Conference Preview – Two Rivers

Mike Hughes

January 18, 2021 @ 06:42 AM

[caption id="attachment_194087" align="alignleft" width="203"]<img class="wp-image-194087 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/08/Lindsay-Garrison3-203x300.jpg" alt="" width="203" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="153336" first="Lindsey" last="Garrison"] Wheeling Park[/caption][caption id="attachment_153480" align="alignleft" width="174"]<img class="wp-image-153480 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/03/Kaitlyn-Ammons-e1591193923646-174x300.jpeg" alt="" width="174" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="153321" first="Kaitlyn" last="Ammons"] Morgantown[/caption][caption id="attachment_194085" align="alignleft" width="199"]<img class="wp-image-194085 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/08/Bella-Abernathy-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="153337" first="Bella" last="Abernathy"] Wheeling Park[/caption][caption id="attachment_247087" align="alignleft" width="142"]<img class="wp-image-247087 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/01/Skylar-Bosley-142x300.jpg" alt="" width="142" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="153384" first="Skylar" last="Bosley"] Parkersburg South[/caption]                    5 Players to Watch: (schools are as of last year – unless PGH is 100% certain that a player has enrolled elsewhere) [player_tooltip player_id="153337" first="Bella" last="Abernathy"], 5-11, 2021, Wheeling Park [player_tooltip player_id="153321" first="Kaitlyn" last="Ammons"], 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 [player_tooltip player_id="153349" first="Catherine" last="Wassick"], 5-8, 2021, Morgantown [player_tooltip player_id="153384" first="Skylar" last="Bosley"], 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 [player_tooltip player_id="153280" first="Shanley" last="Woods"], who is currently starting for Wheeling University, and her 82 3-pointers. But current seniors [player_tooltip player_id="153336" first="Lindsey" last="Garrison"] (13.1 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="153337" first="Bella" last="Abernathy"] (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 [player_tooltip player_id="153321" first="Kaitlyn" last="Ammons"] 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 [player_tooltip player_id="153277" first="Ashten" last="Boggs"] (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