Player of the Year Candidates at State

This year’s race for the Mary Ostrowski Award -- the West Virginia player of the year -- is as open as it has been in recent memory. In upwards of eight players or more have a legitimate shot to bring home the state’s top honor, which is voted upon by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. Several of those players will be in action this week at the state tournament, which runs Wednesday through Saturday at the Charleston Coliseum. With the state’s biggest stage and in front of voters on the award, those players will have one last opportunity to make an argument for themselves. Here is a list of such players to watch in Charleston this week. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153277" first="Ashten" last="Boggs"] -- University -- G/F -- Class of 2020</strong> At 5-foot-11 and with excellent ballhandling and shooting abilities, Boggs is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. A year ago, the Hawks made a run to the state championship game and led Parkersburg at halftime before eventually falling to the Big Reds. Despite being hit by graduation, University is back mostly because of Boggs’ production and assumption of significant leadership responsibilities. University starts its state tournament run as the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 Cabell Midland at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday. A big game and a win could do a lot for Boggs in her candidacy before she heads to Edinboro to continue her career next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153270" first="Bailee" last="Adkins"] -- St. Joseph -- G -- Class of 2020</strong> It will be a swansong for Adkins who will play in her fourth state tournament and will gun for her third Class A state title. Adkins has a reputation for being one of the most unselfish players in the state, sacrificing her own scoring for rebounding, assists or defensive focus when that’s what the team needs. Even this season, Adkins is averaging just over 10 points per game, but impacts every conceivable area for the Irish. St. Joseph is an overwhelming favorite and will likely play three times this week, giving her even more opportunities to leave a lasting impact on voters in the arena. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153284" first="Taylor" last="Buonamici"] -- North Marion -- G -- North Marion -- Class of 2020</strong> The Huskies rely heavily on a rotation plan, often subbing players in and out to stay fresh in their full-court, relentless pressure defense. That has sometimes hurt the individual numbers for players like Buonamici, but it’s something that has been made up for in terms of wins. North Marion will enter the week as the No. 1 seed in Class AA and those who’ve seen the Huskies over Buonamici’s four years are fully aware of her ability. She will enter the tournament averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game. Like Adkins, Buonamici will likely have multiple games to restate her case this week. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153322" first="Baylee" last="Goins"] -- Nitro -- G -- Class of 2021</strong> In getting the Wildcats to the state tournament for the first time since 2007, Goins pulled off the state’s best Superman impression, averaging 42.7 points per game over the Wildcats’ last three contests. At 26 points per game, Goins is the state’s leading scorer and adds over 7 rebounds and 7 assists per contest as well. Whether or not Goins’ late surge will be enough to push her past a crowded Mary O field remains to be seen. The Class AA No. 5 Wildcats open with No. 4 Lincoln in the nightcap on Wednesday (9 p.m.). Another dominant postseason performance with elimination on the line couldn’t hurt her cause. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153279" first="Haley" last="McClure"] -- Greenbrier East -- G/F -- Class of 2020</strong> McClure and the Spartans will play as the Class AAA No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Martinsburg in primetime -- at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday. McClure averages around 20 points per game, but may be the best rebounder pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch in the state. Her natural instincts and body positioning on the offensive glass often leads to her own offense and her 5-foot-11 height doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to her length. McClure’s defensive tenacity has also helped put her on the short list of the Mountain State’s best players. She will likely need all of those assets to help East make a deep run this week.