Published: May 28, 2008 12:23 pm         

Youth is served on All-Area team

Four juniors, one freshman selected to girls basketball squad

CUMBERLAND - If you didn't get to see the All-Area girls basketball players in action this year, don't worry.

You'll be able to see all of them play again next year.

One year after having seniors take all the first-team spots, this year's All-Area team consists of four juniors and a freshman.

DeTonia DeGross of Allegany, whose selection as Player of the Year was reported in Monday's edition, is the captain of this year's team, which also includes Diane Dayton of Frankfort, Kaitlynn Fratz of Northern, Jenna Mathews of Allegany and Shayna Sweitzer of Southern.

The team was selected by voting done by area head coaches, who first nominated players to appear on a ballot, and then selected the team from the completed ballot. Eleven of 15 coaches (73 percent) returned ballots.

Diane Dayton

It was a season of change and transition for junior Diane Dayton at Frankfort, but you would never have known it by her play on the court.

Dayton, a guard a year ago as a sophomore, moved from the backcourt to the frontcourt and hardly missed a beat, leading the Falcons in just about every statistical category.

Dayton led the Falcons in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocked shots and assists. Frankfort, which had only two seniors, was 12-8 overall and finished third in the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference at 9-5.

"Diane had an outstanding season. This year she played out of her position as a guard and did a tremendous job for me as a post player,'' said Frankfort coach Erin McKenzie. "It's not easy switching positions your junior year, but Diane made the best of the situation and contributed greatly in all areas."

Dayton nearly averaged a double-double at her new position, with 15.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She also had team highs with 4.2 steals, 2.4 blocked shots and 2 assists per game.

"The most impressive thing about Diane is her desire to win. She is very competitive and loves the game,'' said McKenzie. "One of her strengths that I believe has made her one of the best players in the area, without a doubt, is her athleticism. Her ability to take over a game on the offensive end and create turnovers defensively is special to our team. She is truly a great player with a tremendous amount of talent."

Dayton was also first-team All-AMAC, and finished second in the conference scoring race with a 14.3 average. Also one of the top players in the Potomac Valley Conference, she was No. 1 in scoring, No. 2 in rebounding, and No. 4 in assists among Division AA players.

Dayton's selection marks the eighth straight year that Frankfort has had a player on the All-Area first team. The others were Stacy Mielecki, Julie Cessna and Jennifer Cessna.

Kaitlynn Fratz

It didn't take Northern's Kaitlynn Fratz long to make an impact on the area basketball scene and an impression on opposing coaches.

They'd better get used to it, too, because there's plenty of time for her to add to her accomplishments.

The first freshman first-teamer in 15 years, Fratz led the Huskies to a 16-6 overall record and 8-5 and fourth place in the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference. The Huskies held the No. 1 spot briefly in the Times-News area poll after a 13-3 start, and were the only local team to have beaten area champion Allegany.

All of that came about because of great team play, with a freshman leading the charge.

Fratz, a guard, finished second in the area in scoring with a 16.9 average, and also averaged 3 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.5 assists. She ranked fifth in the area in three-point goals with 37, and was ninth in foul shooting, making 74 of 102 chances for 72.5 percent.

"I have known since Kaitlynn was in sixth grade that she was going to make an immediate impact on the way basketball was played for the Lady Huskies when she got to high school,'' said Northern coach Dave Yoder. "She had a pretty incredible season. By looking at the stats alone, it is obvious she is a great player and had a great season.

"Although it is important to highlight players like Kaitlynn, she will be the first to tell anyone that her number-one priority is her fellow Lady Huskies. She is an extremely devoted teammate and a person of very strong character. I admire her ability to be so humble and have such an enjoyment of the game of basketball."

Fratz was also first-team All-AMAC after winning the conference scoring title with a 17.5 average and finishing second in three-point goals with 22.

"Kaitlynn's number-one strength is her love and passion for the game,'' said Yoder. "On the court, she is a natural scorer, and is able to beat a defender in the fullcourt as well as drive and finish inside against much bigger and stronger defenders. She has an ability to change games in a hurry, and as a coach I never felt any deficit was too great to overcome as long as Kaitlynn was on the floor."

Fratz is the first freshman to be named to the All-Area first team since Westmar's Jill McGowan in 1994.

Jenna Mathews

Inside and out, on offense and defense, Jenna Mathews was a player opposing teams had to reckon with, and most of the time the Allegany junior got the best of things.

Mathews, a 5-foot-6 forward, led Allegany to Area, City, and Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference championships. The Campers, 24-3 overall, finished runner-up in the state tournament.

One of seven underclassmen, Mathews was a leader on both ends of the court. She was second on the team in scoring, averaging 10 points per game, and led the team with seven rebounds a game. She also led the team in foul shooting, making 61 of 82 tries for 74.3 percent, and was third with 16 three-point goals.

"Jenna's biggest strength was her ability to score from anywhere on the floor,'' said Allegany coach Jim O'Neal. "She was second on the team in three-point percentage, she can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket, and she is one of the area's best rebounders. She could post up smaller players or take post players away from the basket."

Mathews, also first-team All-AMAC and All-City, was the City League's scoring champion with a 10.0 average and also the league's top foul shooter, at 87.5 percent.

"Jenna had a great season, and was able to recover from an early-season injury and become one of the best all-around players in the area,'' said O'Neal.

Mathews was especially strong throughout the second half of the season, and had 23 points in the Campers' 61-53 state semifinal win over Surrattsville.

"Over her last 12 games she averaged 14.5 points per game and usually guarded one of the other team's best players. Another impressive thing about Jenna is her great attitude,'' said O'Neal. "She is very supportive of her teammates and is willing to do anything to make the team successful."

Shayna Sweitzer

A lot has happened in the Southern High girls basketball program since Shayna Sweitzer arrived on the scene two years ago.

And all of it's been good.

Sweitzer, a 5-foot-9 junior, led a talented Rams team to an 18-win season, second place in the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference, and runner-up in the Times-News area poll.

The Rams finished 18-5 overall, 9-4 in the AMAC, and were Class 1A West Section runners-up.

First-year coach Danny Bosley had plenty of weapons and a balanced attack that featured five players who averaged six or more points.

Sweitzer was the leader, averaging 12 points per game, and was also the team's best free-throw shooter, hitting 78 of 102 for 76.4 percent. She also averaged four rebounds and two steals per game, and excelled defensively.

A consistent performer night-in and night-out, her offensive numbers were almost identical in the AMAC. She averaged 11.5 points, hit 39 of 51 foul shots for 76.4 percent, and was selected first-team all-conference.

"Shayna performed above and beyond my expectations,'' said Bosley. "She is an all-around player and one of the best defensive players in the area.

"Her presence around the basket on offense at 5-foot-9 is incredible, and she always gives 100 percent."

Sweitzer was a force inside with quickness, a variety of pivot moves and the ability to obtain excellent position on offense and defense. That was especially evident in the sectional championship game against Allegany when she scored a game-high 21 points, including 16 with several three-point plays in the second half.

"Shayna's work ethic is very impressive,'' said Bosley. "Her determination and concentrating on her shooting has made her a leader in scoring."

In Sweitzer's two seasons on the varsity team, Southern has won 40 games and lost only eight. The Rams won the Class 1A state championship a year ago, and Sweitzer, a sophomore, scored nine points in a 51-49 state semifinal win over Surrattsville.

Contact Mike Mathews at mmathews@times-news.com.