Area Rankings: Who is the best player in southern W.Va.?

Joe's Note: These rankings are not a definitive statement of the talent in the state. Instead, they are meant to start conversation and drum up excitement for the upcoming season.   15-11: [player_tooltip player_id='722418' first='Adrienne' last='Truman'], Nicholas County; Grace Harvey, Summers County; Josie Cross, Woodrow Wilson; Addison Smith, Mingo Central; Natalie Blankenship, Logan   10-6: Maddie Stull, Princeton; MacKenzie Browing, Tug Valley; Lataja Creasey, Woodrow Wilson; Kayley Bane, Wyoming East; Addison Issacs, Midland Trail   <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/vs-Parkersburg-Catholic-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-284740" width="288" height="191" /></figure>   5 [player_tooltip player_id='153433' first='Abby' last='Russell'], Wyoming East, G, Sr., 5-7: The biggest thing about Abby Russell is her fight. She fights and fights and fights some more. There's no quit, no break, no "No." Anytime she's on the court she goes until she can't go anymore. Perhaps the best part about her motor is its multiple gears. She can play stall ball, defensive ball, up tempo ball, zone ball, basically any kind of ball you can think of, she can play. With an efficiency that harkens back to guards Skylar Davidson and Gabby Lupardus, Russell just gets things done.   4 [player_tooltip player_id='383617' first='Madison' last='Clark'], Wyoming East, G, Jr., 5-7: Here's the thing about Madison Clark: She never gives you a reason to worry about what you are getting on the basketball court. Ever. In any scenario or game, she's bringing her top skills. Come lead, tie or deficit. There's always a laser focus about her, even when she's not feeling her best. Take early last year for example when Wyoming East needed someone to step up after Class AA all-state captain and the Warriors' heart graduated. Clark stepped up and kept the line of great guard play intact from the ninth year running. There was nothing she couldn't do. And she's only improved over the summer, hence the No. 4 spot on this list.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/03/HHalle-Crouse.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-398431" width="271" height="180" /></figure>   3 [player_tooltip player_id='398436' first='Halle' last='Crouse'], Logan, G, So., 5-6: Crouse stands out as the most important player for Logan when it comes to the Wildcats' title defense hopes?   Yup.   After a summer of constant improvement, she can be the Peyton Ilderton scoring replacement the Wildcats really need. What about Natalie Blankenship? Her defense will be paramount and her leadership invaluable, but Crouse has really shown off the ability to create for herself. Consistently. If you need to call it something, maybe call it Ilderston-esque. Is she all the way there yet? No. Ilderton went on to play for a NCAA Division I program based on her willingness to do anything anytime and anywhere. While Crouse may be able to development that mindset overnight, putting it into practice is something different.   We've talked a lot on this site about Crouse's feel for the game and her knack for being in the right place at the right time. Of course, setting yourself up for success is something easier said than done when you're missing the reigning Class AAA All-State captain leading your group night in and night out. Crouse being able to develop that feel when she is the main threat, well that may take a little time. Will it happen quickly? Possibly. There's nothing Crouse didn't show last year that leads one to worry. There were positives on top of positives. Mix all those reasons together and that is why she's No. 3 on this list.   2 [player_tooltip player_id='379519' first='Abby' last='Dillon'], Woodrow Wilson, PG, So., 5-4: You really have to hand it to Abby Dillon.   Thrown into the fire as a freshman, she didn't burn but rose from the cinders. She really understood her job and conducted herself with the air of an upperclassmen. Asked to lead a young Eagles team reeling without leader Keanti Thompson, Dillon took it upon herself to be the newest leader for Brian Nabors - a role suiting her well. That actually may be an understatement. Where the MSAC usually eats most freshman alive, Dillon didn't blink an eye night in and night out.   As the Flying Eagles got off to a rocky start, they could always depend on their point guard for leadership. And as the team got better, that leadership turned into talent and poise before ending in a seasoned young point guard at the end of the season. No matter the task or job, Dillon handled them all well. Almost too well. But who's really complaining about that. The only reason someone would have a problem is if they didn't want to see the young lady succeed.   Her unwavering leadership and game readiness in the face of consistent challenges places her at No. 2 on this list.   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/Cadence-Stewart--1024x811.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-425692" width="320" height="253" /></figure>   1 [player_tooltip player_id='153424' first='Cadence' last='Stewart'], Greenbrier East, SG, Sr., 5-7: Coming in at the top spot on this list is the young lady all of Greenbrier County expected to see here: Cadence Stewart.   Criminally underrated in terms of her scoring ability, Stewart brings a nearly complete Division II-type game to the floor for head coach Jim Justice. Repeatedly. Night after night, game after game, she shoots and shoots well ... for the most part. Many teams simply can't find a way to shut this slippery player down unless you happen to be George Washington and can put Finley Lohan on her for the entire game. Other than when matched up against the Patriot, the Spartan threatens with a wide arrange of shot selections. Though she's partial to the 3-ball, she can drive the lane and go and get down and dirty when needed. It doesn't happen often, but the fact she's a good free throw shooter makes this part of her game another trap for opponents.   Putting everything together yields a kid who can easily score 20 to 25 points per night depending on when she starts feeling it from 3-point range. And that's just the tip of the ice burg. Adding to her already ample scoring chops, she understands the game on the kind of level many players in the state just don't. She gets how her game affects her teammates and does the best to make sure she's implementing her entire arsenal into any matchup. Talk about a near perfect leader. But it doesn't end there, talk to her for a few minutes and you will leave impressed with just how much she takes in about her opponents despite limited access to consistent game film. Her level of understanding raises far beyond any, but those girls who have spent a year on the bench recovering from an injury and learning the coaching aspect of the game. For this reason, and the many stated above, the Spartan takes my top spot.

Joe's Note: These rankings are not a definitive statement of the talent in the state. Instead, they are meant to start conversation and drum up excitement for the upcoming season.