By Joe Costa
CHARLESTON, W.V-- Teams in three classifications from all over the state of West Virginia made their way through district and regional competition to descend on the Charleston Civic Center for four days of basketball last weekend. When the smoke cleared, just one team from each of the classifications was left standing.
This year’s event had its share of thrilling moments. It would be hard not to become a fan of Karli Pinkerton and the Sissonville Indians, despite an incredible performance from Fairmont’s Emily Stoller. West Virginia coaching legend Shannon Lewis took basically a new team from St. Joseph’s Central and wins his seventh straight West Virginia Class A Championship And finally the dynasty coach Jason White is building in Morgantown has a bedrock of solid defensive play. Here’s a look back at the “madness” from the Mountain State.
QUARTERFINALS
Class A
(3) Tucker County- 60
(6) St. Mary’s- 50
TC- Aiyana Kachmarek-16, Sydney Nestor-11
SM- Ashley Hall-27, Jordan Fox-12, Jenna Nichols-10
(2) Wheeling Central- 51
(7) Fayetteville- 34
WC- Lindsey Baker-12, Regan Blaha-11
FYT- Kendall Maylay-16
(1) St. Joseph Central- 75
(8) Tug Valley- 46
SJC- Alexis Hall-19, Destiny Sims-15, Mychelle Johnson-14, Kendra Ziegler-12
TV- Adreana Vance-20, Emily Colegrove-12, Taylor Parsley-10
(4) Pocahontas County- 28
(5) Charleston Catholic- 57
CC- Vida Imani-15, Catherine Bandak-11
PC- Tristin Day-8
Class AA
(4) Sissonville- 44
(5) Clay County- 32
SIS- Karli Pinkerton-26, Madison Jones-10
CLC- McKinzee Barker-17
(3) North Marion- 55
(6) Lincoln- 59
NM- Presley Tuttle-15, Christa Tobin-14, Brittany Sigley-12
LCN- Hope Bray-28
(2) Fairmont Senior- 66
(7) Bridgeport- 60
FRSR-Emily Stoller-32
BDG- Quinn Stalnaker-15, Kaitlin Smith-15
(1) Wyoming East- 68
(8) Bluefield- 48
WYE- Kara Sandy-30, Allie Lusk-10
BLU- Jia Coppola-13, Essence Brown-12, Dani Janutolo-10
Class AAA
(2) Parkersburg South- 61
(7) Martinsburg- 43
PBS- Taryn McCuthcheon-14, Anna Hayton-12, Keya Bartlett-11
MBG- Kristen Nunn-16, Alexus Bonner-12, Taylor Ferguson-11
(1) Morgantown- 64
(8) Buckhannon-Upshur-18
MGTN- Rachel Laskody-11, Olivia Seggie-10, Sydney Holloway-10, Brie Giuliani-8
BUC- Megan Wilfong-5, Lauren Louk-5
(4) Huntington- 67
(5) Spring Valley- 56
HUN- Jordyn Dawson-22, Lexi Sheffield-17, Erica Budd-14, Dazha Congleton-12
SV- Madison Morris-17, Sarah Kelly-13, Karlee Alderman-11
(3) South Charleston- 52
(6) Greenbrier East- 49
SCHA- Taliah Cashwell-14, Aaliyah Dunham-11, Rhea Smith-10
GBR- Katie Wilmer-15, Sydney Nunley-12
SEMIFINALS
Class A
(2) Wheeling Central- 52
(3) Tucker County- 40
WC- Lindsey Baker-26
TC- Elizabeth Nichols-11
Wheeling Central put their pressure man to man defense on the Tucker County Mountain Lions early on to race out to a 14-4 lead after one quarter of play. The second quarter was a back and forth affair with Wheeling Central taking a 27-14 lead into the halftime locker room.
The second half started with a determined Tucker County group who turned up the pressure but Wheeling Central remained steady. The Lady Knights scored 12 and 13 points respectively in the final two quarters to pull out a 52-40 victory and to insure a spot in the Class A final Saturday.
(1) St. Joseph Central- 51
(5) Charleston Catholic- 27
SJC- Destiny Sims-13, Kendra Ziegler-12 Alexis Hall-10
CC- Vida Imani-10
St. Joe’s may not have the team this season that they have had in previous campaigns, but they are still pretty darn good. Coach Lewis is building this group into the championship image of Lady Irish teams of the past. This St. Joseph’s Central team is young and they will be loaded for a couple years to come which is bad news for teams in the state Class A like Charleston Catholic.
The top seed Lady Irish had very little problem dispatching Charleston Catholic 51-27. Also nicknamed the Lady Irish, CC a solid small school team with enough youth and effort to keep them competitive in Class A, that is until they ultimately ran into St. Joseph’s Central.
Class AA
(2) Fairmont Senior- 65
(6) Lincoln- 35
FMS- Emily Stoller-22, Erica Bowles-12
LCN- Hope Bray-17, Gracey Lamm-10
Fairmont Senior jumped all over Lincoln going on a 16-0 run in the first 5 minutes of the game. After two time outs the Lady Cougars played the Polar Bears even for the rest of the quarter but in the second the pressure continued and mistakes continued to mount. The Polar Bears were just too much for Lincoln in the first half as senior guard Emily Stoller finished the half with 18 points.
Fairmont continued their dominance in the second half with Stoller adding only 4 more points in limited second half action. Hope Bray continued her solid tournament play finishing with 17 points for Lincoln.
(1) Wyoming East- 54
(4) Sissonville- 55
WYE- Gabby Lupardus-27, Kara Sandy-10
SIS- Karli Pinkerton-20, Madison Jones-15 Mikayla Long-13
A solid but lack luster first half gave no glimpse to what we were about to witness in the closing minutes of this classic. After a 9-0 run by the Warriors put Wyoming up 9 in the third, Sissonville called a time out and came out on a 7-0 run of their own to close to within two. The final quarter looked like a playground game played between two teams from different parts of town that didn’t like each other. Sissonville with Karli Pinkerton and Wyoming East’s Gabby Lupardus set the tone down the stretch. Back and forth they went until Wyoming East took a seven point lead with a little over two minutes to go. The rest is some of the best basketball I have seen in a while. At the aforementioned 2:29 mark, the Indians found themselves down seven points… and then the fun began. Out of the timeout Sissonville turned the gas up high and lit a match defensively chasing the Warriors into the floorboards. Even after three point specialist Madison Jones fouled out chasing down a loose ball and Sissonville needed a 3, Mikayla Long stepped up to calmly bury the crucial three pointer the Indians needed. The steal of a pressured inbounds pass gave the Indians the ball up 51-50 with: 44 on the clock leading the Indians to the conversion of a couple of free throws. Despite a controversial three pointer by Lupardus at the buzzer, the Indians held on with a 55-54 win.
Class AAA
(1) Morgantown- 48
(4) Huntington- 42
MGTN- Sydney Holloway-12 Liv Seggie-11
HUN- Dazha Congleton-17, Jordyn Dawson-14
Like a heavyweight title fight, the Morgantown Mohigans and the Huntington Highlanders stood toe to toe center ring and slugged it out the entire first quarter. The first haymaker came in the second when Morgantown finished the quarter on a 12-0 run to take a 26-17 lead into the locker room.
Huntington countered and got within 5 early in the third but the mentally tough Mohigans held their ground. Coach White called a time out, regrouped, settled them down and turned the defense back on to close the quarter on 11-4 run of their own. The final stanza was a bit rocky when the Mohigans pulled up on the reigns a little early when the Highlanders weren’t ready to go home. In the end Morgantown’s consistency and Huntington’s lack of it sealed the victory for the Mohigans.
(2) Parkersburg South- 64
(3) South Charleston- 41
PBS- Keya Bartlett-22, Anna Hayton-18
SCH- Taliah Cashwell-11
South Charleston had no answer for the Patriots methodical approach to this game. Star senior Guard Keya Bartlett scored 16 of her game high 21 points and junior Anna Hayton added 12 of her 18 total in the first half.
The number two seeded Patriots seem to be on a mission moving on to Saturday and a showdown with the top seeded Morgantown Mohigans.
Quick Hitters (Friday’s losing teams)
Elizabeth Nichols (2017- 5’10” – F/G – Tucker County) In between size but it allows her to put herself in different positions to score…Needs a set-up person to get her in position.
Hope Bray (2017- 5’9” – G - Lincoln) A quick ball handler that attacks the hoop hard and gets herself to the foul line, where she is very proficient.
Vida Imani ((2017 – 5’11” – G/F – Charleston Catholic) Can score inside and out…Smart with great instincts…Finds the right spots vs a defense to get open looks at the basket.
Dazha Congleton (2016 - 5'8" - G - Huntington) Fast with a good handle…Gets to the hoop and finishes strong…Always around the ball.
Jordyn Dawson (2017 – 5’10” – F/G – Huntington) Athletic and smooth…Has the ability to take over a game. Good finish with either hand.
Gabby Lupardus (2018 – 5’7” – G - Wyoming East) One of the better freshman in the state…Attacks the basket and finishes with reckless abandon…Has a solid jump shot with good range…Needs confidence with her left hand ball handling…Forces shots up sometimes but she has all the tools to be special.
Taliah Cashwell (2016 – 5’6” – G – South Charleston) Slasher…Quick off her feet can score at the hoop…Streaky shooter but a good stroke.
Aaliyah Dunham (2017 – 5’3” – G – South Charleston) Athletic…Has all the tools to make her special but tends to “wait”…With maturity should come some awareness.
FINALS
Class A
(1) St. Joseph Central- 40
(2) Wheeling Central- 37
SJC- Alexis Hall- 17, Tyesha Taylor-12
WHC- Lindsey Baker-11
Wheeling Central came out firing on all cylinders which meant plenty of Lindsey Baker. The junior Guard scored eight first quarter points. The Lady Knights shutout the Lady Irish 7 - 0 in the first 3:20, but St. Joe’s quickly regrouped and closed the gap to 14-10 by the end of the quarter. St. Joe’s tightened up defensively in the second and actually took a 25-16 lead behind freshman Alexis Hall’s 12 points as well as 7 more from Tyesha Taylor including two timely three pointers. Wheeling closed the half on 5-0 run to make it a four point game at the break.
The third period and first minutes of the fourth were neck in neck with neither team being able to establish any dominance. Never discount six titles in a row however as Coach Shannon Lewis put the Lady Irish in a match-up zone stifling Wheeling Central’s main scoring threat, Lindsey Baker holding her to just three second half points. Despite a few more mistakes than he would have preferred down the stretch, Coach Lewis’s group pulled out a three point victory 40-37 to capture an unprecedented seventh straight Class A championship.
Class AA
(2) Fairmont Senior- 47
(4) Sissonville- 50
FMS- Emily Stoller-18, Erica Bowles-10
SIS- Karli Pinkerton-26, Mikayla Long-11, Madison Jones-11
If the Sissonville administration ever decided to get politically correct about their nickname, I have the perfect new PC name for the girls’ basketball team; Fire Ants. Anyone spending time wearing Nike slides down in Georgia (See author!) knows the relentless attack that comes with unknowingly wading into a colony. The Indians rope everyone into playing their brand of basketball, and just like fire ants, they just keep coming at you. They keep attacking all game long and just when you think you have beaten them back…here they come again…harder!
In the first half Fairmont was pushed into the back and forth in the one on one game that Sissonville thrives on. Just as it seemed the Lady Polar Bears were comfortably outplaying the Indians, the up and down and rugby scrums began to take its toll on Fairmont. Thus, the Indians took a two point lead into the locker room.
Sissonville remained on the attack in the second half expanding their lead to 10 early in the fourth quarter. When Erica Bowles hit a jumper at the 5:26 mark Fairmont applied full court pressure of its own and as a result the Polar Bears went on an 11-4 run that closed the Sissonville lead to just one with 1:23 left. After a Sissonville timeout both teams missed shots and committed costly turnovers adding to the tension in the building. When Karli Pinkerton missed the second of two free throws the Indians wrestled the ensuing rebound from the Polar Bears they looked like they were home…but not quite yet. Fairmont fouled Pinkerton with 13 seconds left on the clock, and although she made both free throws the Indians led 48-44, it looked bad for the Polar Bears. But there is no quit in Fairmont’s Emily Stoller. It took her all of three seconds to pull the Polar Bears within one on a three pointer. After a quick foul of Pinkerton and subsequent made free throws, a final turnover by Fairmont sealed a hard fought victory and the AA Championship for Sissonville. Pinkerton, also a soccer standout, goal kicked the ball into the stands at the buzzer capping off a three game 66 point state tournament performance. How fitting that right after the final horn, Karli Pinkerton goal kicks the game ball into the stands as if paying homage to another of the three sports, soccer, that Karli excels in…66 points in 3 games, what a performance!
Class AAA
(1) Morgantown- 48
(2) Parkersburg South- 31
MGTN- Liv Seggie-15, Sydney Holloway-13
PKBS- Taryn McCutcheon-14
The fourth meeting between these two AAA powerhouses had all the earmarks of being a classic, considering two of the three previous match-ups were tight contests. Additionally, the crowd had already been spoiled by two exciting championship games, so, why not another one. Unfortunately things didn’t quite unfold that way.
Morgantown Coach Jason White provided a prophetic look into this game the day before in the postgame (Huntington) press conference when asked who he would rather face in the finals, Parkersburg or South Charleston, he said; “For my sleep’s sake, I hope it’s Parkersburg (South), because it will make our game plan easier to install, because we know each other so well.”
He got his sleep. Morgantown completely locked up the Patriot’s dynamic backcourt duo of Taryn McCutcheon and Keya Bartlett with the efforts of Liv Seggie and Sammie Parks. Bartlett had two points in the first half and just two more after the break while McCutcheon went scoreless early ultimately posting all 14 of her points in the second half with the game essentially decided. The Mohigans may have taken over four minutes to score their first points but as their defense kicked in and caused Parkersburg mistakes, the offense came alive enough to bury the Patriots.
Morgantown’s defense was so dominant that Parkersburg shot a miserable 9 percent in the first half (McCutcheon was 0-10) and finished a dismal 20.5 percent for the game. The Mohigans also out rebounded the Patriots by 12
Quick Hitters- Finals
Kendra Ziegler (2017 – 5’9” – G – St. Joseph Central) Lanky and athletic…Has good instincts and can score when called upon
Destiny Sims (2018 – 5’5” – G – St. Joseph Central) Has all the tools…Needs consistency…Quick down the lane…Good range on her jump shot
Alexis Hall (2018 – 5’9” – G – St Joseph Central) Has takeover ability and maturity at a young age…Can shoot and get to the hoop under control…Finishes strong at the basket
Lindsey Baker (2016 – 5’7” – G –Wheeling Central) Can do a lot of things on the floor…Good shot…Above average handle…Gets to the basket and the foul line
Karli Pinkerton (2016 – 5’5” – PG – Sissonville) Fearless…Fast, attacks the lane and finds the hoop…Controls the game…Has a motor that doesn’t stop…Great at the line…Good floater in the lane
Madison Jones (2016 – 5’3” – G – Sissonville) Three point range…puts up a lot of shots
Mikayla Long (2018 – 5’6” – G - Sissonville) Good ball handler and shooter…Scrappy…Always around the action…Plays with a ton of confidence
Emily Stoller (2015 - 5’11” – PG – Fairmont Senior – Cleveland State) Possesses everything you look for in a college guard…Vocal leadership…Plays tough defense…Great range on her shot…Ball handling is there…Can finish...Finally beginning to take over games
Liv Seggie (2015 – 5’3” – PG – Morgantown) Smart…Fast…Controls tempo and the player she is assigned to
Brie Giuliani (2015 – 5’10” – F – Morgantown) Lanky…Can score and defend…Runs the floor
Sydney Holloway (2016 – 510” – F – Morgantown) Athletic…Slasher and tough finisher inside…Needs to develop a perimeter game
Keya Bartlet (2015 - 5'4" - G - Parkersburg South) Smooth…Fast with the ball…Good handle…Great range on her jump shot
Taryn McCutcheon (2016 – 5’4” – PG –Parkersburg South – Verbal to Michigan State) Quick…Smart…Leader…Can shoot from multiple places on the floor…Good ball handler
Anna Hayton (2016 – 6’2” – F – Parkersburg South) Big…Strong…Moves well…Good scoring touch inside…Strong passer in full court
Joe Costa has been with Blue Star for 15 years serving as a National Evaluator and Director of the Rising Blue Star program. Coaching the Pittsburgh Rockers for over 10 years; he helped produce two national championships and over 75 scholarship student athletes. Additionally Costa has coached both girls and boys on the high school & collegiate levels plus served as a floor coach for several Nike All American Camps and Skills Academies. He can be reached at JCosta@bluestarbb.com and you can follow him on twitter @JoesephGCosta.
