Farmington, WV

Parkersburg South   16  15  08  21  =  60

North Marion          24  11  17  19  =  71

South Scoring:  Mary Seagraves 16, Danielle Floyd 13, Jessica Moore 9, Kristiana Hunt 7, Asia Greenleaf 6, Kelsi Halbert 4, Katelyn Porter 3, Sammy Hicks 2.

North Marion Scoring:  Wright 21, Nicholson 18, Parsons 15, Byard 9, Antolock 3, Swiger 3, Garrett 2.

Junior Varsity:  North Marion 57, Parkersburg South 52

Parkersburg South  07  17  15  13  =  52

North Marion         15  15  17  10  =  57

South Scoring:  Mary Lewis 12, Kayla Dixon 9, Kristiana Hunt 8, Madison Slone 8, Taylor Gribble 7, Merri Curtis 5, Allison Parsons 3.

North Marion Scoring;  Steele 13, Mullenax 13, Hall 8, C. Menas 6, Daniels 5, L. Menasa 4, Goines 3, Webber 3, Graham 2.

Top dogs

Huskies knock off No. 1 Parkersburg South, 71-60

By Nick Cammuso
Times West Virginian
 

RACHEL — While the opportunity may present itself again down the road, Mike Parrish didn’t want this one, another game against top-ranked Parkersburg South, to go to waste.

For the veteran North Marion girls’ basketball coach, Friday’s showdown between the No. 1 Patriots and No. 2 Huskies was as must-win as it gets.

“It a statement game,” Parrish said. “You have number one coming into your town and it’s a chance to show people what you’re made of.

“We had to win it, plain and simple.”

So North did just that, and shook up the state rankings in the process with a huge 71-60 victory over Parkersburg South in front of an overflow home crowd.

The win does more than remove the bitter taste left after the teams’ first meeting, a double-overtime loss Jan. 23 at South. It pushes the Huskies to 17-1 overall and undoubtedly atop next week’s AP and coaches’ Class AAA polls, along with the all-important MetroNews Power Index used for playoff seeding.

“It’s a big win for our program,” Parrish said. “There should be no doubt who’s number one right now.”

“We knew we could do it but after we did it ... it feels great,” North guard Jessica Parsons said.

For some, like North forward Kaitlyn Antolock, the buildup and anticipation was nearly as big as the game itself. And she wasn’t alone: The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. Friday night, more than two hours before tip-off, and the gym bleachers were packed like sardines during the junior varsity game.

“I think it was an unspoken thing. We could just see it in each other’s eyes,” Antolock said of the excitement of a rematch with the Patriots. “We’ve been ready for this.”

Although the Huskies started slow, missing on their first six shots and trailing 6-1 just 1:45 in, they picked up the pace in a hurry.

In a span of just 4:32, as if a light switch went off, North went on a 19-5 run. Tiffany Nicholson scored six in the flurry and Mariah Byard’s 3-pointer from the deep left corner capped it, giving North a 20-11 lead.

Nicholson, the team’s lone senior, scored 12 of her 18 points in the opening period. The Huskies led 24-16 after one.

“She hit some big shots for us early on,” Parrish said of Nicholson. “We needed people to step up and kids stepped up.”

After a breakneck first quarter — North forced eight turnovers, had six steals and five layups — the speed of the game hit the brakes in the second. The Huskies were outscored 15-11 in the frame but were saved by junior guard Kelsi Wright, who scored the team’s final seven points of the half.

North, however, didn’t go into halftime thinking happy thoughts. A turnover in the waning seconds of the period gave Parkersburg South possession and Mary Seagraves hit a three off an inbounds pass just before the buzzer, making it 35-31 at the break.

“We made a mental mistake there and were supposed to take the last shot of the quarter,” Parrish said. “I was worried about them having the momentum (going into the third).

“I let them have it and told them the first three minutes better be all-out. No letting up.”

No problem.

The Huskies took those words to heart, beginning the third with a game-changing 13-0 run, neatly wrapped up with a behind-the-back pass from Nicholson to Wright for a layup and 48-31 lead at the 4:12 mark.

Wright finished with a game-high 21 points. Jessica Parsons also had a big night, scoring 15 points and adding six assists.

“(Wright) was on fire,” Parrish said. “And (Parsons) was everywhere, offensively and defensively.”

North, which led by double digits for much of the second half, celebrated with their fans once the game was over, singing the school fight song in a huge circle — and all in unison.

“I saw the score with 47 seconds left and I was like, ‘dang, we’re going to win this one’,” Antolock said. “I went back to the bench and saw Kelsi (Wright). I think my smile probably went up to my eyeballs.”

To be sure, she wasn’t the only one smiling.