CAMERON – Holly Pettit has built a small school powerhouse at Cameron as the head coach, but being a former player, she knows a team can’t rest on its previous accomplishments.

So, Pettit has loaded up the schedule this season as the Dragons (22-6) prepare for a possible three-peat when the annual W.Va. Class A state tournament rolls around in Charleston.

She also knows that her talented squad, which returns all five starters, will have a bulls-eye on its back.

“Everybody we played last year in the postseason has most everyone coming back and they are going to be bigger and stronger,” Pettit said. “The pressure is going to be on these girls every time they step on the floor, no matter where it is.”

However, the former John Marshall and West Liberty product, is quite confident in her Dragons.

“I have really beefed up the schedule this season with some much bigger schools to prepare the girls for the teams we will see in the postseason,” Pettit explained. “It is a brutal schedule and I’ve had some people ask me why I would do that to the girls. I told them ‘we are very capable of playing with everyone on the schedule.’ Our depth might hurt us some.

“Our first four games are like a gauntlet,” she added. “We open up at Union Local which will be very good again and then we play at Norwin, Pa., which is a perennial WPIAL Class 6A powerhouse. Then we go to Huntington and Wayne County. It’s like a death row. We might not win any of those games. We might win a couple, but either way we’re going to learn some important lessons that will be helpful down the road.

“Those first four games will let us know how good we are early on,” Pettit continued.

In addition, Cameron will play at Wheeling Park on Jan. 26 in a game that was moved so it could be televised locally.

“That is going to be fantastic. It will be a great atmosphere.”

The Dragons also play Class AAAA powers Parkersburg South and Spring Valley, along with meeting rivals Linsly and Wheeling Central twice each.

Cameron is led by two-time reigning W.Va. Class A state Player of the Year Ashlynn Van Tassell (6-2). The senior recently signed her NCAA Division I national letter of intent to continue her academic and athletic careers at Youngstown State, thus becoming the first female to do so.

“It’s a pleasure to coach all of the girls every day,” Pettit said, “but Ashlynn is special. She is a tremendous talent and a great role model for the younger girls in the Cameron area. I tell her every day that there are our eyes on you at all times.”

Van Tassell has been virtually unstoppable on both ends of the floor in the last two state tournaments as Cameron has gone a sparkling 6-0 in Charleston. During last year’s three games, she scored 84 points and pulled down 57 rebounds.

She averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds a game during regular-season play a season ago.

“She is a dominant post player,” Pettit noted.

Senior point guard Kenzie Clutter (5-5) is the engine that makes the Dragons go. She can shoot from the outside as she knocked down a school-record 10 three-pointers in a game last season. She is also a very good passer and takes care of the ball as evidenced by her one turnover in the win over Tucker County, 53-46, in the state championship game. She scored seven points and handed out a like number of assists in that contest after averaging 8 points a game during the season.

“Kenzie is another all-state player,” Pettit said. “She’s our floor general. Kenzie sees the floor extremely well, and can shoot the lights out.”

Junior Maci Neely (5-7), the unlikely hero of the 2022 state final when she knocked down the game-winning basket at the buzzer, had 14 points in last year’s final.

“Maci is another returning all-stater,” Pettit added. “She’s a quick defender, flashes to the basket on offense, and is a great shooter. She’s a spark plug to the offense.”

Neely, who also won the W.Va. Class A state long jump last spring, scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds last year.

Twin seniors Emilee Dobbs (5-5) and Ashlee Dobbs (5-9) know their roles and fill them well.

“Emilee is a shooting guard, but she can drive to the basket extremely well,” Pettit said. “She can shoot from anywhere and is great defensively.”

She averaged 7 points a game last season.

“Ashlee is a very versatile player. She’s a shooter. She’s a rebounder, and she’s a great post defender,” Pettit noted.

She scored 5 points a game a year ago.

Also receiving state championship rings were juniors Devan Schrack and Shaleigh Littleton (x-x); sophomores Aubrey Thomas, Emma Francis and Macey Bertram

“Devan is recovering from ACL injury,” the coach noted. “She is a strong small forward and a great defender … our ‘Dennis Rodman.’

“Shaleigh is our backup post player,” Pettit explained. “She has a nice outside shot and can battle with the bigs on the inside.

“Aubrey is our backup point guard and shooting guard. She handles the ball well and has a great outside shot.

“Emma is a small forward. She is quick and has a great outside shot.

“Macey is another one of our point guards and shooting guards,” Pettit said. “She is a hard-nosed, scrappy defender. She can also drive to the basket and finishes well.”

The lone graduation loss was Gracie Carter.

“Our team is looking to improve on both ends of the court, but especially defensively this year. Our schedule is extremely tough, and we want to challenge the girls to play their best every game,” Pettit acknowledged. “We know that there’s a target on our back, and that the teams we play are bigger and better this year. Our goal is to stay focused and play our best game each time we step on the court, and to be able to compete in Charleston.

Rounding out the roster are sophomores Elizabeth McDonald, Janelle Shabdue, Taylee Yoders, Lakyn West; and freshmen Kenzie Scott, Macy Knight and Scarlett Nichols.

Assistant coaches are Mary Van Tassell and Zane Clutter.