Conference Preview – Two Rivers
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[player_tooltip player_id="153336" first="Lindsey" last="Garrison"] Wheeling Park[player_tooltip player_id="153321" first="Kaitlyn" last="Ammons"] Morgantown[player_tooltip player_id="153337" first="Bella" last="Abernathy"] Wheeling Park[player_tooltip player_id="153384" first="Skylar" last="Bosley"] Parkersburg South 5 Players to Watch: (schools are as of last year –…
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5 Players to Watch:
(schools are as of last year – unless PGH is 100% certain that a player has enrolled elsewhere)
Bella Abernathy Bella Abernathy 5'10" | C Wheeling Park | 2021 State WV , 5-11, 2021, Wheeling Park
Kaitlyn Ammons Kaitlyn Ammons 6'3" | PF Morgantown | 2021 State WV , 6-2, 2021, Morgantown
Lindsay Garrison, 5-6, 2021, Wheeling Park
Lauren Dean, 5-8, 2022, University
Rylee Harner, 5-6, 2021, Parkersburg South
4 Sleepers to Watch
Catherine Hunnell, 5-7, 2022, John Marshall
Catherine Wassick Catherine Wassick 5'7" | PG Morgantown | 2021 State WV , 5-8, 2021, Morgantown
Skylar Bosley Skylar Bosley 5'6" | CG Parkersburg South | 2022 State WV , 5-6, 2022, Parkersburg South
Ava Bolen, 6-0, 2023, Brooke
4 Thoughts:
The Patriots return three starters from a team that spent the majority of last season ranked No. 1 before Morgantown upset Park in the regional finale. Gone is first-team all-W.Va. guard Shanley Woods Shanley Woods 5'5" | PG Wheeling Park | 2020 State WV , who is currently starting for Wheeling University, and her 82 3-pointers. But current seniors Lindsey Garrison Lindsey Garrison 5'6" | SG Wheeling Park | 2021 State WV (13.1 ppg) and Bella Abernathy Bella Abernathy 5'10" | C Wheeling Park | 2021 State WV (12.8) are back, along with point guard Asia Roby (5.7). As a junior, Garrison was near Woods’ pace as she canned 76 triples and at a better percentage (44 to 41). Emerging juniors Jai’lah Walker (6-foot) and Zariah Marling (5-10) provide help inside.
Morgantown’s upset of Wheeling Park may have raised a few eyebrows in surprise, but the Mohigans won’t sneak up on anyone this season. Morgantown’s roster features exactly zero seniors last season when they fell to No. 2 George Washington 44-37 in the quarterfinal round in Charleston. That trip ended a three-year absence from the Civic Center floor. The previous time Morgantown advanced to Charleston, the Mohigans captured the AAA title, beating Huntington 61-56 in March 2016. DePaul recruit Kaitlyn Ammons Kaitlyn Ammons 6'3" | PF Morgantown | 2021 State WV will look to lead her team back to the promised land.
If University wants to qualify for its third-straight state tournament, the Hawks will have to overcome the loss of five seniors, four of which were starters. The only returnee from the team that bested No. 2-ranked Cabell Midland in the quarterfinal round is junior guard Lauren Dean. Dean is also the leading returning scorer after averaging 6.9 points per game as a sophomore helping guide an offense led by Edinboro recruit Ashten Boggs Ashten Boggs 5'11" | SF University | 2020 State WV (18.9). Before COVID wrecked the state tournament last March, University was set to face No. 1 Parkersburg in the semifinal round in a rematch from the 2018-2019 championship that the Big Reds won. The season broke a decade-long absence
It was far from a banner year for Brooke and head coach Amy Serevicz, who finished her first full year as Bruins head coach after taking over late the previous season. Brooke struggled through a 3-20 season and has only once finished above .500 in the last 10 years (2017-18). Playing without the graduated Hope Bowman didn’t help last season’s efforts, nor did losing a key starter and a promising freshman to knee injuries before the season. Still, the Bruins return three starters for 2021, including senior Lydia Buckmelter for her third starting season and 6-foot sophomore Ava Bolen, who led the team in scoring and rebounds as a freshman. Junior guard and outside threat Madison Platt also returns and the Bruins well retain the services of sophomore post (5-10) Bailey Serevicz, who missed her freshman season with a knee injury and will pair nicely with Bolen on the inside.
3 Big Games:
(Updated schedule dates not available as season restart just announced. Matchups on the previous schedule considered)
Morgantown at Wheeling Park
Parkersburg at Parkersburg South
University at John Marshall
2 Fun Facts:
In order to provide balance for the new classifications, Morgantown was shipped north to join Park, Brooke, and John Marshall in Region 1, Section 1. Section 2 will be comprised of University, Bridgeport, Buckhannon-Upshur, and Preston.
Serevicz has served as the back-up kicker for the Bruins’ football team the last two seasons. As a freshman, she successfully booted a 25-yard field goal against Indian Creek, becoming the first female in Brooke history to make a field goal during a varsity game. She had one extra point her sophomore season.
1 League Champion Prediction:
Wheeling Park