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Charleston, WV -
Game
Notes Headline:
Hedgesville Scoring: Ashton 1, Reed 23, Butler 12, Guell 13, Finafrock 5, Faulkner 2, Hadley 2.
South Scoring: J. Stephens 26, Wolfe 16, Crislip 15, Molinari 10, Curry 2, Harbour 1.
Hedgesville Statistics: Rebounds, 35 (Guell 7); Assists, 9 (Reed 6); Steals, 8 (Reed 4); Blocks, 3 (Reed, Butler, Guelter); Turnovers, 14; Field Goal Shooting, 19-49 (38.8%); 3-Point Field Goal Shooting, 6-15 (40%); Free-Throw Shooting, 14-24 (58.3%); Points in the Paint, 20; Points Off Turnovers, 12; 2nd Chance Points, 8; Fast Break Points, 7, Bench Points, 4.
South Statistics: Rebounds, 35 (J. Stephens 15); Assists, 18 (Curry 7); Steals, 10 (J. Stephens 3); Blocks, 2 (Crislip, J. Stephens); Turnovers, 11; Field Goal Shooting, 24-58 (41.4%); 3-Point Field Goal Shooting, 8-24 (33.3%); Free-Throw Shooting, 16-20 (80%); Points in the Paint, 28; Points Off Turnovers, 10; 2nd Chance Points, 15; Fast Break Points, 16; Bench Points, 3.
Eagles pay for pressing the Patriots By MATT POLING, Martinsburg Journal SPORTS WRITER CHARLESTON - Hedgesville threw every defense it played this season at Parkersburg South Wednesday. The Eagles opened in their preferred 2-3 zone, then switched to man-to-man and finally to a 3-2 zone, which proved most effective. It wasn't until the third quarter that the No. 4-seeded Patriots saw the defense they'd been hoping for. That was when, coincidentally enough, South took control of the game. Fifth-ranked Hedgesville went to its 1-2-2 full-court press midway through the third quarter and then witnessed South's guards knife right through it for a game-deciding 14-2 run as the Patriots pulled away for a 72-58 win in the Class AAA girls basketball quarterfinals at the Charleston Civic Center. The ease in which the Patriots countered Hedgesville's press surprised Hedgesville coach Ben Merica, who had watched the defense help the Eagles to wins over Martinsburg and Hampshire this postseason. "That really, really shocked me. Nobody this year has got through the (press) like that," Merica said. "Those were gifts to them. They (threw) three passes and they were gone." By breaking the press, South finally got some one-on-one looks for its all-state center Jill Stephens, who didn't miss when the usually rare opportunities present themselves. "I don't know how many points Jill scored in transition, but we really hope people will press us," said South coach Scott Stephens, who's also Jill's father. "If we beat the press, we have a one-on-one look at the other end. "That was basically the difference in the Capital game (in the regional final). When they started pressing us, we took advantage of their press." Stephens, who finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds, immediately scored a press-break layup to start the run and push the Patriots' precarious two-point, third-quarter lead to 42-38. South's next two baskets, a coast-to-coast layup by Michelle Molinari and a 3-pointer by Allison Crislip, didn't come off the press, but gave the Patriots a 47-38 lead and forced Hedgesville (21-4) to stay in its press if it wanted to make a comeback. The Eagles pressed and played man-to-man in the final quarter, but the deficit continued to grow as Rachel Wolfe canned two 3-pointers in the span of a minute, while Crislip hit a perimeter jumper. When Stephens got free for a layup and Wolfe scored a transition basket with 4:54 remaining, the Patriots had their biggest lead at 63-44. "(After the run) we really didn't have the opportunity to sit back in the zone," Merica said. "You saw how bad we were playing them in man." Coach Stephens felt his team's defensive intensity in the second half was just as important as making the Eagles pay for the press. "We were too passive on defense; we were letting them dictate where they wanted to go," he said of their first-half defense. "We talked about getting little nastier at halftime on defense, getting after them. "I think the momentum in the third quarter went our way because we were a little more aggressive." Against that "passive" defense, Hedgesville junior point guard Miranda Reed had her way as she helped rally the Eagles from a nine-point deficit to a 32-30 halftime lead. Reed, who finished with a team-high 23 points and six assists, impressed the opposing coach. "Reed takes ball to the hole very well; causes some problems," Stephens said. "We didn't guard her very well. But she's a very talented young lady." Reed started the comeback by penetrating and dishing to Ashton Butler for an open 3-pointer. After Stephens scored on a putback, the Reed-to-Butler combination worked for another trey to make it 28-23. Reed scored a fastbreak layup and then dished to Shuashanna Faulkner for a layup to cut the deficit to 28-27. A Sam Guell 3 gave Hedgesville the lead before Stephens and Reed swapped a pair of free throws to close the half. Hedgesville's switch to a 3-2 zone also aided the rally as the Patriots, who only had 11 turnovers, were forcing passes to the crowded interior or took shots outside that were well defended. The whole key to the 3-2 zone was Faulkner, Hedgesville's own 6-3 center. "The biggest thing was we were able to extend our wings because Shuashanna was in the middle," Merica said. "It took away their 3-point perimeter play. Whenever Shuashanna would slide down she was a little more of a force then some of those other people." South started to figure out the 3-2 zone in the third quarter as the teams traded baskets. But before the Patriots ever exploited Hedgesville's press, Merica felt his team didn't bring the same intensity out of the locker room to start the third quarter. The Eagles shot just 32 percent in the second half while committing 10 of its 14 turnovers. "I thought we came out complacent and made some passes that didn't help us," Merica said. "If we come out of the gate in the third quarter striking down a couple baskets early it could have went the other way." In fact, Hedgesville trailed just 40-38 after a Reed three-point play. It was during the ensuing media timeout that the Eagles switched to the press. Coach Stephens felt the press not only opened up the floor for his guard, but it ended up wearing down Hedgesville. "I think overall they got tired; we wore them down," Stephens said. "Overall I think we were either in better condition or they played less people and the tempo was more to our liking." Reed, like her coach, disagreed about the fatigue factor and the fact it was South's defense that made the difference. "We had to spend a lot of energy coming back (in the first half), but I don't think fatigue was ever (a factor) because our adrenaline kept us motivated. "I don't think at anytime we were too tired to play. We just had a few turnovers, got a little frustrated and down on ourselves. After they got the lead it was hard to get back momentum." Wolfe scored 16 points for South, while Crislip had 15 and Molinari added 10. South point guard Ashley Curry had just two points, but dished out seven assists to one turnover. Guell had 13 points for Hedgesville, while Butler added 12. South will play No. 1 Morgantown in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Friday. NOTES: Despite being undersized, Hedgesville played the Patriots to a draw on the boards at 35 apiece. ... The tournament appearance was Hedgesville's second straight after a 16-year drought. The Eagles lost in the semifinals to eventual champion South Charleston last season. ... If the Patriots are to win their first state title ever, they'll have to defeat a Morgantown team that beat them 64-59 during the regular season. ... South has now won eight straight games and 11 of 12 after a 6-7 start. Stephens, guard play big factors By MATT POLING, Martinsburg Journal SPORTS WRITER CHARLESTON - Parkersburg South's 6-foot-3 center Jill Stephens certainly had a huge impact as her Patriots bested Hedgesville 72-58 in the Class AAA girls basketball quarterfinals Wednesday. The University of Cincinnati-signee scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. But it was her teammates that freed her up to do that damage. The best way the Patriots usually do that is by firing and hitting shots from the perimeter. Allison Crislip and Rachel Wolfe each connected on four 3-pointers to forced Hedgesville out of its zone defenses and give Stephens room to work. "It's good when we open things up from the outside because they came out with a bunch of people inside," Stephens said. "It's good when we all score a lot because it makes us more well-rounded. Then the other teams have to concentrate on everybody." The Eagles' focus to start the game was clearly on Stephens as 5-9 center Jennie Finafrock had constant help whenever Stephens was on the block. Crislip changed that in a hurry. The 5-7 junior, who only averages 6.0 points per game, scored nine - all open 3-pointers - in about three and a half minutes to give the Patriots a 13-6 lead. So, Hedgesville got out of the 2-3 and went to man, which allowed Stephens to control the middle as she netted six points early in the second quarter. The Eagles got it right later in the quarter when coach Ben Merica inserted his own 6-3 center Shuashanna Faulkner, who did tilt the scales in the Eagles' favor for a quarter and a half. With the junior in the game, Hedgesville went to a 3-2 zone defense - called the "Shuashanna zone" - with Faulkner starting out high and then sliding down whenever the ball was in a position to be thrown to Stephens. With Faulkner in the game from the 6:36 mark of the second quarter until 3:47 remained in the third, the Eagles outscored South by four. Stephens was a limited factor at best during this stretch and Hedgesville trailed just 40-38. But when Hedgesville opted to press with a smaller lineup, Faulkner went to the bench and the Eagles went back to a 2-3. It was Wolfe's turn to exploit the 2-3 as the senior, who scores 10 points per game, canned two fourth-quarter 3s. Merica knew the risks of focusing so much attention on Stephens, but had to risk it despite the shooting ability of South's other players. "I was really expecting all four of those girls to get good looks. What I picked up by talking to people is you couldn't give them any time," Merica said. "They were feeling good about themselves and if you give them time they were going to knock down shots. And it proved true." Wolfe finished with 16 points, while Crislip had 15. Michelle Molinari, while not connecting on any of her 3s, added 10 points to put four Patriots in double figures. It proved to be more than enough help for Stephens.
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