— By Ryan Pritt, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After ripping through a one-loss campaign that concluded with a second straight Class AAA championship, it is little surprise to see Parkersburg well represented in the postseason awards.
Ffour Big Reds were honored on the all-state team with senior Shay-Lee Kirby and junior Madi Mace each being named first-team.
Kirby, who averaged 17.7 points per game and shot 49 percent from the floor, was named captain of the eight-player first team as chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
“Shay came back with a whole different attitude and you just kind of had to be around her for four years to appreciate how far she came,” Parkersburg coach Scott Cozzens said. We started the season with [forward] Bre [Wilson] on the DL and then Madi went down and we really didn’t miss a beat. Shay was the one constant. She kept everything together. I can’t say enough about her. She became a real leader. She matured and just had a calmness about her.”
It marked the first, first-team selection for Kirby, who was the second-team captain a year ago and the third in as many years for Mace, who averaged 15.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.2 steals per contest despite missing six games this season.
The Big Reds weren’t the only team with two representatives on the first team. George Washington, which fell in a Region 3 co-final to Greenbrier East, also landed two players in senior guard Katy Darnell and sophomore guard Kalissa Lacy.
Darnell made the first team for the second straight year, averaging 16.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game while Lacy’s scoring mark of 17.9 points per game led the Mountain State Athletic Conference. Kirby was just behind with Darnell finishing third. It was the second straight season that Darnell and Lacy finished in the top three in the league scoring race.
“Honestly, it’s a credit to Katy and Kalissa and the work that they put in and how they present themselves on the court, off the court and in the community,” GW coach Jamie LaMaster said. “They’re both multi-sport athletes and they manage their schedules and the classroom and playing in the MSAC and putting up those numbers against the schedule we played really speaks volumes.”
University, which fell to Parkersburg in the state championship game, saw junior Ashten Boggs (16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists per game) earn a first-team nod as did John Marshall senior Shay Straughn (24.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 steals) and Parkersburg South junior Makenna Winans (14.7 points, 7.1 rebonds, 2.4 blocks).
Greenbrier East junior Haley McClure rounded out the first team after leading the Spartans to the state tournament, averaging 16.7 points per game along the way. It was the second straight first-team selection for McClure.
Woodrow Wilson’s Laken Ball captain the second team after helping keep the Flying Eagles ranked solidly in the top 10 all season. Ball was joined by South Charleston teammates Myra Cuffee (junior) and Lavender Ward (senior), Parkersburg’s Bre Wilson, University’s Zoe Murphy, Morgantown’s Kaitlyn Ammons and Wheeling Park’s Shanley Woods.
Huntington junior post player Madison Slash captained the third team and was joined by Big Reds junior Aleea Crites, Martinsburg’s Morganne Andrews, Greenbrier East’s Emma Dotson, Buckhannon-Upshur’s Alli Robinson, Parkersburg South’s Sierra Hays, Woodrow Wilson’s Victoria Staunton and Morgantown’s Sydni Clawges.
Class AAA Girls All-State Basketball Team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First team
Shay-Lee Kirby, Parkersburg, Sr. (captain)
Katy Darnell, George Washington, Sr.
Madi Mace, Parkersburg, Jr.
Haley McClure, Greenbrier East, Jr.
Ashten Boggs, University, Jr.
Makenna Winans, Parkersburg South, Jr.
Shay Straughn, John Marshall, Sr.
Kalissa Lacy, George Washington, So.
Second team
Laken Ball, Woodrow Wilson, Sr. (captain)
Bre Wilson, Parkersburg, Jr.
Shanley Woods, Wheeling Park, Jr.
Zoe Murphy, University, Sr.
Myra Cuffee, South Charleston, Jr.
Kaitlyn Ammons, Morgantown, So.
Taylor Scott, Princeton, Jr.
Lavender Ward, South Charleston, Sr.
Third team
Madison Slash, Huntington, Jr. (captain)
Aleea Crites, Parkersburg, Jr.
Morganne Andrews, Martinsburg, Jr.
Emma Dotson, Greenbrier East, So.
Alli Robinson, Buckhannon-Upshur, Sr.
Sierra Hays, Parkersburg South, Sr.
Victoria Staunton, Woodrow Wilson, Jr.
Sydni Clawges, Morgantown, Sr.
Honorable Mention
Bella Abernathy, Wheeling Park; Danijah Allen, Capital; Rylee Allie, Cabell Midland; Christina Armstrong, Jefferson; Abby Blake, John Marshall; Hope Bowman, Brooke; Talayah Boxley, Capital; Jada Brooks, Spring Mills; Elizabeth Cadle, Woodrow Wilson; Amya Damon, Greenbrier East; Janaia Fargo, Musselman; Cloey Frantz, Woodrow Wilson; Audrey Gaudet, Buckhannon-Upshur; Hannah Gordon, Hampshire; Kaitlyn Groves, John Marshall; Lauren Harmison, George Washington; Autumn Hill, Greenbrier East; Jaelyn Hunt, Ripley; Tiarra Jackson, St. Albans; Amelia Jenkins, Martinsburg; Kenzie Johnson, Parkersburg South; Meghan Kearns, Hedgesville; Maddi Leggett, Parkersburg; Nadia Legros, Hurricane; Brooklyn Maxwell, Buckhannon-Upshur; Hayley McComas, Spring Valley; Mallory Napolillo, University; Emily Pavlic, Wheeling Park; Bre Saunders, Spring Valley; Carsynn Sines, Preston; Katie Swann, Huntington; Jasmine Symns, Riverside; Michelle Thomas, Preston; Alezha Turner, Huntington; Lashae Watts, South Charleston; Maliha Witten, South Charleston