CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Class A No. 1 St. Joseph Central took one more step to its ninth title in 10 seasons on Friday night, beating No. 5 Summers County 86-46.
The Irish (19-7) shot 47 percent from the floor and used a 32-11 second quarter to set the tone.
“We shot it pretty well today,” said St. Joe coach Shannon Lewis. “Paige (Shy) was hitting shots and we played good defense. It was a good game today, but (Saturday) is a new day.”
Shy was strong for St. Joe, scoring 29 points on 10 of 19 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds.
“She attacked the rim really well,” Lewis said. “She went coast to coast a couple of times and had some good moves. She was also hitting the outside shot – she’s great.”
The Irish scored 34 points off of 26 forced turnovers, collecting 20 steals in the win as well.
“They have some young kids who have to handle the ball and we’re pretty relentless up there (defensively) at times,” Lewis said. “Hannah Taylor, their best player, got in foul trouble and she just never got going. We were able to disrupt her and she was just kind of out of sync.”
It’s a Huntington St. Joe team that entered state tournament play as significant favorites to win another Class A title. The Irish entered the postseason with wins over Class AAA state tournament teams Martinsburg, George Washington and Parkersburg, along with two wins over Class AA No. 2 Wyoming East.
“We’re not going to back down from anybody – we’ll play anybody,” Lewis said. “Some of the teams in the state don’t want to play us, but we have to try to find 22 games. Sometimes we play some really, really good teams (out of the state as well). We’ve seen some great kids out there and all it does is make you better.”
Dena Jarrells also finished in double figures for St. Joe, scoring 17 points and collecting four assists. Bailee Adkins added 11 points, six assists and six steals in the win as well.
Summers County (18-8) ends its season with back-to-back trips to the Class A state tournament semifinals. Tiffani Cline led the Bobcats with 11 points, while Taylor finished eight points and Gavin Pivont totaled nine points.
“They have great shooters, they run the floor well and they’re an outstanding basketball team,” Summers County coach Chad Meador said of St. Joe. “But our players do not give up. They play hard to the bitter end and I’m proud of them.”
Huntington St. Joe will face No. 2 Wheeling Central on Saturday at 2:30 for the Class A state championship.
“They’re a great team with great players and depth – they have some good seniors,” Lewis said of Central Catholic. “If we’re not ready to play (Saturday), we could definitely lose. They’re very talented and one of the best teams up here regardless of class. I think it’s going to be a great game.”
MetroNews will have a full HD-video broadcast of the game at the MetroNews Channel of WVMetroNews.com.
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