Mar 19, 2025
Williamstown’s Faith Pickens (14) prepares to go up for the opening tip prior to a regional tournament game against Ravenswood earlier this month. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
PARKERSBURG — Gilmer County point guard Allie Ellyson and her teammates were unable to repeat as Little Kanawha Conference champions, but the Titans of head coach Amy Chapman claimed the ultimate prize by bringing home the Class A state crown.
Although Ellyson and the Titans were upended by St. Marys, the senior was honored by league coaches as the LKC Player of the Year ahead of last season’s winner Addie Davis of the Blue Devils.
“I’ve always been taught I need to try and be as humble as I can,” admitted Ellyson, who was runner-up for LKC POY honors this past winter, during the Titans’ championship post game presser after defeating Tug Valley, 66-22.
“I believe in bad karma and I think what goes around comes around. My teammates have done everything for me the past four years. I can’t even dream of another team to be doing this with. I love all of them so much. It was unreal.”
The Class A state tournament MVP played 31 minutes in her final game and finished with 18 points, six rebounds as well as game-highs of nine assists and five steals.
“She’s tough. She’s such a good teammate, great teammate. She puts her team first and she is just such a good leader,” said coach Chapman, who watched Ellyson average 18 points, four assists and three steals a game. “She works at it in the offseason. She’s had this goal in mind. She’s just a great kid, great leader and we’re going to miss her.
“I remember watching her when she was just a little thing running around the track with a basketball, running laps. I think she was in fourth or fifth grade. She had the desire to be the best that she could be from a very young age. That’s definitely been proven throughout her career.
“She just makes everybody the best version of themselves.”
Davis, who inked with W.Va. Wesleyan and helped her team to the Class AA state semifinals, was named to the top unit for a fourth time after averaging nearly 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and more than three steals and a block an outing.
Ellyson, who is off to Rio Grande, was joined as a three-time first team All-LKC honoree by Tampa-bound Faith Pickens of Williamstown.
The Yellowjacket basically averaged a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds a game while shooting 50% from the floor and 80% at the free-throw line.
A pair of players were named to the LKC top unit for a second time were Gilmer County’s Ava Dobbins and Brynnley Bulluck of St. Marys.
The junior pivot for the Titans recorded her first career triple-double in the title game versus the Panthers after putting up 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. She averaged 11 points and eight caroms a game while the sophomore Bulluck shot 74% from the line while averaging nearly 15 points to go with five-plus boards, three-plus assists, two-and-a-half steals and a block a night.
Elsa Law helped Ritchie County return to the state tournament and although the Rebels lost to St. Marys as the No. 7 seed the sophomore scored 27 points and had 10 rebounds. The point guard averaged 16.4 points, 6.6 boards, 5.3 assists and 5.4 steals while shooting 72% at the foul line.
The Doddridge County duo of junior Payton Trent (13.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 spg) and sophomore Aleigh Cheeseman (11.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 4.2 spg, 2.0 bpg) played pivotal roles in guiding the Bulldogs back to the LKC consolation game.
State champion Gilmer County also was represented on the first team by 3-point and free-throw threat Lena Frymier. The junior averaged nearly 10 points.
Williamstown, which defeated the Bulldogs for third in the LKC again and was ousted in the regional co-final at St. Marys, also landed sophomore point guard Quinn Bunch (11.4 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.9 spg, 73% FT).
Joining Davis and Bulluck on the first unit was senior teammate Callie Powell (10.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg).
Roane County junior Anna Tolley earned a nod on the first team after averaging 14.7 points, 3.7 caroms, 1.5 assists, 2.9 steals, shooting 79% at the free-throw line and helping the Raiders to the regional co-final before bowing out to eventual double-A state champion Charleston Catholic.
Also selected to the first team were Tyler Consolidated junior Katie Grimm (15 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.9 spg), Wahama junior Fiona VanMatre (11.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and South Harrison senior Halle Bland (14 ppg).
The second was led by Calhoun County’s Paige Sterns and also included Williamstown teammates Arissa Burt and Gracie Montgomery, St. Marys’ Anna Bennett, Titan Malory Casteel, Rebels Chelsie Jeffrey and Rae Rupert, Doddridge County’s A’Kaia Williams, Roane County’s Braylin Bowe, Wirt County’s Breigyn Dawson, Tyler Consolidated’s Jules Lattea, Ravenswood’s Kadi Price, Webster County’s Maddie Williams, Braxton County’s Bailey Pritt, Wahama’s Elissa Hoffman and South Harrison’s Adalee Wright.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jayden Bryant had the hot hand to begin the state tournament for Williamstown. The …
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