CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Each of the last three seasons, Wheeling Park’s girls basketball team had advanced one round further than in the previous year’s state tournament.
There was only one thing left for the Patriots to do — finish off the job.
Mission accomplished for No. 2 Wheeling Park, which was in front for nearly all of the second half of Saturday’s 65-51 win against Morgantown in the Class AAAA final at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
“We have so much respect for Morgantown. They’re just an awesome program. Somebody had to come out on the short end and it seems it’s usually been us the past few years,” Park head coach Ryan Young said. “We kind of owed them. The experience was the difference.”
In the 15th meeting between the two teams over the last three seasons and a rematch of the 2023 final won by the Mohigans, Wheeling Park (24-4) hardly wavered.
The Patriots overcame a slow start and one field goal for the first 4-plus minutes to lead 13-7 through one frame. After scoring two points in a semifinal win over Huntington, Patriots’ senior guard Natalie Daugherty helped provide a spark by scoring five straight points that turned a deficit into a 10-7 lead.
“Natalie was awesome today,” Young said. “She didn’t score a lot yesterday and I told her you need to. That’s a four-year varsity player that was just great.”
(MetroNews broadcast interview with Ryan Young)
Park carried that momentum in the second quarter and Daugherty scored four more points over the first 2 minutes of the frame to help her team up its advantage to 19-13.
Consecutive baskets by Alexis Bordas and Seneca Heller increased a seven-point lead to 26-15, but the Mohigans countered with a 13-3 spurt to close the half and draw to within one in the process.
Over the final 1:03 of the half, Morgantown (18-9) freshman guard made three three-pointers and it enabled her team to cut what had been a 29-19 deficit to 29-28.
“The end of that second quarter was a phenomenal run and Kayli was stroking it to get us back in it,” Mohigans’ head coach Doug Goodwin said. “We have to ride those emotions. You have to keep your composure and stay cool.”
Kellogg went to halftime leading all players with 16 points and having made 6-of-9 shots and all four of her threes in the process.
“They were starting to get a little lead and our offense wasn’t generating as we needed it so I had to step up,” Kellogg said.
Two buckets from post player Lucie Hatcher within the first minute of the second half allowed Morgantown to lead 32-31, but when Daugherty countered with a trey, WPHS was in front to stay.
(Postgame “Round of Sound”)
It also a pivotal 15-3 spurt over a stretch of 3:55, one that also featured five points each from Lala Woods and Bordas and was capped by Daugherty’s jumper that left her team leading 46-35 with 2:49 left in the third.
Morgantown finished the third much like it ended the second quarter, with Kellogg scoring six straight points on four free throws and a follow-up basket, allowing her team to trail by five entering the fourth.
The Mohigans would get no closer.
A Woods jumper and four straight points from Bordas allowed Park to regain its 11-point lead with just outside 6 minutes remaining, and Bordas’ three with 4:22 left made it 55-41 and gave the Patriots nine consecutive points to start the final quarter.
“Going in, I wanted this more than anything. I really wanted to win,” Bordas said. “All year, that’s been my goal. I shot a lot of shots leading up to this week, so I was pretty confident and my teammates gave me great passes. I’m so happy that we won.”
The Mohigans never got the deficit inside 10 the rest of the way.
“It’s been a longtime coming. We have a great program, just hadn’t gotten to this point yet,” Young said.
Bordas scored 22 points and made 8-of-15 shots. She was named the most outstanding player of the state tournament after finishing with 88 points and shooting 30 for 58, including 13 of 30 from long range, over the three games.
“One for the ages,” Young said. “Don’t know how many performances are better than that for three days.”
Daugherty scored 19 on 7-for-10 shooting.
“I just play my defense and let my offense come to me,” Daugherty said. “If you play good defense, the offense will come to you and then you’ll end up getting good shots instead of forcing shots.”
Woods overcame early foul trouble to finish with eight points and four steals and Jillian Huffman was a key contributor in the win with eight points and seven boards.
(MetroNews broadcast highlights)
WPHS made 25-of-50 shots to shoot 50 percent.
“We didn’t defend horribly today at all. Just thought they hit shots when needed,” Goodwin said.
Kellogg scored 22 points but was held to six and two field-goal attempts after halftime.
“Was trying to stay tighter on her, because she was on fire. My team did a good job hedging ball screens and not letting her get free shots,” Daugherty said.
MHS senior point guard Sofia Wassick scored 12 points in what marked the 11th state tournament contest of her career.
“Nobody cares for you the way these people do at Morgantown High,” Wassick said. “I couldn’t ask for a better four years.”
Class AAAA all-tournament team
Finley Lohan, George Washington
Jada Turner, Huntington
Lala Woods, Wheeling Park
Sofia Wassick, Morgantown
Zaniah Zellous, George Washington
Amara Jackson, Huntington
Kayli Kellogg, Morgantown
Alexis Bordas, Wheeling Park
Most Outstanding Player: Alexis Bordas, Wheeling Park
(Wheeling Park postgame press conference)