State Tournament — Takeaways From The Evening Session
The second pod of three games came and went at the Charleston Coliseum on Wednesday evening. They nearly included the biggest upset in girls state tournament history as No. 8-seed Bridgeport took top-seeded North Marion to overtime in a Class…
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Continue ReadingThe second pod of three games came and went at the Charleston Coliseum on Wednesday evening. They nearly included the biggest upset in girls state tournament history as No. 8-seed Bridgeport took top-seeded North Marion to overtime in a Class AA quarterfinal before the Huskies ultimately prevailed 58-49. Also included was a strong second-half performance from two-time, defending Class AAA state champion Parkersburg and a masterful defensive effort by Class AA No. 4 Lincoln on Baylee Goins Baylee Goins 5'8" | CG Nitro | 2021 State WV (2021) of Nitro. Here are four things that stuck out in the evening session.
Lincoln’s defensive game plan
The Cougars used a combination of a 1-3-1 zone and a man-to-man out front to stymie Nitro’s Baylee Goins Baylee Goins 5'8" | CG Nitro | 2021 State WV as the Cougars picked up a 63-55 win in a Class AA quarterfinal. Key to it all was Lincoln junior guard Victoria Sturm Victoria Sturm 5'9" | SF Robert C. Byrd | 2021 State WV (2021), who was at the top of that zone and shadowed Goins everywhere she went. The Cougars also got nice help inside to stuff the lane and while Lincoln held Goins to 10 of 34 shooting, Sturm also got hers offensively, pouring in a team-best 26 points. All told, Lincoln outscored Nitro 40-10 in the paint and held the Wildcats to two fast-break points in the win.
Bridgeport’s improvement
The Indians were throttled by 47 points by North Marion in the regular season but had a layup rattle out from freshman Gabby Reep Gabby Reep 5'7" | CG Bridgeport | 2023 State WV (2023) as time expired, or Bridgeport would have pulled the biggest upset in state-tournament history. Reep scored 11 points in her state tournament debut as the Indians turned in a gutty effort that also included 12 points from reserve AnnaMarie Pinti (2021) and 10 from Paige Humble (2021). All three will return next season and after a slow start to the year, Bridgeport could be a team to look out for in the near future.
Parkersburg’s defense
While it wasn’t always pretty offensively for the Big Reds, especially in the first half, that defense that has driven Parkersburg to the top of the heap in West Virginia girls basketball was on full display yet again. The Big Reds tallied 25 steals in forcing 34 turnovers from No. 8 Spring Mills and as usual, it was a team effort. Aleea Crites Aleea Crites 5'10" | PF Parkersburg | 2020 State WV (2020) had six, Bre Wilson Bre Wilson 5'10" | SF Parkersburg | 2020 State WV (2020) and Sierra Mason Sierra Mason 5'5" | CG Parkersburg | 2023 State WV (2023) each had five and Maddi Leggett Maddi Leggett 5'7" | PG Parkersburg | 2020 State WV (2020) added four as the swarming Big Reds suffocated the Cardinals. Crites would also added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Buonamici’s leadership
While a lot of things were going wrong for North Marion, Taylor Buonamici Taylor Buonamici 5'8" | PG North Marion | 2020 State WV (2020) provided the steady hand befitting a senior and player with state-championship pedigree. Buonamici provided 23 points and hit 8 of 10 free throws as the Huskies were forced to unexpectedly battle for their lives. Buonamici is on the short list for state player of the year consideration, and she’ll get another shot to impress voters Friday in a semifinal against Lincoln.