BLUEFIELD — The wins just keep coming for the Summers County Lady Bobcats.

Hallie Gunnoe is enjoying the experience. Who wouldn’t?

“It’s pretty much the best thing ever,” said Gunnoe, a junior guard for the Bobcats. “I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. We haven’t lost many games, you really can’t ask for anything better.”

Definitely.

Heading into Wednesday’s Rogers Oil Classic championship game against Graham, the three-time Class AA state champion Bobcats had won 50 games in a row, including a 10-0 start to the 2009-2010 season.

Summers County — currently the top-ranked Class AA team in West Virginia — was averaging 90.1 points per game, while allowing just 50.8. Their closest game was a 74-66 decision over No. 2 Scott on Jan. 9, the only time the Bobcats had been held under 80 points this season.

“That was a good game. I think we kind of needed a game like that,” Gunnoe said. “They slowed the tempo down a little bit, but we came out and played our game and came out with the win.”

The 5-foot-11 Gunnoe was a very big reason why. She recorded 29 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals. That was the start of an impressive four-game stretch which earned her one of this week’s two girls’ Pocahontas Coal Association / Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week awards.

“I was definitely pleased. I couldn’t have done it without everyone else on the team because they definitely contributed too,” said Gunnoe, who is a guard, but is adapt at slashing and dashing to the hoop for points, “but I was proud of myself last week for doing as well as I did.”

How well? In four games, Gunnoe scored 92 points (23 ppg), and added 26 rebounds, 23 assists and 23 steals, all in wins over Scott and James Monroe, and Class AAA foes Princeton and Woodrow Wilson.

It’s become a common theme for Gunnoe, who continues to impress Summers County head coach Wayne Ryan with her abilities on the floor.

“I think what sets her apart from other players is she impacts the game in so many ways,” said Ryan, who had won 307 games in 16 seasons at Summers County, along with four state championships, including the last three. “Between her athleticism, her defensive abilities and the way she rebounds, there’s all those ways she dominates the game, and we’ve not talked about the points yet.

“She’s not just a scorer, not just a defensive player. She is in no way a one-dimensional player. Everything she does she puts a thumbprint on in all aspects.”

A first-team All-Class AA performer as a sophomore, Gunnoe is heading toward a similar honor in 2010. She’s averaging 20.9 points — while shooting 62 percent from the field — 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 steals and 6.1 assists, and only plays about 21 minutes a game since the Bobcats’ starters rarely see the floor in the fourth quarter.

She also rarely loses a game. Gunnoe and her twin sister, Hanna, who won the same award in December, have lost just four times in 153 organized games, once in grade school, once in middle school and twice as freshmen.

“She has been a gifted athlete from the time she was a little girl,” Ryan said. “She has also chosen to commit herself in working to develop those skills to go with her gifted athleticism. She’s got the work ethic, commitment and God-given ability both...

“I don’t see any reason why she won’t continue to develop as a player. She’ll get a little bit stronger, a little bit bigger, and continue to develop and improve.”

Gunnoe seems to prove that every game. She followed her performance against Scott with three more outstanding efforts: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals vs. James Monroe; 15 points, 8 assists, 7 steals, 3 rebounds vs. Woodrow Wilson; and 25 points, 9 steals, 6 rebounds and 5 assists vs. Princeton.

Yet, the most important statistic for Gunnoe is on the scoreboard at the end of the game. Wins, and lots of them for a talented team that — other than Leslie Mack — have been playing together since grade school.

“I think we run the floor very well, we play together as a team, and it’s a total team effort,” said Gunnoe, who yearns to play college basketball. “We play well with each other, we know each other’s strengths and that helps us win games.

“We keep the tempo fast, work together and we have good chemistry.”

The chemistry is especially good between the Gunnoe twins. Hallie is the oldest of the talented pair, by one minute. That closeness is also exhibited on the court with a duo that’s in tune with the other at all times.

“We do actually (have a connection). We know what we are good at and what to do, and we know where each other is and we know how to play together,” Gunnoe said. “It works really well.”

Basketball is a family thing for the Gunnoes. Hallie’s brother, Andrew, plays at Fairmont State, while an older sister, Sarah, was a contributor to the 2007 state championship team at Summers County.

“My whole family played basketball so that is really good,” said Gunnoe, who was also a first-team all-state performer in volleyball. “We can do that together because that is something we have in common.

“They can be critical, my dad will tell us what we did, but they’ve been supportive and know about the game so that is very good to have somebody there for you.”

With winning comes expectations, and the Bobcats definitely have those. All those wins don’t come easy, even if it might look at it with the final scores. Practices at Summers County are intense and competitive, largely because the talent pool is so deep that the Bobcats have the depth to challenge each other behind closed doors.

“We are blessed with tremendous athletes right now, regardless of classification,” Ryan said. “We’re a very athletic team with lots of athleticism.”

Gunnoe agrees: “We really do. Our depth is great and that helps us win a lot of games. They can make an impact off the bench because they are just as good as the starters. They are prepared and ready to play.”

That goes for the whole team, and it shows in the results. Gunnoe has already won two state titles, just don’t ask her to select a favorite.

“I couldn’t pick one. It was just the best feeling in the world, it is unexplainable,” Gunnoe said. “It’s something we worked for all year and we accomplished our major goal both years so I like them both the same.”

A third would, no doubt, feel much the same.

—Contact Brian Woodson

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com



Honorable Mention

(Jan. 9-17)

Bland County (2-1, during week): Laurel Hankins, 43 points; Kellie Morris, 20 points vs. Narrows, 18 vs. Tazewell; Kirby Mustard, 28 points (7 points, 12 rebounds vs. Tazewell).

Council (0-2): Chelsea McGlothlin, 18 points vs. Honaker; Kelsey Geary, 12 points vs. Honaker; Dakota Bostic, 15 points vs. Twin Valley.

Graham (2-1): Chelsea Gallinger, 46 points (22 points, 11-12 FG vs. Tazewell); Kelli Landreth, 28 points (10 points, 8 rebounds vs. Tazewell); Maegan Henry, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals vs. Giles; Mariah Lampert, 12 points vs. Giles, 11 vs. Tazewell.

Grundy (1-0): Samantha Owens, 22 points; Hannah Stiltner, 10 points, 10 rebounds.

Honaker (1-1): Rachel Artrip, 13 points, 8 rebounds vs. Council; Emma Kiser, 17 points, 11 rebounds vs. Council; Nicole Roman, 10 points vs. Twin Valley.

Hurley (0-3): Chelsea Hunt, 40 points; Ashley Daugherty, 12 points each vs. Grundy, Twin Valley; Kendra Endicott, 15 points vs. Iaeger, 14 vs. Twin Valley.

Iaeger (3-0): Bethany Justus, 58 points, 31 steals, 11 assists, 6 rebounds (25 points, 14 steals vs. Matewan); Ashley Gibson, 39 points, 13 steals, 13 assists, 12 rebounds; Danielle McClanahan, 28 points, 23 rebounds (13 points, 9 boards, 6 blocks vs. Big Creek).

James Monroe (1-2): Karsyn Boothe, 47 points, 31 rebounds (19 points, 17 rebounds vs. Greenbrier West); Jade McDaniel, 28 points; Melissa Johnston, 20 points, 22 rebounds (11 points, 12 rebounds vs. G.West).

Montcalm (1-3): Tara Havens, 43 points (18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals vs. Big Creek, 10 points, 8 rebounds vs. Meadow Bridge).

Mount View (1-0): Kanisha Cleage, 20 points; Jordan Younger, 15 points; Ashleigh Belfore, 15 points; Shyrell Johnson, 11 points.

Narrows (2-0): Cameron Snidow, 28 points; Savanna Burton, 26 points (11 points, 10 rebounds vs. Montcalm).

PikeView (0-2): Danielle Compton, 23 points; Kimmie Thomas, 20 points, 13 rebounds; Sasha Pendleton, 9 points vs. Scott.

Princeton (0-2): Krystle White, 28 points; McKenzie Akers, 26 points.

Richlands (0-2): Cassidy Richardson, 24 points; Megan Robinson, 22 points.

Summers County (4-0): Leslie Mack, 82 points, 19 rebounds, 14 assists, 6 steals (32 points, 13-16 from floor vs. Woodrow Wilson); Hanna Gunnoe, 55 points (19 points, 10 rebounds vs. Scott); Ashley Brown, 14 points, 10 rebounds vs. Princeton); Candace Brown, 11 points vs. James Monroe; Kelsey Lively, 21 points combined vs. James Monroe, Woodrow Wilson.

Tazewell: Kelsey Sutherland, 36 points (24 vs. Graham); Katie Snapp, 15 points vs. Bland County.

Twin Valley (3-0): Tiffany Keene, 13 points vs. Hurley; Rachel Horn, 14 points vs. Council; Katie Jo Lester (will be profiled later this week)

NOTE: An additional Player of the Week will be selected and profiled in Sunday’s Daily Telegraph. Thanks to numerous cancellations of games, the selection process is two weeks behind, forcing some changes to get the needed 11 winners by the end of the regular season.