By BRIAN WOODSON
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BRADSHAW —No matter whether it’s in the woods or on the basketball court, Katie Dobbs has learned to take a deep breath, calm down and release.
She did it when she bagged her first deer, an eight-point buck in December, and does the same with a ball in her hands.
“When I shoot my bow to hit a deer I just think of it like, take a deep breath and calm down and release and that is what I do in basketball,” Dobbs said. “When I shoot my foul shots I take a deep breath, calm down and release.”
A 5-foot-9 junior from River View, Dobbs has led the Raiders to a 7-2 start to the season, contributing 19 points, 13 rebounds and has even provided nearly three assists a contest.
That includes a 15-point effort in a 55-41 loss at Westside, and 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in a 70-32 win at Man, both of which helped Dobbs claim the Pocahontas Coal Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week award.
Just don’t expect Dobbs — who also won the award as a freshman — to take credit for the accomplishment.
“I really enjoy that I got this award, but I don’t think of it as my award,” said Dobbs, who should reach 1,000 points this season. “I think of it as a team award because I think of us as a team and I think of us as one heart and if one of our vessels goes out then we all go out. All of our vessels have to be working.”
Working isn’t a problem for Dobbs, who comes from a basketball family. Her sister, Chelsey, was a multi-winner of this same award and has since played volleyball and softball at Bluefield State. Her mother, Mary, was an 1,000-point scorer at Iaeger, and father, Jerry, also scored 1,000 points at the prep level.
“It’s a basketball family,” River View head coach Gehrig Justice said. “Their Christmas tree probably has basketballs hanging on it.”
While Dobbs also plays volleyball and softball for the Raiders, basketball is her sport.
“Basketball is definitely number one, I guess it is because I have done it my whole life,” Dobbs said. “I love the sport, it has always been in my heart, I just keep wanting to get better at it, to do that it just makes me love the sport.”
It shows on the court. While Dobbs has always contributed with points, her passion is grabbing a loose basketball.
“Growing up I have always played with the guys and I have always played tough,” Dobbs said. “Getting as many rebounds as I can is my goal, I love getting rebounds, I like getting points, but rebounds I can get all day long.
“When I see that ball come off that rim I know I have to get it.”
She usually does. Her rebounding numbers are down a bit this season, but that is a good thing. The Raiders are shooting the ball much better, averaging in the high 60s this season compared to 45 to 52 in recent years.
That has led to more wins, which is what Dobbs wants most. River View won 11 games during her freshman campaign and were a fourth seed in sectional play last season with 14.
They’re already at seven this year, and 2016 has just arrived. The goal ahead has been set.
“Our team goal was we are wanting to go upstate, we want to get our name out there,” Dobbs said. “We have worked hard for it, we have improved since last year, we work hard every day in practice to improve more, we are all the time pushing ourselves...
“I am in a good place with the ladies, we are working hard, we are after a position. It is hard being from McDowell County, we are out there, but we want to go to states, we are definitely out for it.”
A native of Bradshaw, who lives five minutes from the school in the southern section of McDowell County, Dobbs loves her home, but also likes to venture out with her team, such as two weeks ago when River View participated in a tournament at West Virginia State and returned with a 54-point win over Teays Valley.
The Raiders also played in a tournament at Greenbrier East earlier this week — splitting a pair of games — will also be involved in the Hatfield-McCoy Shootout later this month and will play Notre Dame in the Hoops Classic in February. They’re hoping for a trip to Charleston in March.
“It is definitely in the middle of nowhere, but it is fun to go out because we know what we want to do and we need our name out there,” said Dobbs, who led the Raiders to the championship of River View’s own Little General Invitational to open the season. “It is hard to get your name out from here in McDowell County because it is just there, it is in the middle of nowhere.
“When we go to these places it gives us such an adrenaline rush because we want to be out there, we want to be known because we are coming for that position.”
River View, which lost to Class AAA Greenbrier East earlier this week, faces another “East” on Saturday with highly-regarded Wyoming East visiting Bradshaw.
“It is going to be a hard game, but we are coming out as a team,” said Dobbs, who hopes to play multiple sports at the college level. “This year we have a bond stronger than we have ever had and I believe that if we just play like we can we will do good against them.
“They are a good team, but we can be up there with them.”
Getting to Charleston won’t be easy. River View plays in what is quite possibly the most difficult section and region in West Virginia, but Justice thinks these Raiders could be the Bluefield of last season when the Beavers made their first state tourney visit since the 1920s.
“We were a 4-seed last year with 14 wins, that is unheard of, but James Monroe was really good, and (Bluefield coach) Tony (Mallamaci) was a surprise last year and they got to the state tournament,” Justice said. “We kind of feel like we are Bluefield this year.
“They kind of came out of nowhere last year and surprised some people late in the season and we are thinking that is what we can do.”
Don’t count them out. Justice has a balanced group with five starters that simply need to learn how to win, and have the confidence to get it done.
“You think here we are in this little old southern part of McDowell County, but this is something we can do,” Justice said. “You have to realize these are 16-or-17-year old girls just like us, and that is our big development right now. Talent wise I think our first five can play with anybody’s first five, mentally they have got to believe that and they are starting to.”
Definitely. Dobbs is just part of a unit working toward a goal.
“If it wasn’t for my team I would never have gotten any of the things that I do because they are all of the time feeding it to me,” Dobbs said. “They are all the time pushing me harder, not just them, but my coaches, they are all the time pushing me.
“When I feel like I am ready to give up they push me. They know what I can do and I really thank them because if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have gotten them points or my rebounds.
“I really think if we really keep playing as a team we have got this.”
Dobbs said the motto for the Raiders this season is ‘We Believe.” She certainly does.
“I believe that we are headed for states,” she said.
bwoodson@bdtonline.com
/ Twitter @bdtwoodson

Girls Player of Week Honorable Mention

Bluefield: Jia Coppola scored 20 points, hauled in nine rebounds and blocked two shots in a 52-50 win over PikeView on Tuesday. Dani Janutolo scored 12.
Grundy: Cassie Keene scored 17 points to lead the Golden Wave in a 60-56 win over Honaker in the Black Diamond District semifinals on Monday. Emily Lane scored 15 points against the Lady Tigers. Lexy Boyd scored 16 in Wednesday’s 56-46 win over Grundy in the BDD tournament finals. Lane scored 12 in that trophy win.
Honaker: Madison Musick scored 17 points for the Lady Tigers in Monday’s loss to Grundy. Madison Miller scored 11 points and Tara Deel scored 10.
Montcalm: Heather Nicewonder and Taylor Dunford scored 10 points apiece in Tuesday’s 40-36 win over Greater Beckley Christian.
PikeView: Madison May scored 24 points, including her career 1,000th, in Tuesday’s 52-50 loss to Bluefield. Ashley Scott fired up 19. Sparrow Void had 11 rebounds and Kaleigh Peyton had 10 boards.
Princeton: Adrianna Mitchem scored 19 points in a 55-45 win over Lincoln County on Monday. Danielle Hall scored 14 points and Jaime Vest scored 10.
Richlands: Ericah Burton hit five 3s on her way to 18 points in a 45-39 win over Grayson County on Tuesday. Olivia Harmon added 11 points with five rebounds and three assists against Grayson.
River View: Paige Cooper scored 11 in Monday’s loss to Westside and Monday and Lindsey Meade and Kiersten Roberts scored 17 apiece in Tuesday’s win against Man.
Twin Valley: Lexy Vance scored 14 points in a 56-28 win over Hurley in the Black Diamond District tournament semifinals on Monday and scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s loss to Ridgeview. In Thursday’s 56-46 loss to Grundy in the BDD tournament finals she scored 17 points. Kim Lester added 15 points in the Ridgeview game and scored 13 in the Grundy game.

2015-16 Girls Winners
Week 1: Maggie Guynn, Narrows
Week 2: Madison May, PikeView
Week 3: Jia Coppola, Bluefield
Week 4: Katie Dobbs, River View