Wyoming East's Clark, Blakburn Named First-Team Co-Captains on Class AA All-State Team
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on March 20, 2024 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
By Tyler Jackson
Lootpress.com
Wyoming East state champions Maddie Clark and Cadee Blackburn shared many things during their tenure together in New Richmond.
They shared the same two mismatched pairs of Nike Air Zoom G.T. Cut 2 shoes with Clark sporting the pink one on her right foot and the blue one on her left. Blackburn wore the pink one on her left foot and the blue one on her right.
They shared the backcourt together and the honors of becoming the first guard duo in program history to win consecutive titles.
Last year they shared the honors of first-team all-state selections and on the last go around for Clark, they'll share that accolade one more time - as co-captains.
The two-time defending state champions co-captain the Class AA first team all-state team, as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
The Wyoming East guards are the first to share Class AA captain honors since Tucker County teammates Chrissy Forman and Chandra Nelson did so in 1997. Clark, who was last year's first-team captain, becomes the first Class AA player to earn the honor in back-to-back years since Jolysa Brown (Summers County) did so in 2007 and '08. She's also the second player in program history to earn that honor twice, joining Gabby Lupardus (2016 and '18).
"They complement each other a lot," East head coach Ryan Davidson said. "They've gotten to where they've played together so much they can almost tell you what the other one's doing before they do it. We leaned on them this year for pretty much everything. I told them at the beginning of the year that this was their team and we would go as they go. And they really do complement each other."
Scoring their 1,000th career points just 15 days apart, each brought something different to the team. Blackburn, a junior, led East in scoring with 17.6 points per game, earning first-team honors for the second straight season. Clark, a senior who made the first team for the third consecutive year, finished second on the team in scoring (14.4 points), first in assists (7.2) and first in steals (3.7) per game.
Their first-team selections mark 17 total for the program since 2015, 13 of which have come at the guard position.
"I think a lot of it has to do with the fact they've played together so much," Davidson said. "It seems like everything they've done, they've done it together. In the past our guards were split up between years or you knew in some years it was that particular guard's team. I just think their familiarity with each other and their complementing styles - one being more of a score-first guard and the other being more of a pass-first guard - I think they just really complement each other great."
Joining Clark and Blackburn on the first team are Faith Pickens (Williamstown), Jenna Barnett (Trinity), Addie Davis (St. Marys), Kaitlyn Blake (Wheeling Central), Alaira Evans (Chapmanville) and Emily Wratchford (Ravenswood).
Pickens, a 6-foot-2 center, led the charge for the Yellowjackets who made it to the championship game for the first time since winning the Class A title in 2003. Pickens averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds in a successful campaign for her squad. The first-team selection is the first for the junior.
Jenna Barnett, a senior, was a do-it-all guard for Trinity, leading the program to the state tournament while averaging 21.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 5.5 steals per game.
Addie Davis, a junior, was the lead combo guard on a team that had to navigate through a region that featured the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the state tournament in Williamstown and Wheeling Central. Davis averaged 17.6 points, 3.8 steals and 4.6 assist per game. She finished with 27 points in an overtime regional loss to eventual state runner-up Williamstown. She earned first-team honors for the third consecutive season.
Kaitlyn Blake, a junior, dominated in her first season at Wheeling Central. She led the Maroon Knights in scoring with 23.8 points per game to go along with 8.2 rebounds per game. Her state tournament showing earned her Tournament MVP honors as Central made it to the semifinal round for the first time since 2019.
Alaira Evans, a senior, wrapped her career with her second first-team selection for the Tigers. She helped Chapmanville to its first state tournament appearance in over a decade this season.
Wratchford, the eighth and final member of the first team, made the cut for the first time in her career as a senior. She averaged 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game for a Ravenswood team that made the semifinals for the first time since 2010.
The second team is captained by Mingo Central junior and 1,500-point scorer Addie Smith. She's joined by seniors Riley Landis (Williasmtown), Gracie Harvey (Summers County), Hadleigh McGoskey (Ravenswood), Mary Tokodi-Ruth (Parkersburg Catholic), Nellie Whetzel (Petersburg) and sophomore Mary Rushworth (Charleston Catholic).
All-State honorees can obtain state-shaped, wood plaques with name, school, year and honor at wvswa.org or bearwoodcompany.com .
Editor's Note: Photo of Clark and Blackburn by Heather Belcher/Loot Press.
Girls Basketball Class AA All-State Team as Selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First Team
Cadee Blackburn, Wyoming East (Jr.) (Co-captain)
Maddie Clark, Wyoming East (Sr.) (Co-captain)
Faith Pickens, Williamstown (Jr.)
Jenna Barnett, Trinity (Sr.)
Addie Davis, St. Marys (Jr.)
Kaitlyn Blake, Wheeling Central (Jr.)
Alaira Evans, Chapmanville (Jr.)
Emily Wratchford, Ravenswood (Sr.)
Second Team
Addie Smith, Mingo Central (Jr.) (Captain)
Riley Landis, Williamstown (Sr.)
Gracie Harvey, Summers County (Sr.)
Nellie Whetzel, Petersburg (Sr.)
Abi Baker, Wyoming Easy (Soph.)
Hadleigh McGoskey, Ravenswood (Sr.)
Mary Tokodi Ruth, Parkersburg Catholic (Sr.)
Mary Rushworth, Charleston Catholic (Soph.)
Honorable Mention
Abby Alt, Petersburg; Halle Bland, South Harrison; Anna Boggess, Buffalo; Cara Brown, Bluefield; Skylar Bunch, Wirt County; Arissa Burt, Williamstown; Sam Colaw, Petersburg; McKenna Crites, Moorefield; Brooke Edge, Wheeling Central; Haley Fleming, Chapmanville; Delaney Grimmett, Mingo Central; Chelsie Jeffrey, Ritchie County; Elsa Law, Ritchie County; Avery Lilly, Summers County; Ella Lynch, Trinity; Jaiden Mahon, Chapmanville; Alivia Monroe, Wyoming East; Erica Nicholson, Braxton County; Abby Persinger, Summers County; Breanna Price, St. Marys; Alyssa Raynes, Poca; Jocelynn Thorn, Parkersburg Catholic; Hope Woods, South Harrison; Adalee Wright, South Harrison
