Winfield, WV -  Heidi Floyd scored a career high 29 points and handed out 5 assists in a full 32 minutes of play to lead Class AAA No. 4 Parkersburg South to a 83-67 win over Class A No. 4 Mercer Christian.

The Patriots were assessed a technical foul during warm-ups for not having a player's name in the scorebook.   Virginia Tech recruit Brittney Cook made both free-shots to give Mercer Christian a 2-0 advantage before tip-off.   The administrative mishap left long-time Lady Patriot scorekeeper Jerry Looney wondering if alternate transportation home would be required.

Mercer took possession of the ball to start the game, but turned it over when Brittney Harvey stole the ball just 10 seconds into the contest.     On the Patriots ensuing possession, the Lady Patriots missed several shots but kept the possession alive with three consecutive offensive rebounds before Cook sent center Jill Stephens to the line for two shots.   Stephens tied the game at 2-2 with 7:23 remaining.

Mercer's next possession ended with a turnover while on the other end the Lady Patriots were called for a foul fighting for a rebound.    At the 6:42 mark, Mercer Christian's Laura Stephans put in a carom for Cook to take a 4-2 lead with 6:42 remaining.

It would be Mercer Christian's final lead of the night as Heidi Floyd drained a 3-pointer assisted by Ashley Curry with 6:26 to play to give South a 5-4 lead.   

Two consecutive baskets by Stephens, one assisted by Lauren Blair, gave South a 9-6 lead.   Mercer Christian called time-out with 5:05 remaining in the first quarter.

South would surge ahead to 13-6 with a lay-up by Ashley Curry and a basket from Blair (assisted by Curry).   Mercer cut the lead to 13-10 after a jumpshot by Cook with 4:05 to play.   

South would use a 10-0 run over the next 1:45 to blow the lead up to 23-10.   Stephens and Curry grabbed defensive boards on consecutive possessions and the Patriots forced 4 consecutive turnovers to shutdown Mercer Christian.    Floyd scored 6 points in the run and assisted a score from Harvey. 

Mercer cut the margin to 25-15 at the end of the quarter.

Mercer Christian battled back to start the second quarter, cutting the lead to 7 points, 30-23 with 5:20 to play in the quarter.   However, another 10-0 run by South that forced 4 more Mercer Christian turnovers put the lead by to 40-23 with under 3 minutes to play.

Cook scored 6 of 9 points for Mercer Christian in the closing minutes of the half to cut the lead to 45-32 at halftime.

Floyd scored 11 points in the third quarter as South maintained a 15 point or greater lead throughout the quarter.

Mercer made a run in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 10 points with 4:40 to play.   Mercer used a 12-2 run with the help of 5 South turnovers.   

South responded with a 10-0 run of their own to put the game away.   Jill Stephens scored 5, Blair 3, and Floyd 2 in the run.  On the defensive side, the Patriots forced 5 turnovers.

Mercer managed to get no closer than 12 points the remainder of the game.   Ashley Curry's steal and lay-up with under 10 seconds to play was the last bucket, giving South an 83-67 victory.

The Patriots dominated the boards with a 40-22 advantage.   Stephens led the way with 13 rebounds to go along with 27 points, playing all but 12 seconds of the contest.   

Parkersburg South  25  20  19  19 = 83

Mercer Christian     15  17  13  22 = 67

South Scoring:   Floyd 29, Stephens 27, Harvey 9, Blair 8, Curry 4, Tackett 4, Molinari 2.

Mercer Christian Scoring:   Cook 30, Steele 23, Stephans 9, Meade 3, Lawrence 2..

South Statistics:   Shooting, 33-62 (53%);   Rebounds, 40 (Stephens 13);  Steals, 17 (Harvey 5, Blair 4);   Assists, 18 (Floyd, Molinari 5);  Turnovers, 16 .

Mercer Christian Stats:   Shooting, 25-48 (52%);   Rebounds, 22.

 

3 top girls players show talents at Winfield By Jim Workman FOR THE GAZETTE WINFIELD — Three strong candidates for the state’s top girls basketball player award were on display at the Winfield Winter Classic on Friday. Parkersburg South junior center Jill Stephens scored 27 points as the Patriots, ranked No. 4 in Class AAA, knocked off Mercer Christian, ranked No. 4 in Class A, 83-67. Brittany Cook, Mercer’s all-state senior guard who has signed with Virginia Tech, netted 30 points. In another game, senior guard Karah Cloxton, a Class AA all-state pick last year, scored 20 to lead Winfield to a 59-31 victory over Greater Beckley Christian. Cloxton has signed with the University of Dayton. South and Winfield will meet for the tourney title tonight at 7, and Mercer and Greater Beckley will compete in the consolation at 5. PARKERSBURG SOUTH 83, MERCER CHRISTIAN 67: Mercer Christian impressed first-year South coach Scott Stephens, who took over for longtime Patriots mentor Steve Wiseman this year. “Mercer Christian is back, and they’re for real,” he said following his team’s win over the Lady Cavaliers. Mercer’s girls program did not compete last season because of a lack of players at the small school. The Cavaliers had won three straight state titles. Heidi Floyd tallied 29 points for the Patriots (2-0). Mercer (0-2) also had a solid performance from Scarlett Steele, who scored 23 points — 15 in the second half. “It’s not a matter of wins and losses at this point in the season,” said Mercer coach Rick Cook. “We’re looking to get better each night. Playing a team the caliber of South is making us better. We’ll reach our potential come February and March, hopefully. We appreciate the opportunity to play at this high level.”