CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Parkersburg South won its 15th straight game on Wednesday, beating Woodrow Wilson 55-50 in the girls basketball quarterfinals from the Charleston Civic Center.
“I thought we did a nice job, especially defensively,” said Parkersburg South coach Ed Davis. “Woodrow Wilson is way better than a No. 7 seed. They came at us, but fortunately we were able to knock a couple of free throws down at the end and we were strong with the basketball. We’ll take it. We’re just thrilled to have the opportunity to play another game.”
The No. 2 Patriots jumped out early behind senior guard Devin Hefner, taking a 30-15 lead into the break and holding on for the win in the fourth quarter.
“I’m very grateful Devin (Hefner) plays for us,” Davis said. “She is the one who has state tournament experience – she had a nice game down here a couple of years ago against Morgantown. She’s a great player and a great leader for us. She stepped up when we really needed her to.”
Hefner, who averages 18 points per game, led Parkersburg South (21-3) with 27 points in the win, going 11 of 20 from the floor.
“(The state tournament) is very important to all of us, considering we didn’t go to states last year,” Hefner said. “We want to go all the way. We played our hearts out – that’s what I did also.”
Parkersburg South scored 26 points off of 21 forced Woodrow Wilson turnovers.
“That’s everything,” Woodrow Wilson coach Brian Nabors said of the turnovers. “That’s sort of been our problem all year. A lot of it isn’t so much of what the other team is doing, but us getting in a rush and not really reading a defense. Hopefully we can grow from that.”
The Flying Eagles did chip away at their deficit in the second half, using a 20-8 run to close to within four points, 54-50, and just nine seconds to go.
No. 7 Woodrow Wilson (14-11) was led by Elizabeth Cadle who scored 16 points in the loss. The Flying Eagles won the rebounding battle 36-39 and shot 46 percent from the floor to Parkersburg South’s 37 percent.
The Patriots move on to face either No. 3 Parkersburg or No. 6 Martinsburg in the semifinals at 9 p.m. on Friday.
Parkersburg South has already played its rival Parkersburg three times this season, going 2-1 against the Big Reds.
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