File Photo by Ashley Honaker
By TAYLOR KENNEDY
The Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON — Wheeling Central and Charleston Catholic closed the 2024-25 girls basketball season in memorable fashion.
The Irish and Maroon Knights squared off against one another on Class AA’s biggest stage — the state tournament final in Charleston.
The Irish got the final laugh, after Central won a pair of regular-season meetings, by beating the Maroon Knights, 55-41.
The state title victory was Charleston Catholic’s first since 2007.
The Irish saw a variety of players step up when needed most, including Mary Rushworth, Molly Messer and Ali Wilcox.
Rushworth was tabbed as a member of last year’s Class AA second-team all-state team. This year, on the West Virginia Sports Writers Association’s 50th annual all-state team, she made the jump up to first-team and is joined there by Messer.
Rushworth finished her junior season averaging a team-high 12.2 points per game while grabbing 5.8 rebounds.
The junior forward also recorded two steals and blocks per game this season.
“You’re going to see Mary have a better season next year than she did this year,” Catholic coach Wes Hevener said. “The thing I’m most impressed and pleased with her is, during the state tournament, that St. Marys [semifinal] wasn’t the game she expected. But, she did the little things. She came in and played defense as hard as she could.
“[It’s a testament] to her character and her wanting to win and do whatever it takes to win. She didn’t try to force it.”
Messer blossomed throughout the season, but her most memorable run came during the Class AA state tournament.
The Irish guard finished her final state tournament run posting 16 points per game, which earned her all-tournament honors.
Messer’s best game came in the Class AA semifinal during Catholic’s 59-50 victory over St. Marys, in which she posted 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4 of 7 from long distance.
“She was locked in when it came to tournament time,” Hevener said. “It was the ‘this is my last chance’ [mentality]. Her goal was to win a state championship in basketball. If you looked into her eyes, you could tell that before each game that she wanted to win a state championship. She’s a fantastic competitor in soccer as well. She played great down the stretch and was focused.”
The captain of the Class AA first-team all-state resides at Wheeling Central in forward Kaitlyn Blake.
Blake, like Messer, was efficient during the state tournament. She averaged 33 points in her first two contests for the Maroon Knights. Her lowest total came in the state final, when she was held to 14 points and eight rebounds.
Blake made the Class AA first-team in each of the last two seasons.
The Maroon Knight forward finished her senior season averaging 26 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game. Blake has offers from West Virginia Wesleyan, Bethany and Wheeling University.
“Her drive and leadership will be difficult to duplicate,” Wheeling Central coach Roberta Olejasz said of Blake. “She will be successful at whatever school she chooses to attend. Her next chapter will be fun to watch.”
Wheeling Central’s Seneca Heller joins Blake as a member of the first team.
Heller capped her junior season with 15 points and six assists per game. Heller and Blake were both members of the all-state tournament team.
“Seneca is a force to be reckoned with both on the offensive and defensive end,” Olejasz said. “She brings that ‘hard edge’ for what our Central team is known for. We look forward to what she will accomplish next year.”
James Monroe was the other school to see multiple players on the first team — Maggie Boroski and Mya Dunlap. Dunlap was the only sophomore listed on the first team.
Boroski and Dunlap were the top two scorers for the Mavericks (20-4). Dunlap finished her sophomore season averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game while grabbing six rebounds.
Boroski was 0.4 points behind Dunlap, posting 17.4 points. The senior Maverick also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists and swiped away five steals per game.
Mingo Central’s Addie Smith finishes her historic career as a three-time Class AA all-state selection. Smith leaves the Miners with 2,069 career points and 369 career 3-pointers. She recorded 23 points and five assists per game her senior season.
St. Marys guard Addie Davis closed her senior season totaling 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and three steals per contest.
Wyoming East’s Cadee Blackburn and Williamstown’s Faith Pickens were the final two members of the first team.
The Logan Wildcats saw two players earn all-state honors on the second team, with Addyson Amick earning captain of the second team and Halle Crouse being the other selection.
Wilcox was the final member of the Irish to be selected. She posted an impressive freshman season, averaging 11.1 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. She posted 13 points per game in this year’s tournament.
“She’s the type of player that doesn’t settle for where she’s at,” Hevener said. “She wants something much bigger. That hunger is something that drives good athletes to be great. You see it on a daily basis coming in and working. It’s never being satisfied with whatever it is.”
The other members of the second team include Wyoming East’s Abi Baker, Ritchie County’s Elsa Law, Izzy Knotts (Philip Barbour), St. Marys’ Brynnley Bulluck, Williamstown’s Quinn Bunch, Summers County’s Avery Lilly and Buffalo’s Brooke Woods.
Woods joins Wilcox as the only freshmen listed on the Class AA all-state list. Woods was the Bison’s leading scorer with 16.3 points while grabbing 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game.
Wooden plaques in the shape of West Virginia that include the player’s name, school, licensed WVSWA
logo and year of the honoree are available to all-state first-team, second-team and honorable-mention selections and can be purchased from the Bear Wood Company through WVSWA.org or Bearwoodcompany.com.
The Class AA All-State Girls Basketball Team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First Team
Addie Davis, St. Marys (Sr.)
Maggie Boroski, James Monroe (Sr.)
Cadee Blackburn, Wyoming East (Sr.)
Kaitlyn Blake, Wheeling Central (Sr.) (CAPTAIN)
Faith Pickens, Williamstown (Sr.)
Mary Rushworth, Charleston Catholic (Jr.)
Seneca Heller, Wheeling Central (Jr.)
Molly Messer, Charleston Catholic (Sr.)
Mya Dunlap, James Monroe (Soph.)
Addie Smith, Mingo Central (Sr.)
Second Team
Abi Baker, Wyoming East (Jr.)
Elsa Law, Ritchie County (Soph.)
Ali Wilcox, Charleston Catholic (Fr.)
Addyson Amick, Logan (Sr.) (CAPTAIN)
Izzy Knotts, Philip Barbour (Soph.)
Brynnley Bulluck, St. Marys (Soph.)
Quinn Bunch, Williamstown (Soph.)
Avery Lilly, Summers County (Sr.)
Brooke Woods, Buffalo (Fr.)
Halle Crouse, Logan (Sr.)
Honorable Mention
Bailey Asbury, Poca; Mikalyn Balch, Oak Glen; Rumor Barnhouse, Midland Trail; Anna Bennett, St. Marys; Halle Bland, South Harrison; Alissa Burt, Williamstown; Finley Carpenter, Philip Barbour; Aleigh Cheesman, Doddridge County; Ava Dunlap, James Monroe; Dalaney Grimmett, Mingo Central; Kelsey Harper, Scott; Chelsie Jeffrey, Ritchie County; Addison Kitzmiller, Petersburg; Sarah Lilly, Westside; Kyndal Lusk, Wyoming East; Alivia Monroe, Wyoming East; Addie Payton, Wheeling Central; Abby Persinger, Summers County; Kadi Price, Ravenswood; Bailey Pritt, Braxton County; Callie Powell, St. Marys; Rae Rupert, Ritchie County; Anna Tolley, Roane County; Payton Trent, Doddridge County; A’Kaia Williams, Doddridge County.
