Charleston, WV -

 

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Parkersburg South High School	18	13	11	19		61
Morgantown High School	13	11	19	14		57

Parkersburg South High School

Morgantown High School

GameNotes:
Third-seed Parkersburg South pulled off the upset of top-ranked and defending champ Morgantown in the AAA title game.

Senior Allison Crislip hit two crucial three-pointers late in the game as the Patriots held off the Mohigans last gasp effort. Crislip finished with 12 points, junior Taylor Phillips led Parkersburg South with 15 points.

State Player of the Year Kerry Pryor finished her fantastic career by scoring 20 points in a losing effort. It was the first girls basketball state championship in Parkersburg South history.

Morgantown was playing in the state title game for the third time in four years in an attempt to repeat as AAA champions. It was Morgantown's first loss to a West Virginia team since the 2004 sectionals.
 

AAA: Parkersburg South stuns Morgantown

By JIM BUTTA, Parkersburg News & Sentinel

Parkersburg South’s unbelievable drive to a first-ever state basketball title ended in success Saturday night at the Civic Center when the No. 3 seed Patriots handed defending state champion Morgantown a stunning 61-57 defeat.

Junior Taylor Phillips tallied a team-high 15 points and senior Allison Crislip chipped in with 12 as the Patriots overcame some second half jitters en route to handing Morgantown only its second loss in 27 games this season.

"Our depth was a factor," Parkersburg South head coach Scott Stephens said. "Coming out and hitting the shots we hit at the beginning was a factor."

It was the Patriots third time in the state title match -- South lost to Stonewall Jackson by a 48-41 count in 1984 and to Huntington (69-53) in 2000.

"It (the state title) means so much to all of us," Crislip said. "We've worked so hard for this all of our lives."

After having to overcome slow starts in wins over Bridgeport (49-36) and George Washington (57-52), the southsiders finally found their shooting touch. Phillips, who transferred to Parkersburg South after helping Parkersburg Catholic capture the Class A title a year ago, tallied eight points in the game's first six minutes to help the Patriots take an 18-13 lead after the first quarter of action.

South hit on seven of their 13 attempts in the frame in forging the five-point lead.

"We've struggled at the start in both of our previous games," added Stephens. "So for us to get that kind of start was huge for us tonight."

The Patriots' shooting cooled a little over the next eight minutes, but was still a solid 50 percent (12 of 24) for the half as they took a seven-point, 31-24, lead into the locker rooms at the intermission.

But, Stephens knew the Mohigans weren't finished.

"We told our girls at halftime that they (Morgantown) were the defending state champion and we should expect that they would make a run and they did," said the coach.

With state player of the year Keri Pryor, who tallied a game-high 20 points in her final game in high school, leading the way No. 1 seeded Morgantown opened the third quarter with a 15-7 run to take a 39-38 lead on a Pryor steal and layup with 3:16 showing on the clock.

But unlike during their two regular season meetings, which Morgantown won by the scores of 62-50 and 51-35, this time the girls in red, white and blue wouldn't fold.

"Our girls didn't panic," explained Stephens. "They knew that they were capable of coming back and they didn't over react when they took the lead."

Instead the southsiders came fighting back, tying the game at 40 on an Erica Shreeves deuce with 2:45 left in the frame and then regaining the lead, 42-40, on a steal by Phillips which led to an Ali Morris lay-in.

Morgantown wouldn't go away, however, as Pryor's only trey of the game propelled the Mohigans to a one-point, 43-42, advantage with eight minutes left to play.

And, what a final quarter of action it was for the Wood Countians.

"We didn't get excited about it and stayed with our game plan," added the South coach.

After a pair of lead changes and a tie at 46 over the first two minutes, South took the lead for good on a Crislip trey with 5:16 left in the game. The lead ballooned to seven, 53-46, on buckets by Stacy Houser and Morris.

A rebound bucket by Morgantown's Cynthia Fullard sliced the deficit to five, 53-48, but another Crislip trifecta upped the Patriot advantage to eight, 56-48, with 3:21 left to play in the game.

The closest the Mohigans would get after that, however, would be three, 60-57, on a Brittany Whiting trey with 48 ticks remaining on the clock.

Crislip iced the game away with a one-for-two showing at the charity stripe with 38.7 seconds left while a long 3-pointer by Whiting and a shot by Fullard came up empty for the Mohigans.

South, which finished the season with a 22-5 mark, placed three players on the all-tournament team -- Phillips, Morris and Kayla Ayers.

It was the first time the city of Parkersburg had captured two of the three championship games since the 1991 season when Parkersburg Catholic defeated Burch by one point, 39-38, to win the Class A title and Parkersburg defeated John Marshall by a 53-40 score in the Class AAA championship game.

Class AAA: Parkersburg South tires out Morgantown

By Tommy Atkinson, Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail

Parkersburg South showed plenty of leg Saturday night.

The third-seeded Patriots received a lift from their bench and seemed more energetic down the stretch in upending top-seeded and defending state champion Morgantown 61-57 in the Class AAA state championship game. A crowd of about 1,400 attended at the Civic Center.

South (22-5), which won its first girls high school basketball state title, matched the one Parkersburg Catholic won Saturday afternoon. The only other time Parkersburg schools took girls basketball championships in the same tournament was 1991 when Parkersburg and Parkersburg Catholic accomplished the feat.

The Patriots’ last state title game appearance was a 69-53 loss to Huntington in 2000. South also lost in the 1984 championship to Stonewall Jackson (74-59).

Morgantown (25-2) defeated South by 12 and 16 points, respectively, during the regular season. The Mohigans seniors finished with a 97-6 overall record with a pair of state championship game appearances, including last year’s title.

South rotated in four substitutes who combined for 16 points while Morgantown used just two subs who only contributed five points. South’s quartet played a total of 70 minutes while the Mohigans’ duo combined for 19 minutes.

“I think physically they were exhausted at the end of the ballgame,’’ said South coach Scott Stephens of Morgantown. “That’s just a tribute to the way these young ladies played defense. Our bench was super.’’

“I thought we were a step slow,’’ added Morgantown coach Allan Collins. “We used a bigger lineup and tried to play the power game. Their quickness gave us problems. We really couldn’t get anything going. They responded real well to everything we tried to do defensively.’’

Junior Taylor Phillips, who transferred from Parkersburg Catholic after helping the Crusaderettes to last year’s Class A state title, led South with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Senior Allison Crislip added 12 points, including a 3-of-7 performance on 3-pointers, and came up with three steals.

South made 51.1 percent of its shots and showed tremendous consistency. The Patriots knocked down 50.0 percent of their shots in the opening half and 52.4 after the break.

For Morgantown, which sank just 35.1 percent of its shots, senior and state player of the year Keri Pryor led all scorers with 20 points but did so on 8-of-22 shooting, including a 1-of-6 performance from 3-point range. The 5-foot-11 forward added eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Tara Napolillo pitched in 12 points on 4-of-6 accuracy from long range, and Cynthia Fullard had six points and 11 boards. Brittney Whiting contributed eight points, four rebounds and five assists.

Morgantown began the fourth quarter with a one-point lead (43-42), but South began to separate itself about midway through the final period.

Crislip began and ended an 8-2 run with a pair of 3-pointers that gave South an eight-point advantage (56-48) with 3:21 remaining. The Mohigans closed to four points (58-54) with 2:02 remaining, but was forced to start fouling because they were three fouls under the one-plus-one limit.

Crislip sank the front end plus the bonus of a one-plus-one with 56.8 seconds remaining for a 60-54 edge. Whiting answered right back with a 3 to slice the deficit in half (60-57) with 47.6 seconds to go.

Crislip converted the front end of another one-plus-one, but missed the back end as South held a four-point lead (61-57) with 38.9 seconds left. Whiting missed a 3-point attempt and Phillips rebounded and was fouled, but couldn’t hit the front end of the one-plus-one with 22.4 seconds remaining.

Pryor’s 3-point attempt was blocked on the ensuing possession was blocked. Fullard gathered the loose ball and missed an inside shot then Crislip corralled the carom. South turned the ball over on the other end, but the Mohigans only had a couple of seconds remaining and soon as they inbounded, the horn sounded.

“I just think they lost their legs,’’ said Phillips. “They had to make a run so that takes a lot of energy out of you. And then try to get over the hump and try to get a lead [and] that takes even more out of you. They were just tired.’’

Crusaderettes added to their massive legacy, while South started one of its own

by dave poe, Parkersburg News & Sentinel Sports Editor
 

PARKERSBURG —Saturday was a great day to be from the city of Parkersburg.

Two state championships.

In basketball, of all sports.

Parkersburg Catholic added to its incredible tradition. Parkersburg South added its name to the state record books.

Both games were thrilling roller-coaster rides whose outcome remained a mystery to the waning seconds.

In fact, the Crusaderettes 49-48 win wasn’t sealed until a last-second Charleston Catholic attempt clanged off the rim.

When it did, Parkersburg Catholic had claimed back-to-back titles for the fourth time in its illustrious history. The 2005 and 2006 teams joined the 97-98, 83-84 and 77-78 Crusaderettes in a rather exclusive group.

Catholic had gone through a lot this season. Taylor Phillips, one of its star players from last year’s team, transferred to South. Plus, coach Dick Wildt suffered a stroke that would have caused many 65-year-old men to give up the intense pressure of coaching.

Not Wildt. He loves what he does and loves where he’s doing it — at his alma mater. His team faced an uphill battle Saturday against top-ranked Charleston Catholic, which was playing in its hometown. But the Crusaderettes —with the Tokodi sisters, Sarah and Teresa —leading the way, simply would not be denied.

This game was one for the ages. Every time the Crusaderettes would build up a comfortable lead, Charleston Catholic would come storming back. It was a nailbiter, a barnburner, one of those gut-wrenching games that wears and eats at everyone who is watching, yet alone participating.

There’s no bigger stage than the state tournament. And there was no bigger star than Sarah Tokodi, who Wildt kept saying all year was the best player in the state. He’s still saying it today. And both he and Tokodi have made a lot of believers.

Wildt didn’t hesitate to say this was the most special title with which he ever had been associated. No team had to endure as many setbacks as did Catholic, which was a reflection of its head coach and his incredible determination.

While Catholic’s win was satisfying, Parkersburg South’s was downright stunning.

The Patriots were going up against 25-1 Morgantown. The No. 1 team in the state. The defending state champions. A team that had beaten the Patriots 62-50 in Morgantown and had embarrassed South at the Rod Oldham Athletic Center, 51-35.

Even the most optimistic South fan had to admit the odds were stacked against the Patriots. But South came out determined to leave everything it had on the Civic Center court Saturday night and it did just that.

Scott Stephens’ Patriots jumped on Morgantown early, dominating the first half. And when the mighty Mohigans made their expected second half run and actually grabbed a brief lead, South dug down deep and once again pulled away.

While Phillips — who now has won a Class A and a Class AAA state title —and Allison Crislip clearly are the stars of this team, no group of young ladies epitomizes the word team more than do the Patriots. They proved that during their semifinal win over George Washington, which only happened because of South’s deep bench. And they proved it again Saturday, when virtually every Patriot who took the court contributed to the most stunning of upsets.

Winning state championships is becoming a habit at Parkersburg South. Over the last four years, the Patriots have claimed state titles in the four high-profile sports, winning football and boys basketball titles in 2003, a wrestling title in 2005 and now its first girls basketball crown in 2006. No other school in the state can claim that much recent success.

Saturday marked the first time since 1991 two Parkersburg teams have won state basketball titles on the same day. That year, Parkersburg Catholic defeated Burch —yet another one-point Crusaderette victory —while Parkersburg High beat John Marshall for the Class AAA championship.

Saturday was one of those days Parkersburg basketball fans never will forget. Two state titles. Two wins over No. 1-ranked teams. Two cardiac games.

As the country music song goes, “We ain’t never had so much fun.”

South Takes First Title

Associated Press

Parkersburg South has shocked defending champion Morgantown 61-to-57 tonight for its first girls Class Triple-A basketball title.

The third-seeded Patriots held state player of the year Keri Pryor scoreless over the final six minutes and used a ten-to-two run to take the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter.

Taylor Phillips had 15 points and ten rebounds for Parkersburg South. Allison Crislip scored nine of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Pryor led Morgantown with 20 points. Tara Napolillo scored 12.

Parkersburg South led by as many as nine points before halftime.

The lead changed six times in the second half. Crislip hit two three-pointers during the decisive run that put Parkersburg South ahead 56-to-48 with three minutes, 22 seconds left in the game.

Morgantown got as close as 60-to-57 on Brittney Whiting's three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining, but the Mohigans didn't score again.

Parkersburg South had lost twice to number one Morgantown during the regular season.

Class AAA All-Tournament Team
Kayla Ayers - Parkersburg South
Jennifer Hoffman - Hedgesville
Brittany Holestine - George Washington
Ali Morris - Parkersburg South
Amanda Peck - Morgantown
Taylor Phillips - Parkersburg South
Keri Pryor - Morgantown
Brittney Whiting - Morgantown