Parkersburg’s Trinity Balog throws up a desperation shot during Wednesday’s game against Wheeling Park at Memorial Fieldhouse.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)
PARKERSBURG — Allowing large point totals is not how Wheeling Park rolls.
On the other hand, the girls basketball team from Parkersburg High School tends to do that to opposing defenses.
For the fourth time this season, the fifth-ranked Big Reds (10-2) eclipsed 80 points and exposed the third-ranked Patriots (11-3) for an 81-73 win Wednesday night at Memorial Fieldhouse.
“We didn’t show up on the defensive end,” Wheeling Park coach Ryan Young said.
Entering the PHS game, the Patriots were limiting opponents to 44 points per game.
Parkersburg’s Lauren Flanagan (1) handles the ball as Wheeling Park’s Natalie Daugherty (21) defends during Wednesday’s game at Memorial Fieldhouse.
(Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“The Big Reds are a good offensive team — Trinity Balog is unbelievable and their other kids just made shots,” Young continued. “You can’t take away from what they did, but we could have done a lot more to disrupt it. We give up 25 points in the first quarter. We haven’t given up 80 points in a game in years. It’s been a long time.
“Parkersburg topped that, so we have to get back to the drawing board on the defensive end.”
Two days of being locked in at practice transitioned over to live action during the first quarter for PHS. The Big Reds knocked down 5-of-6 threes and eight of their first nine shots overall while taking the lead for good at 20-14.
Wheeling Park played catchup throughout and fell behind by as many as 13 points on several occasions in the third quarter.
“I thought we had a great two days of practice,” PHS coach Chris Murray said. “We were just locked in there in the first quarter. And you have to be against Wheeling Park. We couldn’t come out and play like we did against Parkersburg South in the first quarter when we got down 18-9 last week. If we would have done that tonight, we would have wrote our own funeral for the next 24 minutes.
“This win ranks up there with our Huntington win my first year here. It’s a great win because Wheeling Park is a great team, but it’s just one in the win column. We have to go to the next one. We will celebrate this one tonight. We are really happy about it, but we have to get ready for the next one.”
PHS senior Trinity Balog, who secured the win by hitting 6-of-7 free throws in the final 3 ½ minutes of regulation, led all scorers with 31 points. Her counterpart Alexis Bordas paced Wheeling Park with 29 points.
“Bordas is a great player — she is probably going D-I, first-team all-stater and Gatorade Player of the Year, so I have to give her that,” Balog said. “I took this game personal — I was guarding her and locking down on the defensive side. I knew if we could keep her limited we would win.”
Combined with a rash of PHS turnovers (seven alone in the fourth quarter), Wheeling Park caused some tense moments for the Big Reds in the final 3 ½ minutes. Trailing 71-59, Bordas took ownership of the offense and accounted for 10 points as the Patriots outscored the Big Reds 12-2 in a span of 80 seconds.
The last of Bordas’ four 3-pointers originated just in front of the Big Red logo and put the Patriots to within 73-71.
“We have some young kids — a few freshmen and sophomores — in a big moment playing a team that was in a state championship last year and on our court,” Murray said. “Pressure happens. Our kids were getting sped up.
“We had to break that pressure and get in the half-court because we were flowing in the half-court. Park did a great job of speeding us up. They are a Bordas three from being in it at all times.”
Out of a timeout, PHS point guard Lauren Flanagan broke loose on the press breaker for an open layup. After a missed three on Wheeling Park’s end, Balog pulled down the defensive rebound. Balog was eventually fouled and made the first of a two-shot free throw.
She missed the second attempt, but PHS reserve Frances Guice dove to the floor for the offensive rebound and tossed back to Balog waiting in the lane. Balog again was fouled and knocked both free throws and created a comfortable 78-71 lead with 1:33 remaining in regulation.
“Giving people credit for doing the little things is something our assistant coach Jordanna Cunningham always makes sure we do,” Balog said. “Guice playing JV for those coaches shows the little things that we need her to do. That right there was basically the game-winner.”
PHS sophomore Kennedy Porter dominated the boards and also scored 17 points. She was joined in the scoring column by Audriana Mediana with 14 points and Flanagan with 10 points.
“This is a statement win, 100 percent,” Balog said. “We had the best two practices of our lives this past Monday and Tuesday and really wanted this. It meant something to us.”
Three Wheeling Park players scored in double figures, including Lala Woods with 15 points and Seneca Heller with 12 points.
Wheeling Park actually made a statement at the outset while building a 9-7 lead. PHS had an answer with a pair of threes from Balog and another from Medina as part of an 11-3 run which put the Big Reds in front to stay at 18-12.
Wheeling Park pulled to within 25-21 in the opening moments of the second quarter before Porter asserted herself with a three-point play the old fashioned way followed by a put back which paved the way to a 33-21 advantage.
PHS kept Wheeling Park in the rear view mirror in the third quarter after establishing a pair of 13-point leads at 46-33 then again at 55-42.
While PHS extended its winning streak to six straight games, Wheeling Park lost for the first time in eight games. The Patriots will look to avenge one of their only two losses when they host second-ranked Morgantown on Tuesday.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way we fought there at the end,” Young said. “That is one of the positives we take from the game.”
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com
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