Sleepers to Watch – Ohio County

Ohio County has something for everyone school wise and the same can be said for its basketball teams. There’s one public school, one parochial, and one private. One of those teams returns a ton of talent from a team whose season ended earlier than many expected. Wheeling Park spent the majority of the season as the No. 1-ranked team in Class AAA but fell to Morgantown and DePaul-commit [player_tooltip player_id="153321" first="Kaitlyn" last="Ammons"] a step short of Charleston. Park lost four seniors, including first-team all-W.Va. guard [player_tooltip player_id="153280" first="Shanley" last="Woods"], who is playing at nearby Wheeling University. But a bevy of starters return, including some of the top 2021 talent in the state. A quick jaunt downtown finds Wheeling Central Catholic with a new head coach and a roster freshly vacated by a trio of Division-I players in Cleveland State’s [player_tooltip player_id="153285" first="Hannah" last="White"], Bucknell’s [player_tooltip player_id="153274" first="Kaylee" last="Reinbeau"], and Columbia’s [player_tooltip player_id="153272" first="Eden" last="Gainer"]. That’s a lot of talent and offensive production to replace. But the Maroon Knights are never without options. Finally, Linsly is coming off a .500 season a returns a couple of key starters. That lineup should be bolstered by a pair of tough freshmen, one of which is poised to become one of the more heavily recruited 2024s in the state. But who will step up when called upon, or, in some cases, take advantage of those first moments in the high school season limelight? Marissa Horan, 5-5, 2021, Wheeling Central Horan should already be a household name to anyone who watched the Maroon Knights play last season. But if she’s not, she soon will be. She is best suited to lead the charge in replacing the scoring output of her graduated teammates. She averaged 12 points and seven assists as a junior, showing the ability to both drive and pull up and shoot. Her hit at a 50 percent clip from two and 40 percent from behind the arc. Showed the ability to be a tough on-ball defender and consistent at the line, shooting around 70 percent. Asia Robey, 5-7, 2021, Wheeling Park Worked her way back from knee injury as a junior, averaging six points while shooting nearly 40 percent from the floor. Led team in assists despite not being the regular point guard. One of five senior starters, she has shown this summer she’s ready to run the offense. Can attack the basket aggressively with either hand and is a competent perimeter threat. Excellent passer on the move. Carleigh Grimm, 6-0, 2022, Linsly Grimm led the Cadets in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore, averaging a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. She shot 51 percent from the floor and 73 percent at the line. The addition of the next player to be discussed should help free up the congestion whenever she touches the ball and lead to better shot opportunities. <img class=" wp-image-197034 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/08/Z-300x245.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="145" />Zaniah Zellous, 6-1, 2024 Linsly Zellous made a name for herself playing for the W.V. Rampage on the AAU circuit this summer with incredible leaping ability and quickness to go with it. These two attributes mean no rebound is out of reach. She also recovers quickly on defense and protects the rim. Recently made the switch to join the prestigious W.Va. Thunder, Zellous’ profile is sure to skyrocket quickly. Paired with the experienced Grimm, Linsly’s interior offense has the potential to be a nightmare matchup for opponents.