WHEELING – Three out of four isn’t bad, that is if you’re a fan of the Wheeling Park girls’ basketball team.
The top-ranked Patriots (22-2) slowly, but surely, pulled away from No. 2 Morgantown (19-5) to win the W.Va. Class AAA Region I, Section 1 championship with a 66-61 nod Friday night before a nice-sized crowd inside the ‘Palace on the Hill’ high atop the Friendly City.
With the victory, its third in four tries against the Mohigans, Wheeling Park advances to the Region I co-final against Buckhannon-Upshur, which lost 61-35 to University, on Wednesday, also inside the ‘Palace.’ A win over the Buccaneers sends the Patriots to the state tournament in Charleston early next month.
“It was a great game between two great teams. I don’t know if you can say anything else,” Wheeling Park head coach Ryan Young assessed. “Both teams left everything out on the floor … neither can say they didn’t. It was just another classic Wheeling Park vs. Morgantown game. I don’t want to see them again, but if we do then it means we both made it to the state tournament.
“If it happens, it happens,” he added. “I’m so proud of my team. These girls have really grown up so much this season from last year. They are still young, but they are stronger both mentally and physically.”
“It really would be a shame. It really would be,” Morgantown head coach Doug Goodwin said if the two talented squads didn’t meet for a fifth time and the state title. “Hats off to Wheeling Park, they played a good game tonight. They didn’t miss many shots.”
Indeed they didn’t. The Patriots blistered the nets at just more than 50 percent (24-47). Morgantown, meanwhile, was 25-for-49.
After a back-and-forth first quarter in which there were eight lead changes, Wheeling Park led 18-17 thanks to seven points from sophomore Alexis Bordas.
“There was good energy in the first quarter by both teams,” Goodwin noted. “There were a couple of possessions where we didn’t value the ball as much as we should’ve, but my girls battled the rear ends off tonight.”
The contest was deadlocked at 26 just past the midway point of the second quarter, but the hosts scored six of the final 10 points of the half to lead, 32-30.
Leading 41-37 at the halfway point of the third stanza, Wheeling Park went on a 9-5 quarter-ending run to take an 8-point lead, 50-42.
A quick start in the fourth quarter built the margin to a game-high 12, 58-46, as senior Sophie Abraham netted back-to-back buckets and sophomore Lala Woods drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to spark the surge.
Just when it looked like the Patriots were going to run away and hide, Morgantown had different thoughts.
“That’s what they do,” Young said of the Mohigans. “They don’t quit. They keep coming.”
Sophie Wassick tallied eight of her 14 points in the final stretch and Kate Hawkins made it a one-possession game, 64-61, when she scored with 11 seconds remaining. Morgantown immediately called its last timeout.
Woods, who was 6-for-7 from the charity stripe, was fouled with 1.5 showing on the clock. She tickled the twine twice for the final margin. However, prior to that, Wheeling Park had missed the front end of two bonus situations and another pair of free throws.
“We got it (the deficit) to three from 12. All we needed was one more stinking possession, a turnover or another missed foul shot,” Goodwin said. “That was one heck of a game.”
Bordas led all scorers with 23 points, 14 of those coming before the half. Woods added 17 and Abraham 10. Ten of Woods’ points came in the second half. Bordas also charted four steals and two assists, while Woods had two steals and a trio of helpers.
Lily Jordan paced Morgantown with 16 points, but only four came after the intermission. Hawkins was right behind with 15. Lindsay Bechtel finished with eight and Mia Henkins six on a pair of trifectas.
The Mohigans led off the glass 28-18 as Jordan completed her double-double with a game-best dozen. Woods and Abraham evenly divided 10 boards.
Morgantown also had six more turnovers at 14-8.
BY KIM NORTH/THE INTELLIGENCER
Wheeling Park 66, Morgantown 61
MHS 17 13 12 19 — 61
WP 18 14 18 16 — 66
MORGANTOWN (61) – Wassick 7 0-4 14; Henkins 2 0-0 6; Bechtel 4 0-0 8; Hawkins 5 2-2 15; Jordan 6 4-4 16; Sweeny 1 0-0 2; A. Smith 0 0-0 0; Totals: 25-49 6-10 61.
WHEELING PARK (66) – Woods 5 6-7 17; Abraham 4 2-4 10; Daugherty 3 0-0 8; Huffman 3 0-0 6; Bordas 8 6-9 23; Heller 1 0-2 2; Delk 0 0-1 0; Totals: 24-47 14-23 66
3-point goals: M – Henkins (2), Hawkins (3); WP – Woods, Daugherty (2), Bordas
