WHEELING, W.Va. — Charleston Catholic denied Wheeling Central Catholic a state championship last year when the Irish defeated the Maroon Knights to win Class AA.
So it was only understandable that Wheeling Central was eager to welcome the Irish to Skip Prosser Court on Saturday afternoon for their first meeting since the 2025 title game.
For the first 12 or so minutes, Wheeling Central played like a team battling nerves. For the final 20, the Maroon Knights looked more the part of a squad with a legitimate chance to play until the last Saturday of the season again.
After trailing 22-17, Central outscored the Irish 16-2 over the final 4 minutes of the first half, and the Maroon Knights never looked back in claiming a 70-46 win.
“In the first quarter-and-a-half, we were kind of playing at their pace,” Maroon Knights’ head coach Roberta Olejasz said. “We had to get the pace going at what we like to play at. We like runouts. Our girls are in really good shape and we felt like if we could get them running with us, it would help wear them down a little bit.”
Both teams were 7 for 7 on free throws in the opening quarter, which Charleston Catholic (7-7) finished with a 15-11 lead.
The visitors were on top 22-17 after Nora Aliff scored just before the midway point of the second quarter.
From that point forward, starting with Erin Maxwell’s second-chance bucket, it was all Central.
After failing to make a three-pointer in the opening quarter, the Maroon Knights made three in the second period, including Addie Payton’s that tied the game at 22.
“Towards the end of the first half, we lost shooters at times,” Irish coach Wes Hevener said. “We did a pretty good job for a quarter-and-a-half really staying where we needed to be defensively. We started making some mental mistakes down the stretch.”
Seneca Heller’s short jumper put WCCHS in front 26-24 and was part of an 11-0 run to end the half that she accounted for seven points in to help her team lead by nine at halftime.
Maxwell went to halftime with eight points and nine rebounds and was instrumental in helping free up teammates on the perimeter.
“Once she started rebounding the ball really well and getting some baskets inside the paint, they had to cover us more in the paint,” Olejasz said. “That opened up the three-point line for us and we took off from there.”
That momentum carried over into the third quarter, which Central (11-4) began with nine straight points to make it 20 consecutive points altogether.
After the Irish got a bucket from Mary Rushworth to bring an end to their lengthy scoreless drought, Central countered with the next seven, getting separate buckets from Maxwell around a Payton three for a 49-26 lead.
CCHS ran off the next nine points, seven of which Rushworth accounted for, to help close the deficit to 51-37 after three.
But the Irish, with only seven players in uniform, would draw no closer.
Instead, Bella Fitzsimmons opened the fourth-quarter scoring with the sixth of Central’s eight triples, and Maxwell scored inside moments later to up the lead to 19.
“The way we were trying to matchup with them and how we were trying to convert our zone into man, some of the movement wasn’t quite where it needed to be,” Hevener said. “Then they started knocking some shots down and momentum went to their side. Offensively, we did a really good job in the first quarter of putting pressure on the rim and then in the second quarter on, we started relying more on outside jumpers, which isn’t necessarily our game. We did well when we attacked the basket. When we tried to hit from the perimeter, that’s when we struggled.”
Heller made a late three that marked Central’s final points and gave her 1,000 for her high school career. She scored a team-high 22 points.
“I think Seneca Heller should be in the conversation for state player of the year,” Olejasz said. “It’s extra special for her to get her 1,000th point against Charleston Catholic after they got us to end last year.”
Maxwell added 20 points and a game-best 14 rebounds to help her team win the board battle, 38-31.
Fitzsimmons scored 13 to go with 10 rebounds and Payton totaled 11 points and five assists.
WCCHS made 14-of-15 free throws.
“The girls definitely had a chip on their shoulder and wanted to come out and knock them around,” Olejasz said.
Rushworth led all players with 23 points and added 10 rebounds. Ilyauna Evans scored 11 in defeat.
The Irish were responsible for 17 of the game’s 26 turnovers.