GLENVILLE, W.Va. — In Wednesday’s 59-50 win against Tucker County, Nicholas County girls basketball coach Tom McGirl saw center Anna Hamilton carry the Grizzlies to a victory on the strength of a 34-point, 16-rebound performance.
While Hamilton is known for consistently filling up the stat sheet, McGirl was looking for more from his supporting cast against Braxton County in the championship of the IOGA Tournament at Glenville State.
His wishes were granted, as the Grizzlies had three double figure scorers and were dominant defensively to roll past the Eagles 60-27 Saturday at the Waco Center.
Emily Parker poured in a game-high 18 points for Nicholas County while making five of the team’s 10 3-pointers. Hamilton followed with 12 points and six rebounds and Olivia Carpenter added 11 points, six rebounds and six assists in a stellar all-around effort.
“Anna’s very capable. She can throw in 20 a night against most people,” McGirl said. “But we’re going to lose most nights if she’s the only one in double figures. It was so good to see the supporting cast step up. These kids are very unselfish and all share the ball so it was great to see them whipping it around and kids finishing shots.”
Reserve Taylor Brown chipped in with eight points and made a pair of 3s, as the Grizzlies outscored Braxton County’s offensive output from beyond the arc alone.
Nicholas County (3-2) seized complete control during the second quarter, outscoring Braxton County (3-3) 16-4 to hold a 27-12 halftime lead.
Parker’s second 3 of the game gave the Grizzlies a 19-8 edge 4:48 before halftime and Hamilton scored inside to stretch the lead to 13 before a pair of Peyton Smith free throws produced the Eagles’ first points of the quarter.
A Jocelyn Abraham layup was Braxton’s lone field goal of the quarter and cut the deficit to 22-12, but Brown’s 3 from the corner and a Maggie Gadomski layup sent the Grizzlies into the intermission up by 15.
Nicholas County picked up where it left off to start the second half, scoring the first 14 points of the third quarter to build a 41-12 lead.
Parker hit two 3s and Carpenter added a trey of her own during the surge, which allowed the Grizzlies to cruise the rest of the way.
The Grizzlies forced 22 Braxton turnovers and limited the Eagles to 10-of-39 shooting and no 3s.
“That was probably the most complete defensive game our kids have played in a long, long time,” McGirl said. “We’re very pleased with that and hopefully we build on this.”
Abraham had 10 points and seven boards in defeat.