By Nick Henthorn, For the WVSWA
CAMERON – At 6-foot-3, Ashlynn Van Tassell has been a towering presence during her time at Cameron High School– and in her senior season, the Dragons center had a year to match her imposing physical profile.
Van Tassell set the school scoring and rebounding records at Cameron, and helped her Dragons to an unprecedented third-straight Class A title in a 50-43 victory over Gilmer County. Now, captaining the Class A all-state first team is the latest feather in Van Tassell’s cap.
Van Tassell leads the Class A all-state squad, as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association, after averaging 19 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, and is joined by her teammate Kenzie Clutter, who averaged 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and two steals per game.
The point guard-center combination fueled a Cameron three-peat, and the duo went 11-1 in the state tournament over their four years.
“It’s been amazing, she’s been my point guard since second grade,” Van Tassell, who signed with Youngstown State this summer, said. “We’ve developed a relationship– we kind of have this look in the game, if she wants me to come set a screen or if I want her to swing the ball so I can get a post up. She’s like a sister to me and I’ve enjoyed playing the last four years with her.”
Clutter is the all-time assist leader at Cameron, and scored 16 points with five assists in their state championship victory over Gilmer. Van Tassell scored 14 points with 19 rebounds and three blocks in that game, impressive numbers that paled in comparison to what she’d done in Charleston to that point– 28 points and 30 rebounds in the state semis against James Monroe, and 29 points and 25 rebounds in the quarterfinals against Pocahontas County.
“It’s going to be a long time before we see another dynamic duo like that,” Cameron head coach Holly Pettit said. “Kenzie’s such a great leader and she sees the floor so well. And they know each other so well on the court, when they’re doing pick and roll, they communicate just by making eye contact. It’s been great to watch and people have really enjoyed watching them play.”
State runner-up Gilmer County claimed two spots on the all-state first team as well, with junior Allie Ellyson and sophomore Ava Dobbins earning honors.
Ellyson averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 steals and 5.1 assists per game, while Dobbins averaged 11.4 points and seven rebounds per game for the 25-3 Titans.
Ellyson and Dobbins, still each with more yet to come in their high school careers, were a formidable point guard-center duo in their own right, and helped Gilmer County to their second state runner-up finish in the last three years.
State semifinalists James Monroe and Tucker County were also represented on the all-state first team, with the Mavericks’ Maggie Boroski and Mountain Lions’ Macy Helmick each selected.
Boroski helped James Monroe past Huntington St. Joseph Central 58-57 in the quarterfinals and finished with an impressive 17-9 team record.
A junior who earned all-state second team honors last season, Boroski averaged 20 points, five steals and six rebounds per game for James Monroe.
Helmick, a four-year standout for Tucker County, filled up the stat sheet for the Mountain Lions to the tune of 8.1 points, four rebounds and five assists per game. A second team all-state player as a junior, Helmick was part of a state runner-up team in 2023 and is committed to West Virginia Wesleyan to play collegiately.
Huntington St. Joseph Central’s Ava Gaillon earns first-team recognition after a sophomore season leading the historic Irish program with 16 points, three rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
Rounding out the first team is Greenbrier West junior Preslee Treadway, who crossed the 1,000-point threshold in the final game of her penultimate season, scoring a school-record 46 points against River View in a regional co-final contest.
Treadway, Helmick, Boroski and Dobbins make first-team after being selected second team all-state last season. Van Tassell, Clutter and Ellyson are repeat first-teamers.
Tucker County junior Raven Matthews captains the second team, and is joined by James Monroe senior Mary Beth Meadows, River View freshman Chasity Kennedy, Doddridge County senior Tenley Paugh, East Hardy senior Brooklyn Tennell, Notre Dame junior Selena Wilson, River View senior Abigail Pruitt, and Cameron junior Maci Neely.
All-State honorees can obtain state-shaped, wood plaques with name, school, year and honor at wvswa.org or bearwoodcompany.com.
Girls Basketball Class A All-State Team as Selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First Team
Ashlynn Van Tassell, Cameron (Sr.) (Captain)
Kenzie Clutter, Cameron (Sr.)
Allie Ellyson, Gilmer County (Jr.)
Maggie Boroski, James Monroe (Jr.)
Macy Helmick, Tucker County (Sr.)
Ava Gaillon, St.Joe (Soph.)
Preslee Treadway, Greenbrier West (Jr.)
Ava Dobbins, Gilmer County (Soph.)
Second Team
Mary Beth Meadows, James Monroe (Sr.)
Raven Matthews, Tucker County (Jr.) (Captain)
Chasity Kennedy, River View (Fr.)
Tenley Paugh, Doddridge County (Sr.)
Brooklyn Tinnell, East Hardy (Sr.)
Selena Wilson, Notre Dame (Jr.)
Abigail Pruitt, River View (Sr.)
Maci Neely, Cameron (Jr.)
Honorable Mention
Emily Atrip, Tolsia; Jenna Baisden, Man; Christany Bartley, Madonna; Halle Bland, South Harrison; Keylee Blankenship, River View; Aleigh Cheeseman, Doddridge County; Chloe Cox, Richwood; Jacey Crum, Tolsia; Laikyn Dalton, Clay-Battelle; Sarah Defibaugh, Tygarts Valley; Haven Deskins, Tug Valley; Mya Dunlap, James Monroe; Maddie Fields, Greenbrier West; Lena Frymier, Gilmer County; Bailee Hall, Tug Valley; Niko Kaufmann, St. Joseph; Chloe Miller, East Hardy; Riley Pollack, Pocahontas County; Kierston Rozell, Meadow Bridge; Lacee Smith, St. Joseph; Stevie Starsick, Gilmer County; Avery Townsend, Pendleton County; Payton Trent, Doddridge County; Olivia Vandevender, Pocahontas County; Fiona VanMatre, Wahama; Ashton Wade, Paden City; Hannah Wayne, Webster County; Ty’Quashia Wray, Mount View; Adalee Wright, South Harrison; Ericka Zirk, Tucker County; Winter Higgins, Valley, Juls Lattea, Tyler Consolidated; Ava Dunn, Wood County Christian
