Tolson Selected To All-State Squad

Trenton’s run to the first Show-Me Showdown in school history has been punctuated with an all-state honor. The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s All-State team was released Wednesday night and Trenton sophomore guard Ainsley Tolson was included among 19 others named to the Class 3 team.
Tolson led Trenton this season with a team-high 13.3 points per game. She also added 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals per contest in 2016-2017.
“Ainsley is very deserving of this honor,” Head Coach Brian Upton said. “Anyone that knows her realizes how much time, effort and extra work she puts into being the very best she can be. She is a great young lady who is blessed athletically, but what sets her apart is her competitive nature and her desire to be the best that she can be.
“A coach always wants a leader on the team to be the hardest worker and that’s what you get with Ainsley. She is a hard worker who puts the team first, but realizes that for her team to be successful, she has to perform at a high level. She constantly works to put herself and her team in a position to be successful.”
Tolson was honored by the award, but was slightly miffed by the fact she wasn’t joined on the team by her squad’s lone senior – Whitley Richman.
“It’s awesome,” Tolson said. “I had no idea really, I didn’t know what it was going to be like. I figured Whitley would have gotten it. She is really deserving of this, too. I’m sure we were right up there together because she is awesome. I’m really proud, though, and thankful for all of the help that has gotten me here.”
Tolson was joined on the team by some familiar faces. Trenton went head-to-head with four other players who were named all-state. Whitfield’s Aijah Blackwell and Lutheran North’s Jordyn White were foes for Trenton at the Show-Me Showdown, while Breon Gunnels of Kansas City Southeast was Trenton’s main focus in the state quarterfinals. East Buchanan, whom Trenton defeated twice during the season, was represented by Josie Fortney.
“I enjoyed watching those girls play and being able to compete against them,” Tolson said. “It kind of motivated me to be better next year, be like one of those players, a player like Abby Oliver (of Strafford, the Class 3 state champions). She is awesome too and I look up to her a lot.”
Something Tolson has that none of the other girls listed on the Class 3 state team, however, is an All-State softball designation. It has been a whirlwind sophomore year for Tolson, who was named to the All-State second team in softball, where her squad reached the state quarterfinals. The winning didn’t stop after softball as Trenton and Tolson enjoyed a basketball season that saw the Bulldogs net a school record 27 wins to go with Grand River Conference and district championships. Trenton also won all of its tournaments – Gallatin, Lawson and Hamilton.
“I’m really happy about it and I am thankful for my mom and dad for helping me get here,” Tolson said. “My mom is more on the softball side and my dad is more on the basketball side so that helps a lot. My coaches are awesome too and they have helped me out a lot to get here.”

2017 MBCA Class 3 Girls All-State Team
Hayley Frank* Sophomore Strafford
Heidi Shetley Senior Kennett
Laurel Mueller Junior Saxony Lutheran
Skyler Amonette Junior Park Hills Central
Aijah Blackwell Sophomore Whitfield
Caitlyn Demaree Senior Principia
Brooke Flowers Junior Metro St. Louis
Jordyn White Sophomore Lutheran North
Nicole Kroeger Senior Palmyra
Devin Fuhring Senior St. James
Kenzie Guese Senior St. James
Skylar Beeson Senior Southern Boone
Michaela Wright Senior Tolton Catholic
Abby Oliver Senior Strafford
Cameron Call Sophomore Mount Vernon
Elizabeth Lutz Junior California
Tiana Gipson Junior Kansas City O’Hara
Breon Gunnels Senior Kansas City Southeast
Josie Fortney Senior East Buchanan
Ainsley Tolson Sophomore Trenton
(* – Denotes Class 3 Player of the Year)
Steve Frank, Strafford Coach of the Year