase at Jamestown High School. Hornell went on to lose by four in the Class B state title game.

Three days later, Herington scored 25 points in a 67-59 win over Iroquois, a NYSSWA Class B honorable-mention selection by the end of the year. After a 17-point output against Johnson City, Herington put up 28 and 15 points, respectively, in back-to-back games against St. Mary’s of Lancaster, the No. 7 Class AA team in the state by season’s end.

As the calendar turned to 2025, Herington scored 30 and 25 points, respectively, against Portville and Falconer.

Next up was Randolph’s first CCAA Division 3 showdown with defending Section VI Class C champion Frewsburg. Herington had 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot as the Cardinals beat the Bears 59-50, in a game that wasn’t even that close.

Three days later, Herington scored her career high against Cassadaga Valley before games of 27, 30 and 25 points against Gowanda, Portville and Falconer, respectively.

In the Cardinals-Bears rematch in Frewsburg, Herington had 19 points, six steals and three assists, but the Bears beat Randolph 49-47 to effectively share the league title.

Herington then closed her regular season with showings of 21, 24, 32, 20 and 34 points against Cardinal O’Hara, Gowanda, Cassadaga Valley, Nichols and St. Mary’s respectively.

Next up was a Section VI quarterfinal matchup with Westfield during which Herington scored 23 points to go along with four assists, two steals and two rebounds as the Cardinals cruised into the semifinals with a 69-30 victory.

Their reward? A third meeting with Frewsburg.

In front of a packed house at Jamestown Community College’s Physical Education Complex, Herington put up 24 points, and four rebounds, but Randolph’s rally came up short as the Bears won 50-47.

That catapulted Frewsburg to what would end up being a state championship run, while the Cardinals’ season came to an end.

With two seasons remaining, Herington’s rivalry with Frewsburg sophomore Jadyn Trocki will continue.

And now she has a 1-0 lead in Post-Journal/OBSERVER Player of the Year honors.