Parkersburg, WV -

Marietta (OH)         08   14  11  16   =   49

Parkersburg South   16   21  07  22   =   66

South Scoring:   Danielle Floyd 16, Katelyn Porter 16, Sammy Hicks 14, Jessica Moore 12, Kelsi Halbert 8.

Marietta Scoring:  LeAnne Ross 25, Mary Beth Schramm 10, Davis 4, Grosel 4, Summers 4, Lauren Ross 2.

Junior Varsity:  Marietta 47, Parkersburg South 40

Marietta (OH)            08   16   11   16   =   47

Parkersburg South      10   09   10   11   =   40

South Scoring:  Allison Parsons 21, Mary Lewis 12, Hannah Maston 3, Taylor Gribble 2, Maddy Slone 2.

Marietta Scoring:  Schramm 14, Stall 11, Harvey 9, Brown 5, Hushion 4, Stalter 2, Bonar 2.

South tops Marietta, 66-49

By Steve Hemmelgarn, Parkersburg News & Sentinel

PARKERSBURG - Host Parkersburg South did almost everything right in the first half en route to a 15-point lead, but then had to stave off a rallying Marietta throughout the second half to register a 66-49 girls basketball triumph over the Tigers at the Rod Oldham Athletic Center Thursday night,

The defending Class AAA West Virginia state champion Patriots improved to 4-0 on the season while Marietta dropped to 3-4. South, currently ranked No. 2 in AAA, next plays at Fairmont Senior Saturday while the Tigers are off until Dec. 30 when they host Parkersburg High.

The Patriots, led by 16 points each from Danielle Floyd and Katelyn Porter, never trailed in the game. South jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Marietta finally scored at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter on a basket by Mary Beth Schramm.

South led 16-8 at the quarter break and with Porter draining a trio of 3-balls in the second stanza, the Patriots continued to roll along, going up 37-22 at intermission on Sammy Hicks' trey with 43.6 seconds left in the half.

Plus on defense, South held LeAnne Ross, the Tigers' leading scorer and key to the Marietta offense, to just eight points in the first half, all in the second period, and dominated on the boards as well to forge its halftime advantage.

The spread reached 18 (40-22) early in the third quarter on Kelsi Halbert's trey before Ross, who finished with a game-high 25 points, started to heat up. Her three-point play with 1:16 left in the canto made it a 13-point (44-31) difference and Ricci Davis' short baseline jumper with just 3.5 seconds to go closed the gap to 44-33 heading into the final period.

Through the initial five minutes of the fourth quarter, Ross was the catalyst for Marietta with her point production. But at every turn, the Patriots countered her efforts with Hicks, Floyd and Porter coming through with clutch hoops to keep South on top by double digits.

But after a Ross basket followed by two foul shots made it 53-46 with only 2:29 to play, it was Floyd to the rescue to sink the Tigers. The senior point guard drove down the lane for a layup at 2:18, then drilled a '3' from out front at 1:35 to boost the lead back to 58-46.

Ross sank a trey with 1:05 left after a midcourt steal by Schramm. But the Tigers had no choice but to foul in the final minute with the Patriots converting six of eight free throws in a span of 33.8 seconds to expand the lead to 64-49 before Floyd stole an inbounds pass for a field goal with 12 seconds to go for the final 17-point spread.

Jessica Moore added 12 points, Hicks 10 and Halbert eight for South, while Schramm notched 10 in support of Ross.

"We played a good first half," said South head coach Scott Stephens, "but we got tired in the second half. The fourth quarter, we couldn't buy a basket early, then finally got it going. But Marietta is a good basketball team."

When the Patriots needed someone to step up late to stem the Marietta tide, "Floyd took over," said Stephens. "She's the leader; she's the one who makes us go."

Marietta head coach Tom Wildt said "the first and second halves were completely different. We just didn't play very good fundamental basketball, make good decisions or shoot very well in the first half. The second half was just the opposite for the most part, but we just couldn't get all the way back."