Parkersburg South    19  16    16   18  =  69

Fairmont Senior        15  15    10   16  =  56

South Scoring:  Kayla Ayers 18, Danielle Floyd 15, Asia Greenleaf 10, Jessica Gilkeson 8, Ali Morris 6, Kara Longwell 5, Kelsi Halbert 4, Amber Shreeves 2.

Fairmont Scoring:  Jasper 18, Hendrixson 13, Hall 13, Wilson 12.

South Statistics:   Rebounds, 25 (Ayers 7);  Assists, 19 (Floyd 7);  Steals, 24 (Greenleaf 7);  Blocks, 5 (Greenleaf 4);  Turnovers, 24;  Offensive Rebounds, 14;  Free-Throw Shooting, 11-14 (79%).

Fairmont Statistics:   Turnovers, 36;  Offensive Rebounds, 14;  Free-Throw Shooting, 14-24 (58%).

Junior Varsity:  Parkersburg South 55, Fairmont Senior 39

Parkersburg South      09   16   17   13  =  55

Fairmont Senior          07   10   09   13  =  39

South JV Scoring:  Jessica Moore 13, Kelsi Halbert 12, Hannah Maston 12, Mary Seagraves 10, Sammy Hicks 6, Sarah Beha 2.

Fairmont JV Scoring:  Starkey 8, Horton 6, Hudson 5, Hayhurst 5, Averson 5, Ridchardson 4, O'Neal 4, Fitzwatch 2.

South JV Statistics:  Rebounds, 32 (Moore 13);  Assists, 11 (Maston 4);  Steals, 17 (Beha 6);  Turnovers, 22;  Offensive Rebounds, 14 (Moore 7);  Free-Throw Shooting, 20-30 (67%);  Field Goal Shooting, 17-48 (35%).

Fairmont Statistics:  Turnovers, 30;  Offensive Rebounds, 13;  Free-Throw Shooting 5-14 (36%).

Turnovers kill

Bears struggle to hold onto ball, fall, 69-56

By Mike Bowen
Times West Virginian
 

FAIRMONT — Facing the No. 4-ranked team in the state, West Fairmont’s girls’ basketball team was in for a hard enough battle Saturday night.

The Polar Bears didn’t need to make it any easier for the Parkersburg South Patriots, but they did.

Turnover problems plagued the Bears all night in new head coach Ashley Reed’s first home game as the Patriots held off the Bears, 69-56.

“Turnovers killed us,” Reed said. “The girls played hard, and I can’t fault their effort. There are some things that we need to work on and (eliminating) turnovers is definitely one of them.”

West Fairmont (1-1) kept things close in the opening half of the game, trailing by four after the first quarter (19-15) and five at halftime (35-30).

But the Patriots started to pull away in the third quarter, though the Bears trailed by single digits early in the fourth, to get the win.

Elizabeth Hendrixson and Michelle Wilson did most of the damage for West in the first quarter, but the Patriots’ hot shooting coupled with a smothering press defense ended many Polar Bear possessions prematurely.

“Parkersburg is a great team,” Reed said. “They are a measuring stick for us. They run the fast break well, and that 1-2-2 press really gave us some trouble. They are where we want to be. They’ve always had a good team. I remember when I was playing having some battles with them.”

The Bears had four players score in double figures, led by Valarie Jasper.

Jasper scored 12 of her game-high 18 points from the free-throw stripe. Jordan Hall and Hendrixson added 13 points, and Wilson finished with 12.

The Polar Bears weren’t the only ones making mistakes as Parkersburg South turned the ball over plenty in the first half, but it shot the ball extremely well around the basket.

West went nearly half the third quarter without scoring a point, allowing the Patriots to open a double-digit lead. But the Bears battled back and cut their deficit to only eight points early on in the fourth.

Then the turnovers came again, allowing Parkersburg South to push its lead back to double digits, which the Patriots hung onto until the final buzzer.

“These girls are going to give 110 percent every time they step on the floor,” Reed said. “We’re getting better every day. I’m not a quitter, and neither is any of these girls.”

The Polar Bears will return to action on Tuesday when they host University.
 

Local Summaries

Parkersburg South 69,  Fairmont Senior 56

FAIRMONT — The Parkersburg South Girls basketball team jumped out to a 19-15 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in its 69-56 win against a physical Fairmont Senior team on Saturday.

The Patriots held onto a 35-30 lead at halftime, widening the gap six more in the third before finishing the game 13 ahead.

Kayla Ayers paced the Patriots with 18 points while Danielle Floyd added 15 and Asia Greenleaf tossed in 10.

Greenleaf also had six rebounds and seven assists while Ayers had seven rebounds and five assists. Valerie Jasper led Fairmont Senior in scoring with 18 while Jordan Hall and Elizabeth Henprixson added 13 apiece.