CHARLESTON, W.Va. – No. 3 Parkersburg won a Class AAA semifinal thriller on Friday night, edging rival No. 2 Parkersburg South 63-61 from the Charleston Civic Center.
The Big Reds (21-6) led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, lost all of it, and regained the lead back in a flurry of late-game dramatics.
“That is typical basketball between the two schools,” said Parkersburg coach Scott Cozzens. “It’s a war. It’s a rivalry, but as soon as the game is over, they’re back to being friends. That’s what high school basketball is all about.”
Parkersburg South used a 13-1 run in the fourth quarter to take a 57-56 lead with 3:36 to go.
The game’s critical moment, though, came with 1:03 to go as Shaylee Kirby converted a forced turnover into a layup on the other end, giving the Big Reds the 60-59 lead.
After a missed jumper from Devin Hefner for Parkersburg South with 58 seconds remaining, the Big Reds’ Madi Mace hit two free throws to give Parkersburg the 62-59 advantage and control of the game down the stretch.
An inbounds with two seconds left under the basket later resulted in a missed opportunity for the Patriots (21-4) to tie as Parkersburg clinched its spot in the championship game on Saturday.
Mace led the Big Reds with 20 points, while Kirby scored 19 and Aleea Crites finished with 12.
Hefner set the pace for Parkersburg South, totaling 20 points, while Makenna Winans added 13 points and Allie Taylor scored 12 points.
The two teams were pretty much even in turnovers (19 for Parkersburg and 18 for South), but the Big Reds converted 25 points off of those forced turnovers to South’s seven.
“We played a 2-2-1 half-court defense (late in the fourth quarter), which we do a really good job of – it may be the best defense that we play,” Cozzens said. “We got some turnovers and kids made plays at the right time.”
It was Parkersburg South’s first loss since December 30th when the Patriots also fell to the Big Reds.
Overall, the two rivals split four games on the season – but it was Parkersburg that won when it mattered most.
“(Parkersburg South coach) Ed Davis has done a fantastic job,” Cozzens said. “To me, he’s the coach of the year in the state. He’s done a tremendous job and my hat goes off to that program. They were where we were trying to get. This is a big hurdle for the Big Reds moving forward.”
The win for Parkersburg sets up a title game matchup on Saturday night against No. 1 Buckhannon-Upshur (26-1).
The two teams met back in December – a 65-38 loss for the Big Reds.
“They handed it to us pretty good,” Cozzens said. “It was early in the year and we’re a better team – but I’m sure they’re a better team too. What happens back in early December, you learn from it. We’ll try to represent Wood County and Parkersburg the best we can tomorrow. You never know. We’ll have a puncher’s chance. I’m so thrilled.”
Parkersburg is expected to be without Bri Wilson, according to Cozzens, for that title contest after she went out with a leg injury in the third quarter on Friday night.
MetroNews will have a full HD-video broadcast of the championship game Saturday at the MetroNews Channel of WVMetroNews.com.
POSTGAME: