Parkersburg South wins 30th straight, returns to AAA final

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Keya Bartlett looked unstoppable and so did No. 1 Parkersburg South.

The Patriots (25-0) won their 30th straight game behind Bartlett’s 27 points, pulling away from No. 4 Martinsburg 51-37 in the Class AAA semifinals.

“I love playing here,” Bartlett said. “It’s really fun because you always have a big crowd here.”

While Bartlett made five 3-pointers, she had plenty of assistance—to be expected from a team aiming for a state-title repeat. Anna Hayton finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Taryn McCutcheon produced eight points and a game-high nine assists.

McCutcheon also played tight defense on Bulldogs guard Taylor Ferguson, who scored 22 points in the quarterfinals but only five Friday.

“I knew that she was a really good shooter, so I didn’t help as much on their drives,” McCutcheon said. “My teammates did a really good job on the outside, so I didn’t have to help a lot.”

Up by five at halftime, Parkersburg South won the third quarter 14-7 and led comfortably throughout the final period.

South suffocated the Bulldogs (20-5) by forcing them into 25-percent shooting and 20 turnovers.

“If you keep it to plus- or minus-five against the No.1 team (for a half), we were feeling good,” said Martinsburg coach Wes Hall. “But (Parkersburg South) took us out of our sets and system. We couldn’t get out in transition and that took us out of our outside game. Their on-ball defense is definitely smothering.”

Martinsburg was paced by Kristen Nunn’s 14 points, though she languished through 6-of-22 shooting. Essence Underwood recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Parkersburg South will play either Greenbrier East or Morgantown in the Class AAA final on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. The Patriots are a combined 4-0 against those teams this season.





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