FAIRMONT — Her legend was created on a March night in 2009 when, as a sophomore, Mariah Byard hit a last-second jump shot to beat Huntington High for the first of North Marion’s three consecutive Class AAA girls’ basketball state championships.
Numerous awards and honors have followed for Byard in the days since that Saturday in Charleston two years ago, and today she adds another accomplishment to that list, closing the book on the final chapter of one of the most decorated high school basketball players in the Mountain State.
Byard caps off her stellar senior campaign by being named to the Parade Magazine All-American team, published in today’s edition and released in newspapers across the country, including this one.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” North Marion coach Mike Parrish said. “She’s done about everything else you can do in high school basketball. It’s like the icing on the cake for her.”
Byard did not simply rely on reputation in capturing her second consecutive Rat Thom Award as the best high school girls’ basketball player in West Virginia. The senior averaged 18.6 points per game, 10.3 assists per game and 9.3 rebounds per game this season.