By Ryan Pritt, HD Media
CHARLESTON — In the days since leading Logan to its first girls basketball state championship, senior guard Peyton Ilderton has had time to collect her thoughts.
And she’s still collecting honors.
Ilderton received the most votes of any player in any class and she has been named the first-team captain of the Class AAA All-State team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
The Wildcats’ state-tournament run was a whirlwind of sorts as Logan won a semifinal matchup against North Marion and a title tilt against Fairmont Senior by a combined three points. Both were emotional, gutty wins and in a way, were representative of the attitude the Wildcats carried into the season and then into Charleston.
“This season has just been such a dream that has come true, we really put in the work after last year losing in the semifinals, we knew we didn’t want to be in that position again,” Ilderton said. “We worked so hard over the summer and during the offseason. I think that’s the reason we won.”
For her part, Ilderton averaged 23 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 steals per game this season, earning Cardinal Conference player of the year honors along the way. Yet to coach Kevin Gertz, her biggest contributions couldn’t necessarily be measured in numbers or trophies.
“In my 36 years of coaching, she’s the greatest leader I’ve ever coached,” Gertz said. “There’s nobody more deserving than she is and she pushes her teammates to work as hard as she does and that’s why we achieved what we achieved. She was not going to be denied that title and she led our girls to our first championship and I couldn’t be more proud.”
If the Wildcats were a representation of their leader, that may have come most on the defensive end where Logan yielded just 26 points to the Polar Bears in a 27-26 victory. Along with Natalie Blankenship, who earned a second-team nod as well, Ilderton and the rest of the Wildcats took pride in locking down and it was ultimately the difference on championship Saturday.
“I think for me, I’m super competitive and I know the person I’m guarding, I want to limit them as much as I possibly can,” Ilderton said. “It’s something I take pride in.”
And now, Ilderton and her teammates are a team the Logan community will take pride in for years to come.
“It was almost like we were celebrities in our town,” Ilderton said. “Honestly, we have the best community, everybody supports everybody, we all support each other. For us to warm up and see all that blue and gold in the stands, I’m very thankful to be from the community I’m from.”
Joining Ilderton on the first team are a pair of Polar Bears in senior guard Marley Washenitz and senior forward Meredith Maier. Washenitz won her second straight Mary Ostrowski Award this season, concluding her decorated prep career by averaging 28.3 points and 11 rebounds per contest to go with three assists, six steals and two blocks. Maier, who will continue her playing days at Marshall next season, added 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 4.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game for Fairmont.
North Marion junior Olivia Toland also earned a first-team nod after averaging 20.3 points, six rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.3 steals in a state-semifinal run for the Huskies. PikeView also reached the semifinal round and were led by senior guard Hannah Perdue, who was named a first-teamer after scoring 20.3 points to go with four rebounds, 4.3 assists and two steals per game.
Rounding out the first team was a trio of players who fell just short of reaching the state tournament with Robert C. Byrd junior Avery Childers (15.7 points, eight rebounds per game), Wayne senior Jasmine Tabor (12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds per game) and Ripley sophomore Sophie Nichols (16 points, two assists, two steals per contest) all making the cut.
Toland’s North Marion teammate Katlyn Carson earned second-team captain honors and along with Blankenship was joined on the squad by PikeView senior Anyah Brown, Nitro senior Emily Lancaster, East Fairmont sophomore Kenley Rogers, Shady Spring senior Kierra Richmond and Philip Barbour’s Brayln Sparks (sophomore) and Averi Carpenter (junior).
The 2022 Class AAA Girls Basketball All-State Team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First Team
Peyton Ilderton, Logan, SR (captain)
Marley Washenitz, Fairmont Senior, SR
Meredith Maier, Fairmont Senior, SR
Olivia Toland, North Marion, JR
Hannah Perdue, PikeView, SR
Avery Childers, Robert C. Byrd, JR
Sophie Nichols, Ripley, SO
Jasmine Tabor, Wayne, SR
Second Team
Katlyn Carson, North Marion, captain, SR (captain)
Anyah Brown, PikeView, SR
Emily Lancaster, Nitro, SR
Kenly Rogers, East Fairmont, SO
Kiera Richmond, Shady Spring, SR
Natalie Blankenship, Logan, JR
Brayln Sparks, Philip Barbour, SO
Averi Carpenter, Philip Barbour, JR
Honorable Mention
Addie Adkins, Wayne; Brooke Adkins, Wayne; Hannah Ault, Hampshire; Carson Barr, Oak Glen; Laynie Beresford, Fairmont Senior; Anna Belan, Elkins; Reagan Blasher, Fairmont Senior; Izzy Blomquist, Hampshire; Kynna Britton, Sissonville; Madalyn Broadwater, Keyser; Halle Crouse, Logan; Carleigh Curotz, Robert C. Byrd; Alyssa Daniels, Independence; Kennedy Dean, Winfield; Emma Elkins, Logan; Emma Elliottt, Liberty Harrison; Gracie Ferrell, Scott; Emma Freels, North Marion; Tayah Fetty, Point Pleasant; McKennan Hall, Ripley; Addison Isaacs, Midland Trail; Shyan Jenkins, Westside; Kenley Kveton, Lincoln County; Haile Lambert, East Fairmont;Olivia Lowther, Robert C. Byrd; Taylor Maddox, Nitro; Riley Meadows, PikeView; Regan Olejasz, Wheeling Central; Taylor Ray, Herbert Hoover; Ashlyn Riley, Lincoln; Alyssa Satterfield, Grafton; Alexa Shoemaker, Keyser; Arrington Sparks, Philip Barbour; Emily Starn, Fairmont Senior; Meghan Taylor, Winfield; Adrienne Truman, Nicholas County; Lilly Vogrin, Wheeling Central; Savannah Walls, North Marion; Danielle Ward, Nitro; Patrica Ward, Nitro; Emily Widmeyer, Berkeley Springs; Keiera Wilkinson, Wheeling Central;
