CHARLESTON -Wheeling Central was able to take advantage of Williamstown having to foul in the last minute to score its final four points at the foul line as the Maroon Knights slipped past the Yellowjackets 57-53 Friday in the Class A girls state basketball tournament semifinals at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum.
The loss, two wins from a possible state championship, ended Williamstown's season at 21-5, while Central, now 24-3, will face Huntington St. Joseph in the state title tilt today.
After a closely-contested first half that concluded with the Maroon Knights on top 33-30, Williamstown fell behind by 10 at 42-32 by the 2:48 mark of the third period as a Central went on 7-0 run, and the 'Jackets still trailed by eight, 46-38, with a quarter to play.
Article Photos
Photo by Jeff Baughan
Wheeling Central’s Cassie Sorge, left, and Bri Robbins attempt to swat the ball away from Williamstown’s Liz Flowers Friday during their Class A state tournament semifinal game. The Yellowjackets lost, 57-53.
Williamstown, though, was ready for the challenge in the last eight minutes. Spearheaded by state Player of the Year nominee in senior point guard Liz Flowers, the Yellowjackets battled back, tallying eight of the initial 10 points in the fourth quarter to pull within two, 48-46, with 2:56 remaining.
Then Flowers, who finished her 2,000-point plus career with 19 Friday, sank two free throws and scored on the break at 2:02 to knot the count at 50-all. But with Central up 53-52 with a little over a minute to play, the Maroon Knights -in the 1-and-1 since midway in the fourth quarter - decided to run time off the clock and wait for Williamstown to have to foul.
That led to two free throws each at the 36 and 24-second marks for a 57-52 Central lead. A Carley Ellison foul shot at 14 seconds made the margin 57-53,
Fact Box
W.Va. girls tournament glance
By The Associated Press
Results from the girls state basketball tournament at the Charleston Civic Center:
CLASS AAA
Quarterfinals
Wednesday
George Washington 48, South Charleston 47
Bridgeport 54, Robert C. Byrd 28
Thursday
Wheeling Park 45, Morgantown 40
Greenbrier East 66, Huntington 55
Semifinals
Friday
Bridgeport 58, Wheeling Park 38
Greenbrier East 58, George Washington 54
Championship
Saturday
No. 1 Bridgeport (26-1) vs. No. 3 Greenbrier East (25-1), 7:15 p.m.
CLASS AA
Quarterfinals
Wednesday
PikeView 43, Frankfort 33
Scott 72, Oak Glen 50
Westside 60, Ravenswood 41
Clay County 65, Lincoln 54
Semifinals
Friday
Scott 57, PikeView 30
Westside 75, Clay County 52
Championship
Saturday
No. 1 Westside (27-0) vs. No. 2 Scott (24-2), noon
CLASS A
Quarterfinals
Thursday
Williamstown 84, Tucker County 82
Wheeling Central 52, Charleston Catholic 29
St. Joseph 91, Midland Trail 28
Trinity 38, Pocahontas County 36
Semifinals
Friday
Wheeling Central 57, Williamstown 53
St. Joseph 64, Trinity 32
Championship
Saturday
No. 1 St. Joseph (19-6) vs. No. 2 Wheeling Central (24-3), 2:30 p.m.
CLASS AAA
BRIDGEPORT 58, WHEELING PARK 38
Wheeling Park 11 8 11 8-38
Bridgeport 9 16 11 22-58
WHEELING PARK (22-5)
Tucker 6-11 2-2 16, H.Robb 2-11 0-0 5, Kel.Johnson 3-7 0-0 6, Puskarich 5-15 1-2 11, Crawshaw 0-2 0-0 0, Slater 0-2 0-0 0, Franke 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, O'Neal 0-2 0-0 0, C.Robb 0-0 0-0 0, Ken.Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-51 3-4 38.
BRIDGEPORT (26-1)
Glenn 8-16 10-12 26, Marshall 2-5 3-4 9, Small 2-6 4-4 10, G.Hamner 1-2 0-2 2, Hadsell 4-6 1-3 11, Fetty 0-0 0-0 0, Evans 0-0 0-0 0, D.Hamner 0-1 0-0 0, Coulter 0-0 0-0 0, Young 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-36 18-25 58.
3-Point Goals-Wheeling Park 3-17 (Tucker 2-4, H.Robb 1-4, Slater 0-2, O'Neal 0-2, Puskarich 0-5), Bridgeport 6-13 (Hadsell 2-3, Small 2-4, Marshall 2-5, Glenn 0-1). Fouled out-Tucker. Rebounds-Wheeling Park 26 (Crawshaw 6), Bridgeport 34 (Glenn 10). Assists-Wheeling Park 9 (Crawshaw 4), Bridgeport 9 (Glenn 5). Total Fouls-Wheeling Park 18, Bridgeport 7. A-na.
GREENBRIER EAST 58,
GEORGE WASHINGTON 54
George Washington 14 13 10 17-54
Greenbrier East 13 12 18 15-58
GEORGE WASHINGTON (17-10)
Harrison 5-12 0-1 10, Ward 4-12 0-0 11, Mobayed 0-1 1-2 1, Cunningham 5-12 0-1 11, Peoples 6-15 7-11 19, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0, Gilmore 0-0 0-0 0, Weaver 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 21-56 8-15 54.
GREENBRIER EAST (25-1)
Romeo 0-1 0-0 0, McDowell 2-7 5-7 9, Hammaker 5-9 6-12 16, Andre' 6-15 6-6 21, Hooper 5-7 2-2 12, Honaker 0-1 0-0 0, Ford 0-2 0-1 0, Carroll 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 18-43 19-30 58.
3-Point Goals-George Washington 4-10 (Ward 3-8, Cunningham 1-2), Greenbrier East 3-15 (Andre' 3-7, Romeo 0-1, Ford 0-1, Honaker 0-1, Hammaker 0-2, McDowell 0-3). Fouled out-Harrison, Mobayed, Hooper. Rebounds-George Washington 41 (Peoples 13), Greenbrier East 34 (Hooper 8). Assists-George Washington 14 (Cunningham 7), Greenbrier East 9 (McDowell, Hammaker 3). Total Fouls-George Washington 25, Greenbrier East 17. A-na.
CLASS AA
WESTSIDE 75, CLAY COUNTY 52
Clay County 15 10 11 16-52
Westside 13 23 20 19-75
CLAY COUNTY (20-7)
Markle 7-25 5-8 19, Boggs 2-5 1-3 5, Mo.Barker 1-8 1-4 4, Mc.Barker 6-14 6-13 20, Gray 1-3 0-1 2, Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Rogers 0-1 2-2 2, Young 0-0 0-0 0, Samples 0-0 0-0 0, Litton 0-0 0-0 0, Lucas 0-1 0-0 0, Horrocks 0-1 0-0 0, Proctor 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-59 15-31 52.
WESTSIDE (27-0)
Spolarich 1-2 4-4 6, Patrick 7-22 2-2 19, Lusk 1-8 3-4 6, M.Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Lester 11-14 2-3 25, Walker 0-0 0-0 0, F.Davis 0-1 2-2 2, Hash 1-1 0-1 2, T.Brown 0-1 0-0 0, H.Davis 0-0 0-0 0, S.Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Endicott 2-2 0-2 4, D.Brown 3-8 2-2 9, Adkins 1-1 0-0 2, Milam 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-60 15-20 75.
3-Point Goals-Clay County 3-21 (Mc.Barker 2-5, Mo.Barker 1-6, Markle 0-10), Westside 6-21 (Patrick 3-10, Lester 1-1, Lusk 1-5, Brown 1-5). Fouled out-Markle. Rebounds-Clay County 29 (Markle 10), Westside 56 (Lester 12). Assists-Clay County 7 (Mc.Barker 4), Westside 19 (Spolarich 6). Total Fouls-Clay County 15, Westside 22. A-4,975 (early session).
SCOTT 57, PIKEVIEW 30
PikeView 11 5 4 10-30
Scott 20 14 17 6-57
PIKEVIEW (18-10)
Nester 2-13 3-4 7, Wood 1-6 1-5 3, Compton 4-10 0-0 8, Taylor 1-8 1-2 3, L.White 0-2 0-4 0, Hill 2-5 0-0 4, Bryant 0-2 0-2 0, May 0-1 0-0 0, Carr 0-0 0-0 0, Sabin 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Hatfield 1-9 1-2 3, C.White 1-1 0-0 2, Runion 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-59 6-19 30.
SCOTT (24-2)
M.White 9-18 4-5 25, Dotson 1-7 2-4 4, Aldridge 2-7 1-2 5, Whitman 5-8 1-2 11, Conway 1-6 0-2 2, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Adkins 0-1 0-0 0, Goodwin 0-1 0-0 0, McKinney 0-0 2-2 2, Blankenship 0-0 0-0 0, Rankin 4-6 0-0 8, Roberts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-55 10-17 57.
3-Point Goals-PikeView 0-12 (Wood 0-1, L.White 0-1, Sabin 0-1, Hatfield 0-1, Bryant 0-2, Nester 0-3, Taylor 0-3), Scott 3-16 (M.White 3-9, Conway 0-1, Adkins 0-1, Dotson 0-2, Aldridge 0-3). Fouled Out-Taylor. Rebounds-PikeView 47 (Compton 10), Scott 42 (Whitman 10). Assists-PikeView 4 (Nester 2), Scott 11 (M.White 4). Total Fouls-PikeView 18, Scott 14. A-na.
CLASS A
WHEELING CENTRAL 57, WILLIAMTOWN 53
Williamstown 13 17 8 15-53
Wheeling Central 17 16 13 11-57
WILLIAMSTOWN (21-5)
Smith 4-15 0-0 8, Ellison 2-7 1-2 5, Flowers 6-24 6-10 19, Taylor 3-5 0-0 7, Cieslewski 1-6 2-2 4, Kerns 0-5 0-0 0, Cornell 1-6 0-0 2, Rea 2-3 0-0 4, Albertson 1-1 0-0 2, Amos 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 21-73 9-14 53.
WHEELING CENTRAL (24-3)
McCormick 8-18 3-4 19, Palmer 3-6 1-2 7, Sorge 1-6 2-4 5, Robbins 1-8 0-2 3, Bucon 8-17 6-10 23, Stayduhar 0-1 0-0 0, Wizba 0-0 0-0 0, Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Sparachane 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-57 12-22 57.
3-Point Goals-Williamstown 2-24 (Taylor 1-2, Flowers 1-5, Cieslewski 0-1, Ellison 0-2, Kerns 0-2, Cornell 0-4, Smith 0-8), Wheeling Central 3-10 (Sorge 1-2, Bucon 1-2, Robbins 1-4, McCormick 0-1, Stayduhar 0-1). Fouled Out-none. Rebounds-Williamstown 47 (Ellison 11), Wheeling Central 48 (McCormick 18). Assists-Williamstown 12 (Flowers 6), Wheeling Central 13 (Sorge, Bucon 4). Total Fouls-Williamstown 17, Wheeling Central 9. A-na.
ST. JOSEPH 64, TRINITY 32
Trinity 4 8 7 13-32
St. Joseph 14 20 22 8-64
TRINITY (24-2)
Neely 4-12 1-2 10, M.Triplett 2-9 0-0 5, Halapy 3-6 0-0 6, H.Triplett 2-11 0-1 4, E.Myers 0-4 0-0 0, M.Myers 1-5 0-0 3, Evans 0-0 0-0 0, Berhanu 0-0 0-0 0, Barnett 0-0 0-0 0, Hill 2-10 0-0 4. Totals 14-57 1-3 32.
ST. JOSEPH (19-6)
Foster 3-8 1-2 7, Dempsey 3-13 1-3 9, Johnson 2-7 2-4 8, Lee 6-15 0-0 14, Petitte 3-6 9-9 17, K.Anderson 1-3 1-2 3, C.Anderson 0-2 0-0 0, Pemberton 2-4 0-0 4, Gale 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 20-58 16-22 64.
3-Point Goals-Trinity 3-18 (M.Myers 1-2, M.Triplett 1-5, Neely 1-6, E.Myers 0-1, H.Triplett 0-4), St. Joseph 8-22 (Petitte 2-2, Johnson 2-4, Lee 2-6, Dempsey 2-8, C.Anderson 0-1, Pemberton 0-1). Fouled out-E.Myers. Rebounds-Trinity 36 (H.Triplett, M.Myers 6), St. Joseph 50 (Petitte 13). Assists-Trinity 10 (M.Triplett, M.Myers 3), St. Joseph 14 (Johnson 7). Total Fouls-Trinity 18, St. Joseph 7. Technical-Johnson. A-na.
But Kenzie Smith missed three desperation trey tries for the 'Jackets in the final 27 seconds at the other end.
Emily Bucon netted a game-high 23 points for Central while teammate Colleen McCormick collected 19 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
After Flowers, Smith contributed eight points and Courtney Taylor seven for Williamstown. Ellison led the 'Jackets with 11 rebounds while Flowers had nine and Brooke Cieslewski seven. Flowers had six assists and Jessie Kerns three steals.
''We lost to them (Central) 72-58 back on Dec. 9, so you saw today how much we've improved since then,'' said Williamstown head coach Fred Sauro. ''We took 'em to the wire and if a couple shots would have fallen ... . We didn't shoot particularly well, but our defense, our intensity and our hustle just really showed.''
Sauro knew ''our kids had the heart and where with all to be able to come back.'' After all, his team came from 15 down in the third quarter Thursday to top Tucker County, 84-82, on a Flowers hoop with eight seconds left for her 46th and 47th points of the game. ''They went after it again today, but this is one that just got away,'' said Sauro.
Defensing Flowers was Central's No. 1 concern, because ''she's a smart player who knows how to get to the basket, so you really have to stay on her,'' said Bucon.
To which Central head coach Penn Kurtz, who ''knew Williamstown would make a serious run at us before it was all over,'' added, ''You have to box her (Flowers) out because she's really good at following her shot.''
