Bridgeport's Gabby Reep is 3-time Class AAAA first-teamer; local trio earns honorable mention

Teammate Jaylin Dodd earned honorable mention while Buckhannon-Upshur’s Kendal Currence and Kenna Maxwell also made that list.

The strength of Region I, which Bridgeport and B-U play in, was also on display throughout the season, led by two schools from the same section in Wheeling Park and Morgantown.

It was only fitting that the Patriots and Mohigans were the last two teams standing, meeting for the fifth time this year in a state championship game that Morgantown won, 54-50.

It also stands to reason that Wheeling Park and Morgantown lead the way on the Class AAAA Girls Basketball All-State team, announced today by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

The Patriots’ dynamic sophomore duo of Alexis Bordas (the first-team captain) and Lala Woods as well as Morgantown’s Lily Jordan are first-team selections. Also from Region I, University’s Ella Simpson made the first team.

“I think we proved it is the toughest region in the state,” Wheeling Park coach Ryan Young said. “Just our section played for a state championship. Teams that are very good or teams that are underrated from Region I don’t even get a chance to get to Charleston.”

Bordas and Woods were the driving force behind Wheeling Park finishing with a 25-3 record and a spot in the title game.

Bordas is a repeat first-team selection. In just her second season with the Patriots, she has eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career and has already won state Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps Player of the Year honors.

She entered the state tournament averaging 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 3.6 steals per game.

Woods, a second-team selection as a freshman, filled up the stat sheet as well averaging 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game.

In Charleston, they were the top two scorers during the course of the state tournament with Bordas averaging 26 points and Woods averaging 21 over the course of three games.

“I think they are arguably the best backcourt in the state,” Young said. “They know each other so well and they feed off each other. I thought they were both phenomenal at the state tournament.

“They are different players. Alexis is a pure shooter who is crafty and does a lot of things outside of scoring. Lala is great at scoring from the outside and getting to the rim and just has a knack for being around the ball on defense. They complement each other so well.”

Jordan, a junior, paved the way for the Mohigans finishing with a 22-4 record and the Class AAAA state title, averaging 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Simpson finished her junior season for University averaging 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per contest.

Joining the five Region I players on first team are Cabell Midland senior Jayda Allie, Spring Valley senior Hallie Bailey and Spring Mills sophomore Kilah Dandridge. All three of them led their teams to the state tournament.

Allie averaged 16 points per game as well as 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.8 steals. Bailey averaged 12.7 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 4.3 steals per contest. Dandridge put up 15.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game.

Greenbrier East’s Cadence Stewart was named the second-team captain. She averaged 19.7 points per game as a senior for the Spartans.

Joining her on second team are George Washington’s duo of junior Finley Lohan and sophomore Zaniah Zellous, the Woodrow Wilson tandem of senior Keanti Thompson and sophomore Abby Dillon, St. Albans sophomore JayCee Elzy, Morgantown junior Sofia Wassick and Parkersburg junior Trinity Balog.

All-State honorees can obtain state-shaped, wood plaques with name, school, year and honor at wvswa.org or bearwoodcompany.com.