All-state girls basketball: 8 WPIAL players, coach Tim McConnell earn statewide honors in 5A

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, April 20, 2020 | 1:00 PM

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Chartiers Valley teammates Aislin Malcolm and Megan McConnell earned first-team all-state honors along with Gateway’s Lexi Jackson as WPIAL girls basketball players dominated the statewide Class 5A vote Monday.

In all, eight of the 18 all-state roster spots went to WPIAL players, and Chartiers Valley’s Tim McConnell was named Coach of the Year in 5A in a vote of Pennsylvania sportswriters.

Plum’s Kennedie Montue, Uniontown’s Mya Murray and Woodland Hills’ Peyton Pinkney earned second-team honors. Trinity’s Riley DeRubbo and Moon’s Reilly Sunday drew third-team spots.

Chartiers Valley was the defending state champion, but its hopes for an undefeated repeat were dashed by the coronavirus outbreak. The Colts went 27-0 this season and had reached the state quarterfinals before the PIAA tournament was suspended and later canceled.

The Class 5A and 6A all-state teams were announced Monday. Class 4A and 3A will be revealed Tuesday, with Class 2A and A on Wednesday.

CLASS 5A

First team

Lexi Jackson, Gateway, 6-4, Sr., 15.1

Aislin Malcolm, Chartiers Valley, 5-10, So., 16.7

Megan McConnell, Chartiers Valley, 5-7, Sr., 14.3

Peyton McDaniel, Twin Valley, 6-0, Sr., 23.0

Kaitlyn Orihel, Archbishop Wood, 5-9, Jr., 15.1

Erin Sweeney, Archbishop Carroll, 5-10, Sr., 15.4

Second team

Ryanne Allen, Archbishop Wood, 6-1, So., 15.3

Kiera Baughman, Donegal, 5-6, Sr., 23.7

Talia Gilliard, Mechanicsburg, 5-8, Jr., 19.0

Kennedie Montue, Plum, 5-11, Jr., 22.1

Mya Murray, Uniontown, 6-3, Sr., 23.4

Peyton Pinkney, Woodland Hills, 6-0, Jr., 13.7

Third team

Anne Bair, Gettysburg, 5-6, So., 10.1

Riley DeRubbo, Trinity, 5-9, Sr., 16.7

Tamaiah Glover, Nueva Esperanza, 6-3, Sr., 28.3

Grace Niekelski, Mount St. Joseph, 6-0, Jr., 15.6

Emma Ruhlman, Warren, 5-8, So., 14.9

Reilly Sunday, Moon, 5-10, So., 21.5

Player of the Year: Kaitlyn Orihel, Archbishop Wood

Coach of the Year: Tim McConnell, Chartiers Valley

_ _ _

2020 Pa. Sportswriters All-State Girls Basketball

Class 6A

Class 5A

Class 4A

Class 3A

Class 2A

Class A

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Chartiers Valley, Gateway, Moon, Plum, Uniontown, Woodland Hills