ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 16, 1995 TAG: 9512200012
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AND STAFF REPORTS
SEVEN TIMESLAND standouts make the Group AA and A basketball squads.
Sarah Hicks, the driving force behind Lord Botetourt's march to the Group AA girls' basketball championship, and Shellie Johnson of Salem were selected first team on the all-state team announced Friday by The Associated Press.
Floyd County's Melissa Cantrell was the only repeat selection on the All-Group A team, and was voted the player of the year.
Tammie Cox of Galax made the Group A second team, and Sara Moore of Lord Botetourt, Cathy Smith of state runner-up William Byrd and Yvonne Hall of Fieldale-Collinsville made the Group AA second team.
Hicks, a 6-footer, scored at a 21.7 clip and grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game. She shot 53 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line.
The 5-8 Johnson averaged 19.7 points and made 56 percent of her field-goal attempts.
Cantrell helped lead the Buffaloes to Group A championships in 1993 and 1994 and was a key part of this year's Group A semifinal team.
Cantrell, a 5-8 senior, averaged 14.1 points, 6.1 assists and shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range for Floyd County, which lost 54-50 to George Mason in the semifinals.
On the All-Group A team, two seniors from George Mason - 5-foot-11 Sarah Jackson and 5-8 Jennifer Williams - were voted to the first team, and Lori McConnell was selected as the coach of the year. McConnell, who coached the boys' team the past four years, guided George Mason to a 28-1 record. The first team also includes Cherita Woodson, a 5-2 senior from Goochland, and Misty Davis, a 5-3 junior from Honaker.
Jackson averaged 13 points and 13.5 rebounds while shooting 42 percent from the field, and Williams averaged 15 points and 15.7 rebounds while shooting 30 percent from 3-point range.
A second-team choice last year, Woodson averaged 20.2 points, 10 assists, 10 steals and nine rebounds for Goochland, which went 19-5. Davis scored 19.1 points per game and averaged nine assists and six steals for Honaker.
The second team is headed by Susie Fletcher of Rye Cove, a first-team choice in 1994. She is joined by Cox of Galax, Jessica Prater of Northwood, Kassandra Kilby of Madison County and Rasheeda Martin of King & Queen.
On the Group AA team, 6-1 senior Renee Lettington of Park View-Sterling, who averaged 28 points and 14 rebounds for a state tournament semifinalist, is the player of the year.
Lettington led Park View-Sterling to a 27-4 record, and in a remarkable performance in the first round of the tournament, she scored 47 points and grabbed 28 rebounds to lead her team to victory.
Joining her on the first team are Botetourt's Hicks, Salem's Johnson, Lindsay Carter of Gate City and Stacy Simms of Loudoun Valley.
The top scorer is Carter, who came close to 2,000 points for her career as she averaged 31. Her season was highlighted by a 52-point game.
Leslie Keen, who guided Grundy to its first Region IV championship since 1979, was selected the AP's Coach of the Year.
The second team consists of Botetourt's Moore, Byrd's Smith, Fieldale-Collinsville's Hall and Telisha Quarles of Louisa and Sonya Bowles of Culpeper.
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