LAKE COUNTY >> No, you’re not seeing double. Try double-double.
Ashlyn Welton, the Middletown High School senior center who averaged better than 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Mustangs again this season, was recently selected as the most valuable player on the All-North Central League I girls’ basketball team for a second straight year.
“She’s going to be a hard one to replace,” Middletown coach Anthony Bazzano said of the three-year veteran who got her first taste of varsity ball at the tail end of her freshman season and has been a mainstay ever since. Bazzano then changed his mind and said, “She’s not replaceable.”
Welton not only doubled her pleasure as far as winning back-to-back MVP awards goes, but she helped lead Middletown to a double dip in the league championship department as well. After winning the undisputed crown in 2015, the Mustangs shared the title with Kelseyville this season.
Along the way, Welton became Middletown’s all-time scoring (1,314 points) and rebounds (1,003) leader while also helping the Mustangs break records for most games played (30) and won (23) in a single season. Now that’s a pretty impressive double play.
All that said, Welton wasn’t the unanimous pick for the MVP award that she was a year ago, according to Bazzano.
“There was some discussion about it,” Bazzano said. “But there was no way I was leaving that room without her being at least a co-MVP.”
Despite being a known quantity in the Middletown starting lineup, Welton put together her best season ever – 485 points scored and a 16.2 average.
“And it’s just not that every team in our league knew about her,” Bazzano said. “This season every team knew about her whether they were in our league or not. Through all of that she was still able to put up the best numbers of her career. That speaks volumes.”
Welton was one of five Lake County players to secure a spot on the seven-player-strong first-team unit. She was joined by teammate Makenzi Smith, a junior who made it for the second year in a row. Another repeat first-team member is junior Riley Goff, one of two Kelseyville players honored. The other is Payton Conrad, the only freshman on this year’s team. From Clear Lake, senior Taylor Helms also made it as did Cloverdale senior Angel Bernardi and Fort Bragg senior Jayden Gardner.
Three other Lake County players ended up on the All-League second-team unit. They are Lower Lake sophomore Aleia Milano, Kelseyville junior Alma Perez and Middletown senior Kaleigh Alves. Also honored were Willits junior Chanel Alexander and Cloverdale senior Karsyn Stewart.
Honorable mention status was bestowed on Kelseyville senior Heidy Cano, Lower Lake sophomore Samantha Caires, Middletown senior Emily Lescher, Cloverdale senior Teanne Edens, Fort Bragg senior Madyson Pyorre, St. Helena junior Adriana Gomes, and Willits senior Kelsey Butler.
The All-League team is voted on by the league’s eight coaches.
