High School Sports Archives - WV MetroNews

University’s Division I crown highlighted by memorable day for Maisel family; Ripley claims first title

MetroNews Staff — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:58:20 +0000

( Story by David Walsh, Photo gallery by Will Wotring)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — University’s Nico Maisel hit a trifecta in high school wrestling Saturday night.

Maisel won an individual state title, beat the opponent from the team in hot pursuit of his and made dad quite proud in the process.

Maisel defeated Parkersburg’s Colston Skeen, 8-6, for the Division I 144-pound championship. The outcome helped the Hawks stretch out their team lead to a near insurmountable amount. And dad, coach Ken Maisel, got to celebrate the moment. Quite the contrast to 2025 when Maisel lost to Stephen Myers of Parkersburg in the finals at 132.

Maisel has a photo at home of Meyers celebrating the moment and him departing dejected. Talk about motivation.

“I got beat last year and it hurt,” Maisel said. “I’ve got eight papers in the house that read ’26 state champ. Been chasing this since I was 4.”

Coach Maisel was quite proud of his son’s accomplishment.

“It lived in his head for a year,” he said of that 2025 defeat. “It’s special for him.”

University, champion in Region 1, found itself in a battle with Parkersburg for state supremacy through the first two days in the 78th West Virginia State High School Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Health Network Arena.

The Hawks gained separation from the Big Reds in the consolation round Saturday morning. Jason Walker’s win by pin for the title at 150 locked up their third straight state crown. They finished with 246 points and Parkersburg 235. The Hawks had 11 placers overall.

“Every session, we had to have it,” coach Maisel said. “To win it with the people out of the lineup is really special. This morning was big. We got more points and we had the lead to finish.”

This is the first time since 2004 two Division I teams surpassed 200 points. That year, Parkersburg won with 224 points and Parkersburg South took second with 204.

“It shows our hard work pays off,” Maisel said. “We’ll continue to work and try to do it again next year. It feels like we’re creating a culture here. You want to be a state placer.”

As for Nico Maisel, he hung on in the final seconds to prevail and finish 44-5 as a sophomore.

“The longest 40 seconds of my life,” Maisel said. “This is what I worked for.”

University and Parkersburg each had six wrestlers in the championship round. The Hawks went 3-3. Jason Walker (150) and Maximus Fortier (175) joined Maisel as state champions. Fortier, a transfer from Fairmont Senior, has signed to wrestle at Virginia Tech.

Coach Maisel had hoped to take a break, but offseason wrestling will be important.

“It’s great for everyone,” he said. “I want to be happy, but I’m already thinking how to do this next year.”

Parkersburg, which has three seniors, went 4-2 in the finals. Winners were Aiden Linko, 103; Seth Drennen, 120; Stephen Meyers, 138; and Dominic Way, 157.

“Things didn’t go as good in the consolation round,” Parkersburg coach Matt Littleton said. “It was a hard-fought state tournament. We made the state interesting.”

Ripley had an easier time of it on the way to winning in Division II for the school’s first state wrestling title.

The Vikings had four in the finals and nine placers overall. Carter Price won at 150 and Carter Neal won by pin at heavyweight to give the Vikings 191.5 points.

Lars Cooper, a transfer from Parkersburg, got the ball rolling with a 12-10 overtime win over Jackson Swingle of Keyser at 138.

“I believe in cardio,” Cooper said regarding how he had the necessary energy for the long match. “Push the pace. Outwork him. It’s special to be on that first state winner. That’s what we wanted to accomplish.”

Ripley coach Matt Smith said the extra work put in by Viking wrestlers paid off.

“The first one’s special,” said Smith, who is in his 15th season. “When I came back we had a lot of things we had not done in the past. We worked to fix things and get where we are now.”

Ripley is in year two in Division II. The drop didn’t deter Smith.

“We compete regardless,” Smith said. “We schedule the best competition possible. We got this as a group.”

Williamstown finished second with 131.5 points.

Cameron won Division III with 130 points.

Washington won the Girls Division with 124 points. Washington’s one state champ is Oliva Kershisnik at 132.

This is the last year the girls and boys compete in the state together. Next year, the WVSSAC has sanctioned girls wrestling. That means regional and state competition a week earlier at a site TBD.

Coach and Outstanding Wrestler awards were handed out at the conclusion of action.

Girls: Outstanding Wrestler, Justice Anthony, Parkersburg South. Coach of the Year, Dustin Anthony
Division III: Outstanding Wrestler, Eli Tedrow, Cameron. Coach of the Year, Chad Burge, Cameron
Division II: Outstanding Wrestler, Lars Cooper, Ripley. Coach of the Year, Matt Smith, Ripley
Division I: Outstanding Wrestler, Jesse Adams, Parkersburg South. Coach of the Year, Ken Maisel, University

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Parkersburg outlasts Buckhannon-Upshur 71-69 in double overtime

Greg Carey — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 05:12:28 +0000

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — Parkersburg didn’t have the regular season it aspired to, winning only six times over 22 games.

With a clean slate to start the postseason, the Big Reds hope to come much closer to maximizing their potential.

Friday’s Class AAAA South Region contest at Buckhannon-Upshur had a little bit of everything and a lot of extra basketball, but the Big Reds dug deep and made the necessary plays to prevail in double overtime, 71-69.

“Our mindset tonight was we have nothing to lose,” PHS head coach Phil Wilson said. “Either you leave it all on this court and pas out on this court trying to win or go home. Tonight, they decided they wanted to pass out on that floor. We went to double overtime, played seven players and two of them fouled out. I can’t complain. Everyone that stepped on the floor did a great job.”

The win sends the No. 9 seed Big Reds (7-16) to the next round where a matchup at George Washington awaits Wednesday with a state tournament spot at stake.

The Big Reds gained a 56-55 lead late in regulation on a Chandler Jackson three-pointer, but the eighth-seeded Buccaneers (14-9) went on top moments later courtesy of Brody McDaniels’ layup.

Shortly after, Jerin Westfall scored in transition and was fouled, but missed the free throw, leaving the home team with a three-point advantage.

Jackson missed two free throws on the Big Reds’ ensuing possession, but the battle for the rebound led to a jump ball, with the possession arrow in favor of Parkersburg.

The Big Reds made the most of the extra opportunity in the form of a Quinten Wilson triple in front of his team’s bench with 7 seconds to play. Buckhannon-Upshur’s Xavier Robinette missed on the other end, sending the game to overtime knotted at 59.

“I saw Chandler fall, then I saw the ball and grabbed it,” Quinten Wilson said. “I knew I needed to shoot it, so I put it up and made it.”

End regulation: Parkersburg 59, Buckhannon-Upshur 59

Big Reds’ Wilson hit this 3 with 7 seconds left to tie the game. #wvprepbb pic.twitter.com/Wz4E4u5b2r

— Greg Carey (@gcarey938) March 7, 2026

A slow-paced first extra session was scoreless for more than 3 minutes, with the Big Reds opting for longer possessions, while the Buccaneers struggled with turnovers. Jackson got to the basket and scored with 22 seconds left to give PHS a two-point advantage, but McDaniels answered with a jumper that sent the game into a second overtime.

“We put it all out there. We knew it was going to be a battle and it was nothing short of that,” Bucs’ head coach Jason Westfall said.

End OT1: Parkersburg 61, Buckhannon-Upshur 61

McDaniels tied it on this jumper with 7 seconds left. It was ruled a 2-pointer. #wvprepbb pic.twitter.com/Y6BuxuDwez

— Greg Carey (@gcarey938) March 7, 2026

Westfall opened the scoring in overtime with a floater, before Wilson countered with a trey. However, Wilson was disqualified for his fifth personal foul with 2:38 to play, one that sent Westfall to the free-throw line, where he sank both attempts.

B-U still led by one before Sutton Stanley scored on a drive to the basket to leave Parkersburg in front, 68-67.

Parkersburg produced a timely stop, then split two trips to the free-throw line following an intentional foul, allowing the visitors to lead by three.

Westfall then scored on a second-chance opportunity and was fouled, though he missed the free throw that resulted in an offensive rebound, allowing the Bucs to maintain possession with a one-point deficit and 16 seconds to play.

Out of a timeout, McDaniels misfired on a jumper, and Jackson made 1-of-2 free throws with 4.6 seconds left to leave the Big Reds with a two-point lead.

Jimmie Green’s three for the win was off the mark as time expired, allowing Parkersburg to prevail after it lost to the Buccaneers by 14 points in a regular season meeting.

“This is regionals and everyone is 0-0,” coach Wilson said. “No team has won anything right now. We’ve learned that with some of the games over the course of this week. Some teams that were expected to win didn’t win. I told the boys you have nothing to lose tonight. Go out there and leave it all on the floor because we don’t want to go home.”

FINAL: Parkersburg 71, Buckhannon-Upshur 69 (2 OT)

Big Reds (7-16) advance to play at GW. Wilson led PHS with 26 points before fouling out. Jackson scored 14.

Bucs (14-9) got 31 points and 15 rebounds from Westfall. He fouled out in final seconds of second OT.#wvprepbb pic.twitter.com/bCtPYIFmuH

— Greg Carey (@gcarey938) March 7, 2026

Buckhannon-Upshur got nine first-quarter points from Westfall and made 8-of-13 shots to lead 19-11, but the Bucs had eight second-quarter turnovers, while Big Reds’ guard Jaxon Thomas accounted for 10 of his team’s first 16 points to help them stay within striking distance.

Wilson’s corner three had the Big Reds on top 31-28, before Westfall connected from behind the arc with time winding down in the half to send the teams to the locker room knotted at 31.

At halftime, B-U had 11 turnovers to Parkersburg’s three.

“Last time we played here, we thought we saw something when we pressured them a little bit,” coach Wilson said. “We decided to jump on them early to see what happens and it worked in our favor. They didn’t like the pressure at all, and it didn’t matter which pressure set we went into, it seemed to give them problems.”

B-U led 44-39 in the third, before Wilson made another trey. Wilson also beat the third-quarter buzzer with a basket to pull his team even at 46.

Wilson led PHS with 26 points and made half of his 20 field-goal attempts. Jackson scored 14 and Thomas totaled 10 in the win.

“The whole season, we could’ve done more if we had the team chemistry,” Quinten Wilson said. “Today, we put it all together. Everybody to score and everybody got to contribute. That was the best part.”

The Big Reds overcame making 7-of-18 free throws, while the Bucs largely failed to capitalize from the charity stripe as well, finishing 13 for 23.

Westfall had another standout showing in a season full of them. He led all players with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

McDaniels and Robinette scored 14 apiece in defeat.

B-U had a 42-20 rebounding advantage, but 24 of the game’s 31 turnovers.

“There were some mental errors, but a tip here and getting sped up made a huge impact,” coach Westfall said. “We had turnovers and it got us out of sorts. That was a good move by their coach. We had just dealt with Morgantown’s pressure, so I felt like we could handle it. I just didn’t feel like we made good decisions. The bench gets short and minutes start to weight on you a bit, and sometimes you make poor decisions in those moments. They beat us fair and square and it’s too bad somebody had to lose, but it was a battle. I don’t begrudge our effort, but we could’ve made some better plays.“

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University, Parkersburg involved in tight Division I race ahead of final day; Ripley maintains lead in Division II

MetroNews Staff — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 03:59:50 +0000

— By David Walsh

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Division I in the 78th West Virginia State High School Wrestling Tournament is going down to the wire.

In the two-team race, defending champion University and 2025-runner-up Parkersburg created little separation Friday in the semifinal round at Mountain Health Network Arena. That means a higher probability it’s undecided until the final match Saturday night, unlike past years when a champion had all but been determined.

Parkersburg ruled in the lower weights and opened a near 30-point lead. Then came the heavier weight classes and the Hawks ruled there, and thus moved to first with 199.5 points. The Big Reds have 193.

“Lost some we shouldn’t, others we came back,” University coach Ken Maisel said. “Kids have to do a good job tomorrow.”

University, the Region 1 winner, and Parkersburg, champ in Region 4, each have six wrestlers in Saturday’s finals.

For the Hawks, they are: Jacob Hensley, 126; Timofey Husk, 138 Nico Maisel, 144 Jason Walker, 150; Max Vitale, 157; and Maximus Fortier, 175.

“We knew it’d be close,” Maisel said. “It’ll be interesting tomorrow. I tell the guys keep it classy.”

Parkersburg’s finalists are: Aiden Linko, 106; Austin Carrodus, 113; Seth Drennen, 120; Stephen Myers, 138; Colsten Skeen, 144; and Dominic Way, 157.

“We knew coming in it would be a war,” Big Reds coach Matt Littleton said. “We had a plan. Some executed the plan, the others fell short and have to change. It’s far from over. Got six in the finals. The others have to come back strong tomorrow.”

Parkersburg has 21 state titles to its credit, but its last one was in 2008.

In Division II, Ripley took control and leads with 149.5 points. The Vikings have four wrestlers going for titles Saturday in Carter Neal, heavyweight; Lars Cooper, 138; Terry Osborne, 120; and Carter Price, 150. Cooper is a transfer from Parkersburg.

“We wrestle and have things happen you don’t expect and some surprises,” Vikings’ coach Matt Smith said. “Consistency wise, we’ve been there. Kids have worked hard. This is when you want to peak. Got a ways to go. Each guy (finalist) has a tough match. The guys in the morning have to come to wrestle.”

Herbert Hoover is second with 103.5.

Cameron leads Division 3 with 103 points.

The tournament concludes Saturday and starts with the girls state action at 8 a.m..

The boys matches begin at 10:30 a.m. Championship finals are at 6:30.

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Week 8 Power Rankings: GW, Chapmanville, Wheeling Central and Tug Valley close regular season on top

MetroNews Staff — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:29:29 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The MetroNews high school boys basketball poll is voted upon weekly by a panel of 10 radio broadcasters and sports writers across West Virginia. The rankings include total points and first-place votes in parenthesis.

Week 8 rankings reflect all results up through the completion of the regular season.

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2026 WVSSAC Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule

Joe Brocato — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:18:26 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — 32 teams have qualified for the WVSSAC Girls Basketball State Tournament. The five-day, 28-game event will begin on March 10 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Radio broadcasts of all state tournament games will air on the MetroNews Radio Network and will be streamed at wvmetronews.com. MetroNews will also produce HD video broadcasts of the four championship games.

Tuesday, March 10

Game 1 – (Class A Quarterfinal): No. 3 St. Marys vs. No. 6 Pocahontas County, 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 – (Class AA Quarterfinal): No. 4 Charleston Catholic vs. No. 5 Wyoming East, 11:15 a.m.

Game 3 – (Class A Quarterfinal): No. 2 Tug Valley vs. No. 7 Greater Beckley Christian, 1 p.m.

Game 4 – (Class A Quarterfinal): No. 1 Gilmer County vs. No. 8 Webster County, 5:30 p.m.

Game 5 – (Class AA Quarterfinal): No. 1 James Monroe vs. No. 8 Lincoln, 7:15 p.m.

Game 6 – (Class A Quarterfinal): No. 4 Tucker County vs. No. 5 Ritchie County, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11

Game 7 – (Class AAA Quarterfinal): No. 3 Nitro vs. No. 6 Princeton, 9:30 a.m.

Game 8 – (Class AA Quarterfinal): No. 3 Wheeling Central Catholic vs. No. 6 Wayne, 11:15 a.m.

Game 9 – (Class AAA Quarterfinal): No. 2 Spring Valley at No. 7 East Fairmont, 1 p.m.

Game 10 – (Class AAA Quarterfinal): No. 1 Greenbrier East vs. No. 8 Hampshire, 5:30 p.m.

Game 11 – (Class AA Quarterfinal): No. 2 Williamstown vs. No. 7 Philip Barbour, 7:15 p.m.

Game 12 – (Class AAA Quarterfinal): No. 4 John Marshall vs. No. 5 Keyser, 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 12

Game 13 – (Class AAAA Quarterfinal): No. 3 Morgantown vs. No. 6 Cabell Midland, 9:30 a.m.

Game 14 – (Class A Semifinal): Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 11:15 a.m.

Game 15 – (Class AAAA Quarterfinal): No. 2 Parkersburg vs. No. 7 University, 1 p.m.

Game 16 – (Class AAAA Quarterfinal): No. 1 George Washington vs. No. 8 Washington, 5:30 p.m.

Game 17 – (Class A Semifinal): Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7;15 p.m.

Game 18 – (Class AAAA Quarterfinal): No. 4 Martinsburg vs. No. 5 Parkersburg South, 9 p.m.

Friday, March 13

Game 19 – (Class AA Semifinal): Game 8 winner vs, Game 11 winner, 9:30 a.m.

Game 20 – (Class AAA Semifinal): Game 10 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 11:15 a.m.

Game 21 – (Class AA Semifinal): Game 2 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 22 – (Class AAAA Semifinal): Game 16 winner vs. Game 18 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 23 – (Class AAA Semifinal): Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 7:15 p.m.

Game 24 – (Class AAAA Semifinal): Game 13 winner vs. Game 15 winner, 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 14

Game 25 – Class A Championship, 10 a.m.

Game 26 – Class AA Championship, 12:30 p.m.

Game 27 – Class AAA Championship, 5 p.m.

Game 28 – Class AAAA Championship, 7:30 p.m.

Regional round results:

Class AAAA North Region:

Friday, February 27

Preston 44, Jefferson 32

Wheeling Park 63, Spring Mills 25

Wednesday, March 4 (winners to state tournament)

Morgantown 76, Preston 15

Washington 56, Musselman 41

Martinsburg 49, Wheeling Park 29

University 54, Hedgesville 46

Class AAAA South Region:

Friday, February 27

Oak Hill 51, Riverside 48

Hurricane 52, Buckhannon-Upshur 36

Wednesday, March 4 (winners to state tournament)

George Washington 72, Oak Hill 43

Cabell Midland 47, Huntington 34

Parkersburg South 59, Hurricane 39

Parkersburg 92, Woodrow Wilson 46

Class AAA Region I:

Thursday, February 26

Fairmont Senior 42, North Marion 25

Grafton 72, Brooke 21

Tuesday, March 3 (winners to state tournament)

John Marshall 47, Fairmont Senior 30

East Fairmont 69, Grafton 28

Class AAA Region II:

Thursday, February 26

Elkins 53, Bridgeport 37

Hampshire 54, Robert C. Byrd 34

Tuesday, March 3 (winners to state tournament)

Keyser 58, Elkins 21

Hampshire 55, Lewis County 52

Class AAA Region III:

Thursday, February 26

Greenbrier East 102, PikeView 29

Princeton 88, Shady Spring 24

Capital 58, Herbert Hoover 43

Nicholas County 41, Ripley 29

Tuesday, March 3 (winners to state tournament)

Greenbrier East 66, Nicholas County 42

Princeton 47, Capital 38

Class AAA Region IV:

Thursday, February 26

Winfield 41, Lincoln County 31

Spring Valley 95, Point Pleasant 9

St. Albans 39, Chapmanville 28

Tuesday, March 3 (winners to state tournament)

Nitro 50, Winfield 25

Spring Valley 70, St. Albans 25

Class AA Region I:

Friday, February 27

Oak Glen 47, Ravenswood 35

Wheeling Central Catholic 87, Weir 40

Doddridge County 77, Tyler Consolidated 53

Thursday, March 5 (winners to state tournament)

Williamstown 71, Oak Glen 39

Wheeling Central Catholic 57, Doddridge County 48

Class AA Region II:

Friday, February 27

Lincoln 69, South Harrison 22

Moorefield 53, Frankfort 29

Philip Barbour 73, Berkeley Springs 27

Petersburg 62, Braxton County 32

Thursday, March 5 (winners to state tournament)

Lincoln 73, Moorefield 46

Philip Barbour 50, Petersburg 40

Class AA Region III:

Wednesday, February 25

Mingo Central 59, Liberty Raleigh 16

Friday, February 27

James Monroe 98, Mingo Central 14

Independence 50, Midland Trail 35

Westside 57, Summers County 52

Wyoming East 59, River View 42

Thursday, March 5 (winners to state tournament)

James Monroe 58, Independence 29

Wyoming East 70, Westside 48

Class AA Region IV:

Tuesday, February 24

Poca 56, Clay County 31

Friday, February 27

Charleston Catholic 59, Poca 25

Buffalo 56, Sissonville 51

Wayne 76, Scott 42

Logan 48, Roane County 40

Thursday, March 5 (winners to state tournament)

Charleston Catholic 46, Buffalo 42

Wayne 53, Logan 44

Class A Region I:

Tuesday, February 24

Valley 65, Madonna 43

Wood County Christian 50, Notre Dame 21

Thursday, February 26

St. Marys 87, Valley 26

Parkersburg Catholic 54, Wood County Christian 32

Cameron 52, Magnolia 40

Ritchie County 68, Clay-Battelle 33

Wednesday, March 4 (winners to state tournament)

St. Marys 72, Cameron 31

Ritchie County 65, Parkersburg Catholic 47

Class A Region II:

Thursday, February 26

Pendleton County 43, Paw Paw 33

Pocahontas County 93, Union 12

Tygarts Valley 60, East Hardy 16

Wednesday, March 4 (winners to state tournament)

Tucker County 70, Pendleton County 25

Pocahontas County 74, Tygarts Valley 50

Class A Region III:

Thursday, February 26

Greater Beckley Christian 71, Richwood 27

Greenbrier West 29, Meadow Bridge 24

Sherman 48, Montcalm 25

Webster County 50, Mount View 12

Wednesday, March 4 (winners to state tournament)

Greater Beckley Christian 47, Greenbrier West 43

Webster County 37, Sherman 28

Class A Region IV:

Thursday, February 26

Gilmer County 73, Hannan 26

Tolsia 52, Wahama 30

Wirt County 51, Man 11

Tug Valley 66, Calhoun County 24

Wednesday, March 4 (winners to state tournament)

Gilmer County 60, Tolsia 27

Tug Valley 59, Wirt County 37

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Greenbrier East holds off Capital, 55-52

Greg Carey — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:41:38 +0000

FAIRLEA, W.Va. — Greenbrier East struggled scoring for the entirety of the first quarter Thursday night in its Class AAA Region III contest against visiting Capital.

The Cougars failed to take full advantage, and when the Spartans found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter, they gained a one-point halftime lead before making enough plays throughout the second half to hold off the Cougars for a 55-52 victory.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight from the word go,” Greenbrier East head coach Jared Patton said. “They’re well-coached and those kids play with every ounce of energy they have. We had to bring it tonight.”

Capital (17-5) never led in the second half, but had a chance to do exactly that out of a timeout with 54 seconds left. Facing a one-point deficit, the Cougars called on guard Kahsi Morgan, who had the hot hand for much of the second half. But on this occasion, Morgan’s runner was off the mark, and after the Spartans came up with another pivotal rebound, that forced the Cougars to foul.

Brody Hamric’s two free throws with 12 seconds remaining made it a three-point margin, and with only one team foul, the Spartans (17-6) elected to give two more. Morgan got off a challenged three with time winding down that was no good, setting off a frenzied celebration for the home team.

“I have on the board the toughest team wins,” Patton said. “I don’t care where we play or where we’re going — the toughest team wins and these guys believe it.”

That the Spartans were afforded the luxury of staying at home was a contentious point throughout the week. Greenbrier East was one of four Region III schools (PikeView, Princeton and Shady Spring the others) to vote the Cougars last in regional seeding, leading to a team that won more than 80 percent of its regular season games to open the postseason away against a quality foe. The reasoning behind it was Capital didn’t play any of seven regional opponents throughout the season.

“At the end of the day, they played a great game, so don’t take that away from the kids,” Cougars’ head coach Cookie Miller said. “I’m not taking away anything from the kids and I want that to be understood. This has nothing to do with the game that was played, but the card we were dealt, I think it was a lot of under the table and going back and forth with three-ways calls trying to come up with schemes against kids. I don’t think that’s respect to the game. I went pretty far in this game and I love this game. This game has been good to me. The basketball Gods won’t let them continue on.”

Miller’s team was locked in defensively to start, effectively utilizing a half court zone with fairly steady traps to limit GEHS to 2-for-12 shooting and four points in the opening quarter. Isiah Scott banked in a triple for the final points of the frame, allowing CHS to double its lead to 10-4.

But just over a minute into the second quarter, the Spartans had a higher offensive output in that frame than what they produced throughout the first.

Morgan and Greenbrier East guard Darius Burns traded treys, before Burns made another from long range that had his team to within 18-16 with 4:30 remaining in the half.

Sam Hawver broke a 22-all tie with his first of two free throws to give the Spartans their first second-quarter lead at the 1:04 mark, though Capital countered with a Demajaih Spencer pull-up jumper and David Robinson’s layup to lead by two.

With time winding down in the half, Hamric made a three after getting free on an inbound play, allowing Greenbrier East to lead 27-26 at halftime.

“It was a great environment. Our games have been like this all season,” Miller said. “I’m glad our seniors and community got to experience something like this.”

The Spartans carried over that second-quarter execution into the second half and got a conventional three-point play from Hamric, along with a triple from Nathan Dixon to up their advantage to 35-28.

Consecutive buckets from Braylen Godfrey later in the third left GEHS with a 42-35 lead and after Burns connected from deep moments later, the Spartans had the game’s largest lead at 45-36.

Morgan’s triple for the final points of the third brought the Cougars to within five, and they were even 1 minute into the fourth when he ran off five straight points to start the frame.

“I don’t think I felt good this game until the buzzer sounded,” Patton said. “They’re too good of a team. Anything could have happened. We had a stretch where we built a little bit of a lead, and next thing you know, they’re right back in it. They’re tough.”

But the visitors could never gain a second-half lead, with Dixon banking in a midrange jumper for a 52-49 lead, before the Cougars tied it on one free throw from Camden Harris and a DeShaud Williams transition layup with 1:35 remaining.

Burns made 1-of-2 free throws to put the Spartans in front and Capital never scored again.

Having fouls to give down the stretch was advantageous.

“You play all these games, and whether you win or lose, you get to work on stuff and that’s one thing we’ve worked on in these in-game scenarios,” Patton said. “We knew we had two or three to give, and burned a little clock off.“

Burns led four Spartan double-figure scorers with 14, while Dixon and Godfrey followed with 13 and Hamric contributed 10.

Greenbrier East had a 31-24 rebounding advantage, including 20-11 in the first half.

“We said we had to have every rebound, because they’re too good to give them second chances,” Patton said.

The Spartans also made 12-of-17 free throws to the Cougars’ 3 for 10 effort from the line.

Morgan’s 17 points led all players. He accounted for five of his team’s seven treys.

The Spartans next play a Class AAA Region III co-final at Shady Spring on Tuesday for a spot in the state tournament.

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Philip Barbour pulls away from Petersburg, 50-40 to clinch fifth consecutive regional title

Joe Brocato — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:08:42 +0000

PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Philip Barbour head coach Rick Mouser had a feeling a Petersburg run was coming. Unlike in their previous meeting in January, his Colts would not relinquish the lead as Philip Barbour held on to defeat the Vikings 50-40 in the Class AA Region II co-finals.

Leading by as many as ten points in the first half, PB (16-8) saw their advantage shrink to a single point in the third quarter (31-30). However, the Colts immediately answered with a 13-0 run that extended into the fourth quarter, providing the winning margin.

“They are always scrappy. They play a lot like we do, off of hustle and things like that. They came here tonight to play,” Mouser said.

“When we played them in the regular season, we led by about 12 the whole night like we did tonight. They actually took the lead with a couple minutes left and we ended up winning by four (51-47). We were kind of prepared and ready for that because we knew they would make a run.”

Philip Barbour never trailed in the contest. They ended the first quarter on a 12-2 run to build a 17-7 lead through the opening eight minutes.

“I think they were just ready. They were ready to play. They found a few quick baskets early. That usually fuels us a little bit.”

PB junior center Izzy Knotts led all scorers with 22 points.

“She just usually outworks and out hustles everybody. And she is only getting better. She is adding more to her game. All the girls have improved as the year has gone on.”

With the victory, Philip Barbour will play in the state tournament for the fifth consecutive season. The Colts are the No. 7 seed and they will meet No. 2 Williamstown in the quarterfinal round March 11 at 7:15 p.m.

“These girls just work their butts off. Most of them, their sport is not even basketball, it is volleyball or soccer. They just come out and work hard and try to out hustle everybody.”

Miley Tingler led Petersburg (15-7) with 18 points.

The post Philip Barbour pulls away from Petersburg, 50-40 to clinch fifth consecutive regional title appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Photo gallery: Winfield defeats Point Pleasant, 63-32

MetroNews Staff — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:34:25 +0000

WINFIELD, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Winfield’s 63-32 win over Point Pleasant in the Class AAA Region IV semifinals. The Generals will host Nitro in the regional final round on March 10.

(Photo gallery courtesy of Ben Queen/www.BenQueenPhotography.com)

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University, Ripley out to early leads at state wrestling

MetroNews Staff — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:10:51 +0000

— Story by David Walsh, Photo gallery by Will Wotring

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Divisions I and II are going as expected after Thursday night’s opening round in the 78^th West Virginia High School State Wrestling Tournament at Mountain Health Network Arena. University, seeking a third straight large school title, and Parkersburg found themselves in the top two in the standings on a night dominated by pins as No. 1 seeds would beat up on No. 4 seeds.

University started the event minus two competitors. One did not make weight and the other, who won a state title a year ago, is not competing as he’s recovering from a football injury.

One competitor delivering big for the Hawks is Maximus Fortier, a junior who transferred in from Fairmont Senior. While there, he won the state title as a freshman at 144 with a final record of 41-1. He competes at 165 now and is 36-2 after winning with a first-round pin Thursday night.

“Come down, support the team and try to win,” Fortier said of his battle plan. “Wrestle the way we know how.”

Fortier and the Hawks won the Ron Mauck OVAC title, the WSAZ Invitational and West Virginia Duals during the season. He competed in two major tournaments as well. He went 2-2 in the Ironman and won his weight class in the Powerade Tournament which attracts the top teams in the nation.

“Wasn’t ready,” he said about the Ironman. “Did my thing at Powerade. It was big.”

Fortier said support at his new school grows every day.

“They treat me like family,” he said.

Strategy for the State Tournament is simple.

“Wrestle the way we know how to wrestle,” Fortier said.

University capitalized on a strong finish in the heavier weights and leads with 47 points. Parkersburg, which finished second here last year, trails with 39.5. Cabell Midland is third with 37.5 and Huntington fourth with 32.5.

Ripley is in year two in Division II. The Vikings placed sixth a year ago. They came to town as the Region 4 winner and qualified 11 with nine taking first and the other two second. Ripley leads after Thursday with 38 points thanks to wins by pin or major fall. Independence is second with 27 and Keyser third with 25.5. Cameron is the leader in Division III with 16 points.

The tournament continues Friday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the girls have their state with action starting at 8 a.m. The boys begin at 10:30.

Championship finals are Saturday night at 6:30. Wrestlers are now seeded prior to the tournament and the pill breaks deadlocks.

During the season, Ripley won the West Virginia Duals, beat Herbert Hoover twice, Point Pleasant and also got wins over Parkersburg South and Huntington.

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WVSSAC Class AA Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule

Joe Brocato — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 01:44:39 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Eight teams have qualified for the WVSSAC Class AA Girls Basketball State Tournament. The five-day, 28-game event will begin on March 10 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Radio broadcasts of all state tournament games will air on the MetroNews Radio Network and will be streamed at wvmetronews.com. MetroNews will also produce HD video broadcasts of the four championship games.

Class AA State Tournament seeds:

James Monroe (22-1)
Williamstown (19-3)
Wheeling Central Catholic (19-5)
Charleston Catholic (15-9)
Wyoming East (17-6)
Wayne (17-6)
Philip Barbour (16-8)
Lincoln (16-8)

Day-by-day schedule:

Tuesday, March 10 (Quarterfinals)

Game 1 – No. 4 Charleston Catholic vs. No. 5 Wyoming East, 11:15 a.m.

Game 2 – No. 1 James Monroe vs. No. 8 Lincoln, 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11 (Quarterfinals)

Game 3 – No. 3 Wheeling Central Catholic vs. No. 6 Wayne, 11:15 a.m.

Game 4 – No. 2 Williamstown vs. No. 7 Philip Barbour, 7:15 p.m.

Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)

Game 5 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 a.m.

Game 6 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 1 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 (Championship)

Game 7 – Championship, 12:30 p.m.

The post WVSSAC Class AA Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Law and order: Rebels’ junior guard controls contest to lift Ritchie County past Parkersburg Catholic, 65-47

Greg Carey — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:50:49 +0000

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Ritchie County girls basketball coach David McCullough is a firm believer junior Elsa Law is the Rebels’ best guard since Missy Spangler, the 2001 Mary Ostrowski Award winner as the state’s most outstanding player.

On Wednesday at Parkersburg Catholic, Law was near her best, and so were several teammates, with the Rebels dominating the first quarter and playing plenty well enough from that point forward to score a 65-47 road win and eliminate the Crusaderettes.

Law led all players with 26 points and eight rebounds and was efficient and effective throughout. She made 7-of-12 field-goal attempts with a pair of three-pointers and sank 10-of-11 free throws, while controlling large stretches of a contest her team never trailed in.

“If that’s not an all-state guard, I don’t know what it is,” McCullough said. “She’s one of the hardest-working kids you’ll ever encounter.”

The result sends RCHS (17-7) to the Class A state tournament as the No. 5 seed and a quarterfinal against No. 4 Tucker County awaits.

The Rebels rattled off the first nine points, a stretch that featured consecutive field goals from Callie Smith, whose performance was indicative of the Rebels’ effort.

“Callie was sick. Two days ago, she didn’t come to practice,” McCullough said. “She came for half a day and practiced yesterday, and today she came for half a day.”

The lone free throw Law missed prevented her from finishing off a conventional three-point play after she turned a steal into a layup that left her team with a 17-5 advantage.

Law concluded the first quarter with 13 of her team’s 28 points, keying a strong showing over the first 8 minutes for Ritchie, which shot 11 for 15 to build a 20-point advantage.

“This team is great. There’s not one girl on this team that we don’t need,” Law said. “When we’re all scoring and working hard, it’s hard for them to stop all of us. We work as a team to get baskets.”

Law’s only scoring play of the second quarter was a conventional three-point play 1:47 before halftime that left the Rebels with a 35-13 advantage.

Annie Tokodi-Ruth’s layup, combined with a Meg Roedersheimer triple, allowed Parkersburg Catholic (14-8) to cut its deficit to 17 at halftime.

The Crusaderettes were better on both ends for much of the third quarter, and after trailing 42-20, the home team ran off nine unanswered points with field goals from three different starters and two free throws from Macy Singer over that time.

Tokodi-Ruth’s trey for the final points of the third allowed PCHS to trail 44-32 with 8 minutes remaining.

Roedersheimer’s jumper with 6:50 remaining allowed the Crusaderettes to face a 46-36 deficit, but they’d get no closer.

Instead, Ritchie, which squandered a double-digit advantage through three quarters in a regular season loss to Parkersburg Catholic, maintained its composure and got a triple from Law and Chelsie Jeffrey’s paint bucket to lead, 53-38.

Jeffrey scored inside again moments later and Law accounted for another conventional three-point play with just inside 2 minutes remaining that left the visitors in front, 58-42.

“I was like listen, ‘we know what can happen here and we have to keep after it,’” McCullough said. “We’re getting better at understanding how to take care of the ball in situations when they were zoning us, and not forcing up something. We’re a go-getter type team, and we have to learn sometimes, handle the ball a little bit, work it around and get a nice look for a shot.”

Jeffrey scored 15 points in the win and made 7-of-13 shots.

“Chelsie did her thing tonight,” McCullough said. “She’s a 5-4 or 5-5 guard who takes it to the rack. You saw that tonight, and when she does that, she’s a really good player.”

Also for the Rebels, Emily Bush added nine points, while Smith and Jordan Bailey scored six apiece. Bailey also added seven boards, helping Ritchie dominate the glass for a 38-23 advantage.

Tokodi-Ruth led Parkersburg Catholic with 13 points and Ellie Kinnison scored 11, all but two of which came from threes.

The Rebels had only seven turnovers to 13 for the Crusaderettes, which combined with rebounding, was pivotal in Ritchie attempting 14 more field goals (55-41).

“The loss hurts,” Parkersburg Catholic coach Bob Carr said. “The girls took it hard as they should, but moving forward, they should understand the legacy, if you will. They’ve established girls basketball again. We had the opportunity. I’m proud of them and they fought through a lot of adversity.”

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Photo gallery: John Marshall defeats Fairmont Senior, 47-30 in Class AAA Region I final

MetroNews Staff — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 04:28:29 +0000

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Photo gallery from John Marshall’s 47-30 win over Fairmont Senior in the Class AAA Region I co-finals.

(Photo gallery courtesy of Robert Ovies Sports Photography)

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St. Marys returns to the state tournament with 72-31 win over Cameron

Joe Brocato — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 02:04:39 +0000

ST. MARYS, W.Va. — St. Marys took control of their Class A Region I co-final early and never looked back in a 72-31 win over five-time defending regional champion Cameron. The Blue Devils return to the state tournament after advancing to the Class AA semifinals a year ago.

“I was sick the last two days worrying about this. You never know what is going to happen in the tournament. I like this team. We’ve got no seniors. We’ve got three juniors and two that start,” said St. Marys head coach Fred King.

“I like our chances down there as far as playing well. But I can’t say what is going to happen. At the state tournament, things happen. I feel like we’re got a nice ball club. I think we will represent our school. I think we will represent ourselves, our families and our community very well down there.”

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 21-2 lead midway through the first quarter and they led 24-6 after the opening eight minutes. St. Marys built a 41-15 halftime advantage. They did not allow the Dragons to score in double figures in any quarter.

“We played pretty good man-to-man. We doubled down. We try to force teams to their weak side, which we did a pretty good job of tonight. We created a lot of turnovers and deflections which ended up as easy baskets. When you get easy baskets, the 12-to-15 footers fall better.”

Brynnley Bulluck led the Blue Devils with 26 points. The 5-10 forward stepped outside and connected on a pair of three-pointers.

“It makes driving lanes a lot simpler. The driving lanes open her up for three. They had to back off because she penetrated a couple times. Then when she steps back, the way we do that is we find an open person in that weave and they are wide open because you have to double down.

Anna Bennett scored 20 points for the Blue Devils (20-4) while Laney Watkins added 17.

“We’ve got four girls out there that can score in double figures.”

St. Marys has earned the No. 3 seed in the Class A state tournament. The Blue Devils will face No. 6 Pocahontas County (16-2) in the tournament lid lifter on March 10 at 9:30 a.m.

Cameron (15-8) was led by Kendra Thomas’ seven-point game.

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WVSSAC Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule

Joe Brocato — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:55:27 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Eight teams have qualified for the WVSSAC Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament. The five-day, 28-game event will begin on March 10 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Radio broadcasts of all state tournament games will air on the MetroNews Radio Network and will be streamed at wvmetronews.com. MetroNews will also produce HD video broadcasts of the four championship games.

Class A State Tournament seeds:

Gilmer County (22-2)
Tug Valley (19-4)
St. Marys (20-4)
Tucker County (17-5)
Ritchie County (15-7)
Pocahontas County (16-2)
Greater Beckley Christian (16-7)
Webster County (12-11)

Day-by-day schedule:

Tuesday, March 10 (Quarterfinals)

Game 1 – No. 3 St. Marys vs. No. 6 Pocahontas County, 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 – No. 2 Tug Valley vs. No. 7 Greater Beckley Christian, 1 p.m.

Game 3 – No. 1 Gilmer County vs. No. 8 Webster County, 5:30 p.m.

Game 4 – No. 4 Tucker County vs. No. 5 Ritchie County, 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 12 (Semifinals)

Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 11:15 a.m.

Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 (Championship)

Game 7 – Championship, 10 a.m.

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WVSSAC Class AAAA Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule

Joe Brocato — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:54:09 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Eight teams have qualified for the WVSSAC Class AAAA Girls Basketball State Tournament. The five-day, 28-game event will begin on March 10 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Radio broadcasts of all state tournament games will air on the MetroNews Radio Network and will be streamed at wvmetronews.com. MetroNews will also produce HD video broadcasts of the four championship games.

Class AAAA State Tournament seeds:

George Washington (21-1)
Parkersburg (16-6)
Morgantown (15-7)
Martinsburg (19-2)
Parkersburg South (17-5)
Cabell Midland (17-5)
University (14-7)
Washington (14-8)

Day-by-day schedule:

Thursday, March 12 (Quarterfinals)

Game 1 – No. 3 Morgantown vs. No. 6 Cabell Midland, 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 – No. 2 Parkersburg vs. No. 7 University, 1 p.m.

Game 3 – No. 1 George Washington vs. No. 8 Washington, 5:30 p.m.

Game 4 – No. 4 Martinsburg vs. No. 5 Parkersburg South, 9 p.m.

Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)

Game 5 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 5:30 p.m.

Game 6 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 (Championship)

Game 7 – Championship, 7:30 p.m.

The post WVSSAC Class AAAA Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule appeared first on WV MetroNews.

Quite a Knight: Hampshire senior Della Knight sparks Trojans in 55-52 victory at Lewis County

Greg Carey — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 04:19:35 +0000

WESTON, W.Va. — Hampshire was limping to the finish line, having seen its 11-point fourth-quarter lead cut to one Tuesday night in a Class AAA Region II co-final at Lewis County.

Leading 53-52, the Trojans called timeout with 19 seconds remaining, looking to find a way past the Minutemaids’ pressure and did to the free-throw line.

The visitors did one better, with guard Juelean Dixon finding Della Knight all by her lonesome, and the Trojans’ senior made the most of her opportunity by converting the layup. On the other end, Minutemaids’ guard Payten Goodwin passed with time winding down to teammate Makenzie Egress, who attempted a three-pointer from the top of the key that was off the mark, allowing the Trojans to prevail, 55-52.

“We’re a little ahead of schedule with this win. I’m really proud of the way we stepped up and closed the game out against a great team,” Hampshire head coach Jordan Richardson said.

FINAL: Hampshire 55, Lewis County 52

Trojans executed late to get an uncontested layup for Knight, then sealed win with defensive stop.

Knight (18), Stewart (12) and Eversole (11) led Trojans (16-8) offensively.

Goodwin led LCHS (13-7) with game-high 22 points. #wvgirlsbb pic.twitter.com/weppVOEjA4

— Greg Carey (@gcarey938) March 4, 2026

Knight, the team’s only healthy senior, was a force throughout and finished with team-high totals of 18 points and nine rebounds.

“It feels great,” Knight said. “I haven’t been to state since my freshman year. Being able to go back is a good feeling.”

Hampshire is the No. 8 seed and will face unbeaten and top seed Greenbrier East in the quarterfinal round.

The Trojans (16-8) looked to be in control when they began the fourth quarter with a 47-37 lead that grew to 52-41 on Lila Eversole’s bucket off her cut to the basket.

But starting with Addie Curry’s triple in response, the Minutemaids (13-7) scored nine straight points, a stretch that ended with Egress’ layup at the 3:01 mark.

“The way we play, it sets it up big in the fourth quarter to go into 2-minute spurts and be able to call timeouts, settle back down and get refocused to get into our press,” Lewis head coach Joe Nichols said. “We did a very good job of it again. It’s always good to feel the electricity in the crowd. We’ve had so many tight games this season and in the last four years, just came up a little short in this one.”

Isabella Mathias made the second of two free throws with 36 seconds remaining to end a lengthy Hampshire drought, before Lewis’ Paelyn Hinkle accounted for her only field goal 17 seconds later to make it a one-point margin.

But for all of its offensive troubles during an eight-point fourth period, Hampshire executed out of the final timeout as well as Richardson could’ve hoped for, and gaining the three-point lead made a major difference when the Minutemaids regained possession.

“It was exciting, because I told myself I’m going to sit back and watch these young kids finish the job,” Richardson said.

Knight could hardly believe how open she was and tried to keep calm before accounting for the game’s last basket.

“I didn’t see anybody within 20 feet of me,” Knight said. “I took my time and took a dribble and laid it up.”

Both teams executed well throughout large stretches of the first half, which ended with Hampshire in front, 34-31.

The Trojans’ 19-13 lead served as the largest in the first half for either side.

Knight had 11 points and five rebounds through two quarters, while Goodwin led all players with 16 points and Egress helped keep her team competitive on the glass with seven rebounds.

Hampshire led by seven in the third before Egress scored four straight points to bring her team back to within three at 40-37.

A pivotal stretch followed that allowed the Trojans to gain separation, with Knight hitting a three at the 1:48 mark of the third to spark a 7-0 spurt to end the quarter that also featured four points from Kendyl Stewart.

After making half of its 24 field-goal attempts in the first half, the Minutemaids were 2 for 11 while being held to six points in the third quarter.

“We’ve seen a beast of a schedule and we don’t get to go a lot to the middle of the state and southern part of the state where some of the [No.] 1s and 2s are in rankings, but we went out and find all the competition we could for this moment,” Richardson said. “To have to beat that senior-heavy team, and a team that’s two years removed from playing in a state championship game, we knew it would take everything we had to finish the job.”

Stewart scored 12 points in the win, Eversole added 11 and Brooklyn Klavuhn chipped in with six points and seven boards to help Hampshire win the rebounding battle, 33-29.

Goodwin led all players with 22 points. Curry and Egress scored 10 apiece, with the latte accounting for a game-high 14 rebounds.

LCHS was responsible for 16 of 26 turnovers between the two teams.

“Especially in the last month, we’ve put ourselves in position of having to comeback in the fourth quarter after going cold at the wrong time,” Nichols said. “They fought their way back in it and had a chance to tie it a couple times. The ball didn’t bounce our way. What I’m most proud of is they left everything out on the floor.”

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East Fairmont returns to Charleston with 69-28 win over Grafton

Joe Brocato — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:16:59 +0000

PLEASANT VALLEY, W.Va. — East Fairmont outscored Grafton 24-0 in the second quarter en route to a 69-28 win over Grafton in the Class AAA Region I co-finals. EFHS (16-6) clinched a spot in the state tournament and the seventh-seeded Bees will face No. 2 Spring Valley in the quarterfinal round on March 11.

“We are getting a lot of experience back at the right time,” said East Fairmont head coach James Beckman. “The kids are hungry. I take it back — they’re not hungry, they were starving. They were starving to get back to Charleston. They made the first punch and we didn’t look back after that.”

Leading 16-9 after the opening eight minutes, the Bees shutout the Bearcats in the second quarter to build a 40-9 halftime advantage. A consistent full court pressure allowed East to get several fast break opportunities.

“Turnovers are turnovers and it led to our offense. We wanted to play transition and we wanted to play an uptempo style. They were fun to watch today.

“It is a game of runs. We just weathered the storm on the first one. I thought we held our composure. We were patient in what we did offensive-wise. One of the biggest things we wanted to do this year was run efficient offense. I thought we were patient and got the quality shot we wanted.”

Beckman credited sophomore Audrey Singer for her work on the defensive end of the court.

“We shot the ball well. Singer was all over the floor tonight. With her intensity, she was keeping loose balls and those 50-50 balls and offensive rebounds. She did a lot of dirty work for us to get out and run tonight.”

Senior Ella Thompson scored nine of her 12 points in the second quarter, converting on a trio of three-point field goals.

“That was huge in the second quarter. From the junk defense they were playing to constant change defensive-wise, she came right off the bench, found her moment, she got in the rhythm of the game. She hit some big threes in the second quarter.”

Thompson and Kailee Haymond led the Bees in scoring with a dozen points. Emma Moore and Kasey Rogers each added 11 points for East.

The Bees defeated the Bearcats in their regular season meeting at Grafton, 48-34 on January 31.

“We got healthy. We got a bunch of kids back. We got a little cardio under us. We continued to do what we do.”

East Fairmont will end their season at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center for the fourth consecutive season.

“It means a lot for this program. The kids have worked extremely hard to get there. I am extremely proud of them. With everything we endured this year, for them not to use that [injuries] as an excuse and to find a way, they found a way to get back to Charleston.”

Kenna Keener led Grafton (13-10) with ten points.

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Photo gallery: Keyser clinches state tourney spot with 58-21 win over Elkins

MetroNews Staff — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 02:22:35 +0000

KEYSER, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Keyser’s 58-21 win over Elkins in the Class AAA Region II co-finals.

(Photo gallery by Will Wotring)

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WVSSAC Class AAA Girls Basketball State Tournament schedule

Joe Brocato — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 01:57:36 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Eight teams have qualified for the WVSSAC Class AAA Girls Basketball State Tournament. The five-day, 28-game event will begin on March 10 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Radio broadcasts of all state tournament games will air on the MetroNews Radio Network and will be streamed at wvmetronews.com. MetroNews will also produce HD video broadcasts of the four championship games.

Class AAA State Tournament seeds:

Greenbrier East (24-0)
Spring Valley (15-6)
Nitro (18-4)
John Marshall (17-5)
Keyser (17-3)
Princeton (16-6)
East Fairmont (16-6)
Hampshire (16-8)

Day-by-day schedule:

Wednesday, March 11 (Quarterfinals)

Game 1 – No. 3 Nitro vs. No. 6 Princeton, 9:30 a.m.

Game 2 – No. 2 Spring Valley vs. No. 7 East Fairmont, 1 p.m.

Game 3 – No. 1 Greenbrier East vs. No. 8 Hampshire, 5:30 p.m.

Game 4 – No. 4 John Marshall vs. No. 5 Keyser, 9 p.m.

Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)

Game 5 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 11:15 a.m.

Game 6 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 (Championship)

Game 7 – Championship, 5 p.m.

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House repeals “transfer portal” while Senate approves Cohen Craddock Safety bill

Dave Wilson — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:26:56 +0000

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates has passed a bill repealing the state code that created the controversial “transfer portal” in high school athletics.

HB4425 does not change the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission’s current transfer policy but reverses a state law passed in 2023 that required the WVSSAC allow students a one-time transfer. The WVSSAC would still need to revise its policy if the legislation is completed, and has indicated it would revert to a similar rule that governed transfers prior to 2023.

“If you want a rule change with the WVSSAC, call your principals. Have your parents call your principals. The calls they are getting from the coaches are ‘we don’t like this,’” said Delegate Jeffery Stephens, R-Marshall.

Jeffrey Stephens

The bill passed with overwhelming support in the House despite a lengthy discussion on the repeal’s impact on student-athletes. Supporters shared examples of how the transfer policy has had a detrimental impact on local athletic teams.

“South Charleston High School has been decimated by this transfer rule. We went from a perennial football powerhouse to winning one game in four seasons,” said Delegate Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha.

Delegate Betsy Kelly, R-Tyler, supported the repeal because the current policy has created what she described as an infinite loop of transfers; students transferring in to a school leading to students leaving for other playing opportunities.

“The current law has created instability in our schools,” said Kelly.

Delegates opposed to the bill contended the law was necessary to protect students and give families the ability to choose the best educational and athletic path forward.

“It hurts homeschooled students, private school students, charter, micro school, even public school students who may have to leave for safety reasons. It does not protect competitive balance,” said Delegate Kathie Hess Crouse, R-Putnam.

Kathie Hess Crouse

Crouse believed repealing the law and limiting transfers could leave students without options if they are in a precarious situation.

“It is a punishment for children. This repeal takes away one safeguard students have when something goes wrong, and when I say wrong, I don’t mean losing a season, I mean bullying, harassment, abuse,” Crouse continued.

Delegate Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis, opposed the repeal, concerned that students could miss out on college athletic scholarship opportunities.

“Oftentimes, our student-athletes are able to move to a team that would allow them to excel and propel them into a free education, a $100,000 savings to our families. Maybe they even end up being a delegate one day,” said Burkhammer.

The bill now heads to the Senate.

COHEN CRADDOCK SAFETY ACT

The Senate approved a sports safety bill named after a middle school football player who died after a football-related head injury during a practice.

SB657, creating Cohen Craddock Student Athlete Safety Act was approved on Tuesday.

A similar bill was considered last year but was not passed into law. Last year’s legislation would have required all youth football players in West Virginia to wear a soft-shell cover such as Guardian Caps on their helmets for organized practice.

This year’s bill makes the use of those helmets permissive, so schools could opt in. The bill also calls for examination of concussion protocol, education and training to prevent concussions — the development of a Concussion Education Prevention and Response Plan.

The bill also establishes the Cohen Craddock Memorial Grant Program to help with funding for football safety equipment that reduces concussions.

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Wyoming East sweeps regular season series from Logan, 74-54

Joe Brocato — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:04:19 +0000

NEW RICHMOND, W.Va. — A balanced offensive attack allowed Class AA No. 2 Wyoming East to collect their eighth consecutive win, 74-54 over Logan. With the victory, the Warriors swept the regular season series against the Wildcats.

Five weeks ago, the Warriors were tested for 32 minutes before holding on for a 62-56 win at Willie Akers Arena.

“I think we were more prepared for the zone. Down there, I just didn’t anticipate Coach [Mark] Hatcher going to a zone. He has been predominately a man-to-man type of guy. When we were down there and they pulled the zone out, we just weren’t prepared for it. It stymied us, made us stagnant and standing around,” said Wyoming East head coach Kent McBride on the differences between the two games. “I thought we were much more prepared in where we could get shots in attacking that zone.”

Sophomore guard Talan Muscari led four Warriors scoring in double-digits. He scored 22 points while connecting on five three-pointers.

“Talan has really been shooting the ball well lately. Him making those shots and kind of relaxing everybody, it pulled them out and gave us driving lanes. Making those shots early was big.”

Keegan Davidson scored 14 points for the Warriors (18-2). Broc Johnson added 13 points and Konnor Fox chipped in with 10.

“You look at our averages and I think we are 16, 14, 13, 12 and I think we have an 8. That’s kind of how we play. Each game it is somebody different. It was Talan tonight going. Last game, I think Broc Johnson had 26. We have Keegan [Davidson]. We are blessed in that manner.”

The 54 points scored by the Wildcats are their third-fewest in a game this season.

“We knew they were going to play through Ivan Miller kind of at the one. They use him in a unique situation. That’s a tough spot for us because we have Konnor [Fox] at 6-foot-9 and that pulls him out. So it is kind of a chess match between [Hatcher] and I. So we were prepared for that.”

East has earned the No. 1 seed in the Class AA Region III tournament. They will host the winner of the Mingo Central/Summers County game on March 6. Their two losses are the second-fewest in Class AA behind only defending state champion Wheeling Central Catholic (19-0).

“I think we have played the best [Class] AA schedule in the state. We did that our purpose. We went through some hard times, individually and collectively. I think it got us to where we are to where now we have kind of hit a bit of a groove. We have been playing really good since we left the Greenbrier earlier this month, we hit a groove. So we have to keep that going.”

Lucas Lambert led Logan (9-13) with 23 points. Miller added 14. The Wildcats will host Scott on March 6 in the Class AA Region IV tournament.

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Photo gallery: George Washington downs University, 67-51

Greg Carey — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:12:23 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — George Washington made its trip to Morgantown a successful one Saturday, defeating University 67-51 to improve to 18-2.

Patriots’ senior standout Noah Lewis, a Wright State signee, scored 32 points.

GW led 34-28 at halftime and by eight after three quarters before pulling away in the late stages.

Luke Byrer led the Hawks (15-5) with 24 points.

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Wheeling Central rolls past Weir in postseason opener

Joe Brocato — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 01:46:18 +0000

WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling Central Catholic passed their first postseason test in their hopes to return to Championship Saturday at the state tournament by defeating Weir, 87-40 in the opening game of the Class AA Region I tournament.

Central scored the first 13 points of the game as they improved to 18-5 on the season. The Maroon Knights led 32-11 after the first quarter and 54-19 at halftime before inserting reserve players early in the third quarter.

Bella Fitzsimmons and Erin Maxwell each scored 18 points to lead Wheeling Central. Addie Payton added 13 points.

Wheeling Central Catholic will host Doddridge County Thursday in the regional final. The winner advances to the state tournament. Doddridge defeated Tyler Consolidated, 77-53 on Friday.

Ryann Jeter led Weir (5-17) with 24 points and Gianna Siegel added 14 points.

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Seniors lead the way for No. 1 Wheeling Central in 73-60 win over No. 4 Washington

Joe Brocato — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:43:53 +0000

WHEELING, W.Va. — Trailing by ten points at the end of the first quarter, Wheeling Central Catholic outscored Class AAAA No. 4 Washington, 66-43 the rest of the way to finish off an undefeated regular season, 73-60.

The Class AA No. 1 Maroon Knights trailed by a basket at halftime, 37-35 while allowing the Patriots to connect on ten three-pointers. After halftime, Central yielded just three shots from behind the arc.

“We adjusted a little bit and started switching some of their action to make sure we got somebody out there with a hand,” said Wheeling Central Catholic head coach Mel Stephens. “I didn’t feel like they would shoot it as well in the second half for whatever reason. Maybe they got a little tired. Maybe our defense was a little better. They made some shots and they made it tough for us.”

The Patriots closed out the first quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 17-7 lead. Central erased that deficit with a lengthy scoring run in the second quarter. The Knights closed the third quarter on a 16-2 burst and they held on to a double-digit lead for most of the minutes in the fourth quarter.

WCCHS seniors Eli Sancomb and Max Olejasz combined for 53 points. Sancomb, a Liberty University signee, scored 30 points while Olejasz added 23.

“When the chips were really down, put the ball in Eli’s hands and he makes good plays. Whether he scores, he hade some great passes to Max. Max does a really good job of sneaking behind that defense and he is able to get to the rim and finish.”

Staked to a sizable lead early in the fourth quarter, Central controlled the pace of play in the fourth quarter, yielding just ten points to the Patriots in the final stanza.

“We’re getting better at that. Earlier in the year, we were in such a hurry and wanted to score so bad that we didn’t really understand time and score real well. The last couple weeks we are starting to get a feel for what it takes and what you basically have to do to finish games out, especially with a lead.”

The Knights (19-0) enter a lengthy break before their regional matchup on March 12. The defending state champions are seeded first in the Region I tournament. Central will host the winner of the Tyler Consolidated/Oak Glen game, which will be played on March 6.

“It is a good win for us. We finish the regular season undefeated. That is a huge accomplishment for these guys considering the type of schedule that we play. Now we get a little bit of time off and we’ll get ready for tournament time.”

Kris Doleman led Washington (16-3) with 19 points. Avorie Brown added 12 points and Cam Shedrick scored 11. The Patriots will play at Wheeling Park Saturday afternoon to complete a two-game road trip.

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Commentary: Capital’s regional seeding should be viewed as a disservice

Greg Carey — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:24:00 +0000

There’s rarely a dull moment in the West Virginia high school sports scene.

From preseason classification uncertainty to in-season lawsuits, there have been plenty of unusual happenings the last several years, the majority of which have caused quite a stir.

Thursday’s release of the boys basketball regional brackets may take the cake.

Specifically, Capital as the No. 6 seed in Class AAA Region III has drawn plenty of negative attention, and rightfully so.

The Cougars have a 17-4 record and have been at or near the top of Triple-A in both the statewide coaches poll and MetroNews Power Rankings throughout the season. They now find themselves seeded ahead of two of seven teams in their region.

Capital is 12-3 against Quad-A and Triple-A competition and has a win at defending state champion Bridgeport to its credit. The three losses are to Parkersburg South, George Washington and Chapmanville. A strong case can be made those are three of the top 10 programs in the state this season, regardless of class.

Capital’s other setback, along with one of its wins, came against out-of-state competition.

Yet because the Cougars didn’t play any of their seven regional foes, coaches from four of those schools — Shady Spring, Greenbrier East, Princeton and PikeView — found it in them to seed the Cougars last among seven teams (coaches do not seed their team).

“I’m going to call it like I see it — it’s collusion [between] Greenbrier East, Princeton, PikeView and Shady Spring,” Capital Principal Jon Anderson said.

That sentiment certainly wasn’t shared across the region, however. Ripley, Herbert Hoover and Nicholas County had Capital the No. 1 seed.

Ultimately, the Cougars came in at No. 6 and will begin postseason play next Thursday at No. 3 Greenbrier East. The winner would then likely be in line to play at No. 2 Shady Spring for a spot in the state tournament.

Ripley (17-4) is the No. 1 seed in Region III. The Tigers and Spartans both have 14 victories, a number of them quality wins, and either team is good enough to pose a significant challenge to Capital.

At this point, the result of next Thursday’s game and what occurs thereafter is irrelevant as it pertains to the main issue — the Cougars shouldn’t be a No. 6 seed, nor should they be playing a postseason game away from home.

I’d have Capital the No. 1 seed in Region III, and I don’t see any argument for the Cougars being outside the top two.

“If you poll every [other] triple-A team in the state of West Virginia, nobody is going to have us outside of the top three or four,” Anderson said.

Capital defeated Bridgeport, 49-47 (Photo by Ben Queen/www.BenQueenPhotography.com)

But because adults opted to take a stance against the Cougars’ schedule and lack of regional opponents, it’ll almost certainly require Capital to win twice on the road against programs plenty capable of winning at the state tournament.

In the days leading up to seeding, there was talk it could play out this way, so much so that the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission sent an email to Region III schools, in part reminding them “of your responsibility to help protect the integrity of the regional seeding process”, and for seeding to “reflect an accurate assessment based on performance and not personal or program bias.”

Those wishes fell on deaf ears.

“Shame on whoever voted us seventh, because they’re only kids,” Anderson said. “This is kids we’re talking about. I’m a 51-year-old grown man and if somebody doesn’t like me, so be it. But when you mess with my kids, I have a problem.”

I’m not at all opposed to regional regular season matchups being required, but that’s hardly the point here.

Capital has obligations within the Mountain State Athletic Conference, of which it’s the lone member among Region III teams. The Cougars also competed at the 4A level last season.

Under no circumstance should the Cougars be negatively impacted in seeding by traveling 2 hours north to play at a defending state champion that isn’t a regional or conference foe, particularly when that game results in a win.

Essentially, Capital could’ve forfeited regular season games from mid-January on, and it would have an identical or similar seed to what it got.

Would the Cougars resume truly be better with victories over any of the four Region III teams (Princeton, Herbert Hoover, Nicholas County and PikeView) not above the .500 mark? Of course not.

If the results of non-regional games don’t matter, why play them?

“It’s ridiculous. As a coach, that’s cowardly, man,” said Braxton County’s Josh Lunceford, head coach of a Double-A program unaffected by this particular matter. “How do you take a team that plays a 4A and 3A schedule and has been No. 1 in the state all year long in 3A, and you’re going to vote them seventh in your region? There’s no integrity there. Something is going to have to happen, because that should never be a thing. I don’t know if they have to go to mathematical stuff or whatever, but that should never happen.”

Altering the format to go away from coaches voting will gain popularity and has before. Other teams will take issue with their seeding and can claim to have a legitimate gripe, too, with Buckhannon-Upshur one that comes to mind in Quad-A.

But all of those pale in comparison to what happened to Capital.

The significance of basketball’s regular season is already somewhat diminished considering every school qualifies for the postseason.

Perhaps a point system similar to football or a different method to determine seeding will come into place down the line and bring about more fairness.

The current one clearly lacks it.

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Photo gallery: Spring Mills defeats Martinsburg, 73-48

MetroNews Staff — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 18:23:58 +0000

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Spring Mills’ 73-48 win over Martinsburg.

(Photo gallery courtesy of Christopher C. Davis/@EP_BigCameraGuy)

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Week 7 Power Rankings: Chapmanville becomes unanimous No. 1 in Class AAA

MetroNews Staff — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:10:51 +0000

Week 7 rankings reflect results up through February 25, 2026.

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Braxton County never trails in 76-56 win over Titans

Greg Carey — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:23:25 +0000

SUTTON, W.Va. — Braxton County entered Friday’s home game with Gilmer County on a three-game losing streak.

Well aware his team hadn’t shown the ability to consistently execute against zone defense over that stretch, Eagles’ head coach Josh Lunceford elected to have his team put a heavy emphasis on doing exactly that throughout this week in practice.

The results were far more favorable against the Titans, with the Eagles scoring at last 20 points in each of the first three quarters and shooting 50 percent in a 76-56 victory.

“We’ve been working a bunch against zone,” Lunceford said. “We’ve struggled with it the last two or three games. We literally practice against it every day, and then we get in a game recently and it’s like we’ve never seen anybody play zone. We changed a couple things up over the last three or four days in practice. We’re doing a few things different, kind of playing more toward our strengths as a team.”

BCHS (15-6) never trailed and opened the game with six straight points, though the Titans (6-14) were even shortly after courtesy of a Tyler Ratliff three-pointer and another from Jacob Mick.

After Zack McQuain and Owen Lowther each countered with a three, the Eagles were on top to stay, and they got eight first-quarter points from James Nettles to lead by 11 before Kolton Holbert’s conventional three-point play brought GCHS to within 20-12 after one.

Eagles’ reserve Ashton Stewart started the second-quarter scoring with back-to-back triples, and when Lowther connected from longe range for Braxton’s next trey, the Titans faced a 31-16 deficit.

“We like to spread the floor and use our athleticism,” Lunceford said. ”That’s our thing and what we’ve done most of the year. As a coach, you’re supposed to take away what a team does well. That’s what your goal should be. I’ve said all year long, I couldn’t believe teams weren’t zoning us, and that’s all we’ve seen the last bit here. Word spreads quick. I was almost guaranteeing they’d come out in a zone and we brought them out of it. That’s what we want to accomplish where we’re just as effective against a zone as we are against man-to-man.”

Gilmer trailed 35-21 when Mick made a jumper, but the Eagles got six straight points from Austin Smart and a paint bucket from Nettles to hold a commanding 43-21 halftime advantage.

Through two quarters, Braxton was shooting 18 for 33, while mixing in quality half court execution with transition offense and a dominant rebounding advantage that created an abundance of second chances. The Eagles’ had 19 first-half rebounds to nine for the Titans and a 33-18 edge on the boards for the game.

“If we wanted to be successful in this game, we had to hold them to one shot,” Gilmer head coach Austin Ratliff said. “It’s hard to do that when they have 6-8, 6-4 and 6-3 down there, but at the end of the day it comes down to fundamental basketball and you have to box out when the shot goes up. We did a poor job of that tonight. BC is a very good team and they shot the ball extremely well. The good thing about tonight is it doesn’t hurt our regional seeding. This is a game we can learn from.”

Braxton led 65-37 after three quarters, before Titans’ freshman Jeren Hutchins scored eight fourth-quarter points to help his team win that period, 19-11.

“We started to hit the open cutters and we started cutting better to the basket,” coach Ratliff said.

The Eagles made 30-of-60 shots and had four double-figure scorers. McQuain led Braxton with 16 points and Nettles scored 14 to go with a game-high nine rebounds. Lowther contributed 12 points and Stewart added 11.

Braxton’s Stevie Boggs, a 6-foot-7 senior, did not play in the second half.

“Stevie has a stress fracture in his foot,” Lunceford said. “We go in up 22 at halftime and I told him in the locker room, ‘I’m not going to play you the rest of this one.’ I told the guys go out there and take care of business. He’s a linchpin for us.”

Holbert’s 17 points led all players and Mick scored 11. The Titans shot a plenty respectable 47.7 percent (21 for 44), but turned it over 17 times.

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Solid performance in second quarter propels Morgantown to 18th win, 79-63 over Martinsburg

Joe Brocato — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 03:37:03 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Playing on back-to-back nights for the third time in the last three weeks, Morgantown created distance on the scoreboard in the second quarter to defeat Martinsburg, 79-63.

After defeating Buckhannon-Upshur, 74-73 on Wednesday night, Morgantown head coach Dave Tallman backed off of the team’s customary pressure defense, opting for more zone than his team usually employs.

“I am not an excuse guy. But we had a long one last night. I think we have had three doubleheaders in the last two weeks. We’ve got tired bodies. Everybody is fatigued, including the coach. I knew tonight was a game we had to fight and grind out. We went to some zones, which we haven’t done all year. We haven’t really worked on them much. But just to kind of keep Max [Frey] and Waylon [Colistra] in the game in longer stretches and they didn’t have to run around doing havoc,” Tallman said.

“I think it helped us today. Our defense is not where we want it to be right now. But we are starting to click a little bit on offense.”

Leading 19-15 after the first quarter, the Mohigans (18-1) outscored the Bulldogs 25-14 in the second quarter to build a double-digit lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game. Marcus Goins drained four triples in the opening half with three of those coming in the second stanza. Goins finished the game with 13 points.

“Marcus is a weapon, for sure. He had a bad knee injury last year. So I just think getting back and kind of getting his feet under him, he is a guy we are counting on.”

Waylon Colistra led all scorers with 29 points.

“Waylon was awesome tonight, man. Like I told him yesterday, ‘Besides Sharron Young, you might have played more minutes than anybody on this floor’. He has dealt with my [stuff] and I have dealt with his. We butt heads sometimes, but I love him to death. He is a great kid. He’s super-competitive. When he is a 1-on-1 matchup in the post, he is almost unstoppable. And he is really starting to make the right plays. When people start doubling, he is kicking it out to our shooters.”

Frey added 16 points for the Mohigans. Morgantown leads Class AAAA in victories. Having already secured the No. 1 seed in the North Regional, the Mohigans will face Brooke (Monday) and George Washington (Thursday) next week to close out their regular season.

“Sam Frey is out but he should be back soon. He was our leading steal and deflections guy. People kind of forget about him. That has kind of hurt our defense. We’ll get back to work. We’ve been there before. I think Quad-A is as good as it has been in many years. Who knows who is going to win it. We are not going to worry about it. We are going to go one game at a time. Coaches are going to work their tails off to get ready and so are players. These are great kids and they are a lot of fun. Hopefully we can coach them through Championship Saturday.”

Mikey Green led the Bulldogs (8-12) with 16 points. Nykeem Thompson (12), Cody Shallis (11) and Boston Todd (10) also scored in double-digits for the visitors.

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WVSSAC Boys Basketball regional brackets

Joe Brocato — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:04:07 +0000

VIENNA, W.Va. — The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission has released brackets for the regional round of the boys basketball playoffs. Seeds were voted upon by coaches within their regions.

Single-elimination play is in place for all rounds. Two teams from each region in Class AAA, Class AA and Class A will advance to the state tournament. Four teams from each region will advance to the state tournament from Class AAAA.

WVSSAC Boys Basketball Regional Brackets_

Class AAAA:

North Region

Friday, March 6

Jefferson 64, Hedgesville 48

Wheeling Park 58, Preston 54

Wednesday, March 11 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 8 Jefferson at No. 1 Morgantown

No. 7 Wheeling Park at No. 2 Washington

No. 5 Musselman at No. 4 University

No. 6 Martinsburg at No. 3 Spring Mills

South Region

Friday, March 6

Parkersburg 71, Buckhannon-Upshur 69 (2OT)

Woodrow Wilson 61, Oak Hill 51

Wednesday, March 11 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 9 Parkersburg at No. 1 George Washington

No. 7 Woodrow Wilson at No. 2 Parkersburg South

No. 5 Cabell Midland at No. 4 Huntington

No. 6 Hurricane at No. 3 Riverside

Class AAA:

Region I

Thursday, March 5

John Marshall 54, Grafton 39

Fairmont Senior 58, Brooke 49

Tuesday, March 10 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 5 John Marshall at No. 1 North Marion

No. 3 Fairmont Senior at No. 2 East Fairmont

Region II

Thursday, March 5

Elkins 66, Lewis County 56

Keyser 52, Hampshire 41

Tuesday, March 10 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 Elkins at No. 1 Bridgeport

No. 3 Keyser at No. 2 Robert C. Byrd

Region III

Thursday, March 5

Ripley 87, PikeView 49

Herbert Hoover 43, Princeton 39

Greenbrier East 55, Capital 52

Shady Spring 63, Nicholas County 35

Tuesday, March 10 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 5 Herbert Hoover at No. 1 Ripley

No. 3 Greenbrier East at No. 2 Shady Spring

Region IV

Thursday, March 5

Chapmanville 79, Lincoln County 34

South Charleston 63, St. Albans 62

Winfield 63, Point Pleasant 32

Nitro 59, Spring Valley 54

Tuesday, March 10 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 South Charleston at No. 1 Chapmanville

No. 3 Nitro at No. 2 Winfield

Class AA:

Region I

Friday, March 6

Tyler Consolidated 46, Oak Glen 41

Doddridge County 83, Weir 41

Williamstown 57, Ravenswood 48

Thursday, March 12 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 5 Tyler Consolidated at No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic

No. 3 Williamstown at No. 2 Doddridge County

Region II

Friday, March 6

Petersburg 89, Philip Barbour 69

Braxton County 52, South Harrison 38

Frankfort 55, Berkeley Springs 49

Lincoln 64, Moorefield 53

Thursday, March 12 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 Braxton County at No. 1 Petersburg

No. 3 Lincoln at No. 2 Frankfort

Region III

Tuesday, March 3

Mingo Central 67, Summers County 45

Liberty 70, River View 44

Friday, March 6

Wyoming East 69, Mingo Central 44

Westside 51, Independence 41

James Monroe 87, Liberty 39

Bluefield 67, Midland Trail 45

Thursday, March 12 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 Westside at No. 1 Wyoming East

No. 3 Bluefield at No. 2 James Monroe

Region IV

Tuesday, March 3

Sissonville 57, Roane County 31

Friday, March 6

Charleston Catholic 54, Sissonville 46

Logan 46, Scott 38

Wayne 67, Poca 32

Buffalo 69, Clay County 53

Thursday, March 12 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 Logan at No. 1 Charleston Catholic

No. 3 Buffalo at No. 2 Wayne

Class A:

Region I

Tuesday, March 3

Notre Dame 76, Madonna 72

St. Marys 51, Cameron 48

Wood County Christian 77, Valley 51

Thursday, March 5

Parkersburg Catholic 70, Notre Dame 46

Clay-Battelle 83, St. Marys 49

Magnolia 69, Trinity 62 (OT)

Ritchie County 102, Wood County Christian 49

Wednesday, March 11 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 5 Magnolia at No. 1 Parkersburg Catholic

No. 3 Ritchie County at No. 2 Clay-Battelle

Region II

Thursday, March 5

East Hardy 83, Harman 25

Union 52, Tygarts Valley 42

Pendleton County 89, Pocahontas County 48

Tucker County 95, Paw Paw 48

Wednesday, March 11 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 Union at No. 1 East Hardy

No. 3 Tucker County at No. 2 Pendleton County

Region III

Thursday, March 5

Sherman 82, Richwood 17

Webster County 69, Montcalm 44

Greater Beckley Christian 72, Mount View 45

Greenbrier West 63, Meadow Bridge 50

Wednesday, March 11 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 4 Webster County at No. 1 Sherman

No. 3 Greenbrier West at No. 2 Greater Beckley Christian

Region IV

Tuesday, March 3

Calhoun County 75, Hannan 49

Tolsia 87, Van 50

Thursday, March 5

Tug Valley 104, Calhoun County 51

Huntington St. Joseph’s 80, Tolsia 52

Man 57, Wahama 49

Wirt County 63, Gilmer County 51

Wednesday, March 11 (winners advance to the state tournament)

No. 5 Man at No. 1 Tug Valley

No. 3 Wirt County at No. 2 Huntington St. Joseph’s

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