Three area girls make all-state basketball teams

Bainbridge-Guilford senior Jennifer Patten, Downsville junior Stephanie Shellman and Andes senior Amie Ballo earned all-state recognition for girls basketball Monday.

The teams were selected by the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports.

Patten earned fourth-team status in Class C. Shellman was a fifth-team pick and Ballo a sixth-team selection in Class D.

Patten, a 5-foot-9 point guard, led the Bobcats to a 19-3 record this past season. She averaged 17.1 points, eight rebounds and 5.3 assists. She also hit 19 three-pointers and had 87 steals.

Patten finished with 1,103 points, third all-time at B-G.

The Bobcats’ season ended with a 54-50 loss to eventual Class C state champion Elmira Notre Dame in the Section Four Class C title game. They were ranked fifth in the final NYSSCOGS poll.

Shellman, a guard, led Downsville to a spot in the Section Four Class D title game, where the Eagles lost, 62-53, to Class D state semifinalist Odessa-Montour. Shellman scored a team-high 21 points in that game and averaged close to 17 points for the season.

Downsville (20-3) finished the season ranked 11th in the state in Class D.

Andes coach Jeff Rhone could pencil in Ballo for a double-double most every night. The 6-foot forward scored 15 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in the Mountaineers’ 44-40 upset victory over defending Class D state champion South Kortright on Feb. 1. That loss all but ended SK’s chances of winning the Delaware League Mountain Division title.

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She also scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Andes’ 54-44 loss to Downsville on Feb. 7.

Andes’ 8-11 season ended with a 56-31 loss to Davenport in a Section Four Class D quarterfinal. Ballo had 14 points and 17 rebounds in the loss.

Among the notable area players left off the all-state teams were Cooperstown’s Samantha Fox, a 6-foot-3 junior who averaged a double-double, and Walton senior Sybil Stanton, who averaged better than 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Stanton is Walton’s all-time leading scorer.