CLARKSBURG — Finally, senior Olivia Toland and North Marion saw the lights of Saturday night.
In 2020, the Huskies won a dramatic overtime game as the No. 1 seed against Bridgeport in the quarterfinals, only to see COVID-19 abruptly end their state tournament run.
The last two years, the semifinals were the limit for the Huskies.
Toland and junior Emma Freels made sure that wouldn’t happen again on semifinal Friday, with Toland coming up with a vital steal and Freels then scoring the winning layup out of a 43-all tie in the final seconds against Ripley.
They then shone in the title game, with both scoring 18 points in a 88-60 victory over Philip Barbour.
“It’s indescribable,” Toland said after the win. “We’ve worked hard all season and that’s just all we kept saying before the game, that we deserved it.”
“After the (semifinal) game, I was really excited, but I knew we had to come here and play our hardest game. We wanted that state title,” Freels said post-game. “We had to show up.”
Toland captains the Class AAA all-state first team, as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association, after averaging 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.8 steals per game, and is joined by her backcourt mate, Freels, who put in 14.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.3 steals a contest.
The Big 10 Conference earned five of the eight first-team spots, with Toland and Freels joined by Philip Barbour junior Braylyn Sparks, East Fairmont junior Kenly Rogers and Robert C. Byrd senior Avery Childers.
Sparks was the impetus for the sixth-seeded Colts’ historic run, as Philip Barbour, which before last year had never even made the state tournament, stunned No. 3 East Fairmont in the quarterfinals, then took care of No. 7 Sissonville in the semis.
She averaged 14.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals heading into Charleston, then scored 11 in the quarters, 26 in the semis and 14 (with six assists and four steals) in the final.
Rogers was part of a record year for East Fairmont as the Bees, who had never had a 20-win season in program history, did that and more, going 23-3 on the campaign.
Rogers’ numbers on the season were 17.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals per contest.
Childers was an anchor for a top-5 RCB team that lost a thriller in the final seconds to Philip Barbour in the regional final.
The versatile senior was good for 17.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals a night.
Wayne was either No. 1 or No. 2 the entire regular season in the Associated Press poll, with Brooke Adkins showing the way.
The sophomore put up 16 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.5 steals a game for the 24-2 Pioneers.
Ripley junior Sophie Nichols led the Vikings in scoring during a semifinal run and a 20-win season, averaging 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks a game, knocking down
71 3-pointers.
Sissonville sophomore Kynna Britton was good for 20.2 points and seven boards a night, helping the Indians to sectional and regional titles before her team stunned Wayne in the quarterfinals.
Toland, Childers and Nichols are repeat first-teamers.
Rogers and Sparks moved up from last year’s second team and Adkins, Britton and Freels advanced from the honorable mention list.
Ripley senior McKennan Hall captains the second team and is joined by Hampshire junior Izzy Blomquist, Lincoln junior Ashlyn Riley, Logan senior Natalie Blankenship, Midland Trail sophomore Addie Isaacs, Nitro senior Taylor Maddox, PikeView sophomore Riley Meadows and Wayne sophomore Addie Adkins.
All-State honorees can obtain state-shaped, wood plaques with name, school, year and honor at wvswa.org or bearwoodcompany.com.
The Class AAA Girls’ Basketball Team was Selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
BY MICHAEL MINNICH/WV News
First Team
Olivia Toland, North Marion, Sr. (Captain)
Braylyn Sparks, Philip Barbour, Jr.
Kenly Rogers, East Fairmont, Jr.
Brooke Adkins, Wayne, Soph.
Avery Childers, RCB, Sr.
Sophie Nichols, Ripley, Jr.
Emma Freels, North Marion, Jr.
Kynna Britton, Sissonville, Soph.
Second Team
Addie Adkins, Wayne, Soph.
Ashlyn Riley, Lincoln, Jr.
McKennan Hall, Ripley, Sr. (Captain)
Natalie Blankenship, Logan, Sr.
Riley Meadows, PikeView, Soph.
Izzy Blomquist, Hampshire, Jr.
Addie Isaacs, Midland Trail, Soph.
Taylor Maddox, Nitro, Sr.
Honorable Mention
Hannah Ault, Hampshire; Austyn Barnes, Shady Spring; Elizabeth Blankenship, Lincoln County; Averi Carpenter, Philip Barbour; Gracie Clay, Lincoln County; Gracelyn Corley, Elkins; Brooke Craft, PikeView; Addie Elliott, North Marion; Emma Elliott, Liberty Harrison; Averi Everline, Keyser; Kelsey Harper, Scott; Kailee Haymond, East Fairmont; Martina Howe, Robert C. Byrd; Sadaya Jones, Fairmont Senior; Kenna Keener, Grafton; Autumn Kerchner, Keyser; Kaitlyn Lester, Westside; Olivia Lowther, Robert C. Byrd; Mattie Marsh, Philip Barbour; Harmony Mills, Independence; Emma Pinkney, Lewis County; Jaden Sturm, Robert C. Byrd; Meghan Taylor, Winfield; Adrienne Truman, Nicholas County
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