CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Following his team’s come-from-behind quarterfinal round victory against Charleston Catholic, first-year Wyoming East girls basketball coach Ryan Davidson said he’s a strong believer winning hard games is a requirement to attain a state championship.
Never could that have been more true than on Saturday night inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
The Class AA No. 1 Warriors ran off the final 15 points after facing an 11-point deficit against No. 2 Williamstown, with the Warriors getting what proved to be the winning layup from Abi Baker with 14 seconds remaining in a 46-42 victory that gives the program its second straight state championship and a third in four seasons.
“Late in the fourth quarter, you could see them getting tired. We talked about how their passes went from short, crisp passes to cross-court passes,” Davidson said. “We turned it up late and that’s what we’ve been all year.”
The frenzied finish began with Cadee Blackburn’s three-pointer that allowed the Warriors (24-2) to trail by eight. Blackburn accounted for the next two buckets to cut the Williamstown (21-5) lead in half with 3:09 remaining.
WEHS had a chance to draw closer but Baker missed two free throws — a theme throughout the night for a team that made only 5-of-16 foul shots. But two of those makes came from Blackburn at a critical juncture of the contest with 1:40 remaining to make it a two-point game.
“Have to lock in. I wanted to feel like last year. That was the best feeling,” Blackburn said.
Playing without injured standout guard Riley Landis, who left the game for good halfway through the third quarter with a knee injury, the Yellowjackets struggled mightily to break the Warriors’ full court pressure. When Baker scored inside with 53 seconds left, the game was tied at 42, and following another WHS turnover, the Warriors got the ball back with a chance to lead for the first time since 9-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Point guard Madison Clark passed to Alivia Monroe at the top of the key, and though Monroe had an opportunity for a go-ahead midrange jumper, she instead alertly found an open cutter to the basket, and Baker converted from close range for a 44-42 lead.
I passed it to Liv and Abi flashed down. Liv can make that jump shot, but thankfully Liv saw Abi out of the corner of her eye,” Clark said.
The Yellowjackets still had one final hope, but without a timeout, they again failed to get the ball to half court and Kyndal Lusk came up with a steal that led to a pair of free throws from Clark with 3 seconds left to seal the outcome.
“That was what state championship games are supposed to be. Two really good basketball teams fighting for every possession,” Davidson said.
Williamstown had nine fourth-quarter turnovers and each one came and each one came over the final 4 minutes after Blackburn’s triple made it a single-digit margin.
“We had a 10-point lead and to watch it eradicate was sad, but sometimes we maybe attacked the basket a little too quick when we could’ve controlled the possession,” Williamstown coach Fred Sauro said. “We’ll live and learn from that.”
The Yellowjackets didn’t lead until Arissa Burt’s second-chance basket 1:03 into the second quarter, although they entered halftime with a 19-18 advantage on the strength of solid defense and six points apiece from Landis and post player Faith Pickens.
(Postgame “Round of Sound”)
Despite making only 6-of-25 shots through two quarters, Williamstown had 19 rebounds to Wyoming East’s nine, and the Warriors had six of the game’s 11 turnovers at that point.
“This team in the half court is one of the best defensive teams I’ve ever had,” Sauro said
In the third quarter, WHS made 4-of-7 field goals and all six of its free throws to play from in front throughout. Landis suffered her injury with the Yellowjackets in front 25-20, and she was replaced by Akhia Miller, who made two free throws upon entering. Pickens followed suit to make it a nine-point game, though Monroe and Blackburn accounted for the final two field goals of the frame to pull the Warriors to within 34-31 ahead of the fourth.
Williamstown ran off the first eight points of the fourth — four each from Pickens and Annabelle Haught — but Pickens’ two free throws with 4:29 left proved to be the last time it scored.
“At the end, they doubled more,” Sauro said. “We were trying to get a screen for our guard Quinn [Bunch] and then clear people out and they bought into that for a time. At the end, they doubled her up a lot.”
(Ryan Davidson MetroNews broadcast interview)
Blackburn poured in a game-high 17 points, all but three of which came in the second half. Clark scored 12 to go with half of the game’s 16 assists and only one turnover.
Baker chipped in with seven points and five steals, while Monroe contributed eight points and six boards.
“It goes back to work and understanding that nothing is given. This group is four days a week in the offseason in the weight room,” Davidson said. ”When we have lifting and conditioning, we have 15 people there. That’s what a program is about and that’s a culture. That’s maybe what we’re most proud of and how you maintain a standard.”
Williamstown made 15-of-15 foul shots.
Pickens paced the Yellowjackets with 12 points and 16 rebounds and Landis followed with 10 before being forced to exit.
“She’s not afraid of anything and she always has a positive attitude,” Sauro said. “I feel it most definitely would’ve flipped the script.”
(MetroNews broadcast highlights)
Class AA all-tournament team
Mary Rushworth, Charleston Catholic
Emily Wratchford, Ravenswood
Cadee Blackburn, Wyoming East
Riley Landis, Williamstown
Addie Payton, Wheeling Central
Madison Clark, Wyoming East
Faith Pickens, Williamstown
Kaitlyn Blake, Wheeling Central
Most Outstanding Player: Kaitlyn Blake, Wheeling Central
(Wyoming East postgame press conference)
(Williamstown postgame press conference)