Allen was all-region player for Lady Eagles

Again, we go back more than 25 years to profile our “Where Are They Now?” athlete of the week. Meshell Allen was one of the best female athletes to play for the Central High Lady Eagles. She played basketball three years and earned all-region both her junior and senior years. She also played volleyball as a senior and was selected all-region in that sport as well. A 1985 graduate she was named most athletic female her senior year.

Allen

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Meshell is the daughter of the late Clemson and Rosa Lee Allen. She and her husband Billy Blakeney have two daughters Amber and Mya. She is a member of Mt. Canaan Baptist church in Jefferson and lists her hobby as working with the youth in the church. She is employed as activities director at Woodridge Assisted Living in Monroe, N.C.

Thinking of her playing days for the Lady Eagles she shared these thoughts.

“Paul Richardson and Walt Bray were my basketball coaches. Our rivals were McBee and Andrew Jackson and I always hated playing them because they had good teams and were tough to beat,” she said. “I also remember losing to Chesterfield one year and that didn’t happen often. We made the playoffs my senior year, but I hurt my knee and was unable to play and was very disappointed.”

Like most of our “Where are They Now?” athletes, Meshell had high praise for her coach.

“Coach Bray was the best,” Meshell said. “He was a good person who treated all the girls with respect and never used profanity. He and his wife would invite us to their house and they would fix spaghetti for us. I remember we always had a large group of fans who supported us. Doris Miller was our sponsor and did a wonderful job.”

During Meshell’s senior year, at that time, she set a school record of 306 points during a season, an average of 14.6 per game. She shot 48 percent from the field and 59 percent from the foul line. She also led the team with 217 rebounds averaging 10.3 per game and helped lead the Lady Eagles to a record of 13-9 and a berth in the state playoffs.

Meshell’s husband, Billy is also a 1985 graduate of Central and commented on Meshell. 

“She was an awesome basketball player. Had she not blown out her knee she could have played college ball. She loved to play and could play either forward or center,” he said. “We met in high school and we have the same birthday. We graduated together and married in 1997.”

CHS Athletic Director Joey Mangum remembers Allen as one of the best ever.

“There is no doubt that Meshell is one of the best female athletes to play at Central High School,” Mangum said. “She was one of a few who could jump and she had the skills to play sports. She was very active in all areas of high school. She was a very smart young lady, an outstanding student and is very successful in life.”