BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
CHARLESTON — Tug Valley High School placed three players on the 50th Class A All-State girls’ team. Senior Kenzie Browning and junior Bailee Hall made it onto the First Team and junior Haven Deskins made the Second Team.
Members of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association vote on the All-State teams.
Tug Valley finished 23-3 and was the state runner-up.
Browning averaged 16.2 points, 2.6 boards, 2.5 assists and 3.7 steals per game and shot 70% from the foul line.
Hall averaged a double-double at 10.9 points and 14.3 rebounds per contest.
Deskins checked in at 13 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.1 thefts per game. Deskins was named captain of the second team.
Tug Valley, which eliminated GWHS in the state semifinals, was represented by Kenzie Browning and junior teammate Bailee Hall (10.9 ppg, 14.3 rpg, 3.2 spg). The senior converted at a 70% clip from the charity stripe and posted averages of 16.2 points, 2.6 boards, 2.5 assists and 3.7 steals.
Gilmer County’s Allie Ellyson is certainly no stranger to the Class A basketball all-state first team.
The Titan senior was honored as captain of the all-state top unit by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
Ellyson, who averaged 17.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.3 steals while shooting 51% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc and 65% at the free-throw line, was the lone three-peat honoree on the first team.
Her teammate Ava Dobbins earned a nod on the first team for the second consecutive campaign.
The 6-4 Dobbins, who recorded her first career triple-double in the championship game that featured 10 blocks, averaged 12.3 points, eight rebounds, shot 55% and swatted not quite three shots a night.
The only other single-A repeat selection was Greenbrier West’s Preslee Treadway.
Also earning second-team selections with Tug’s Deskins were Greenbrier West senior Maddie Fields, Gilmer County junior Lena Frymier, Wahama 11th grader Fiona VanMatre, East Hardy senior Brooklynn Tinnell, Huntington St. Joe junior Ava Gallion, Sherman freshman Melanie Estep, Tucker County junior Makenna Evans, Valley junior Laken Dawson and sophomore Allyson Taylor from Pocahontas County.
Wooden plaques in the shape of West Virginia that include the player’s name, school, licensed WVSWA logo, and year of the honoree are available to all-state first team, second team and honorable mentions and can be purchased from the Bear Wood Company through WVSWA.org or Bearwoodcompany.com.
The Class A All-State Girls Basketball Team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association:
First Team
Allie Ellyson, Gilmer County (Sr.) (CAPTAIN)
Kenzie Browning, Tug Valley (Sr.)
Preslee Treadway, Greenbrier West (Sr.)
Ava Dobbins, Gilmer County (Jr.)
Raven Matthews, Tucker County (Sr.)
Maci Neely, Cameron (Sr.)
Avery Townsend, Pendleton County (Sr.)
Chasity Kennedy, River View (Soph.)
Selena Wilson, Notre Dame (Sr.)
Bailee Hall, Tug Valley (Jr.)
Second Team
Maddie Fields, Greenbrier West (Sr.)
Haven Deskins, Tug Valley (Jr.) (CAPTAIN)
Lena Frymier, Gilmer County (Jr.)
Fiona VanMatre, Wahama (Jr.)
Brooklyn Tinnell, East Hardy (Sr.)
Ava Gallion, St. Joe (Jr.)
Melanie Estep, Sherman (Fr.)
Makenna Evans, Tucker (Jr)
Laken Dawson, Valley (Jr.)
Allyson Taylor, Pocahontas County (Soph.)