By Rich Stevens
The odds caught up to sixth-seeded George Washington in the West Virginia Class AAA girls state high school basketball tournament on Friday.
The Patriots turned the ball over 36 times, succumbing to the Highlanders’ relentless pressure in a 53-27 semifinal defeat at the Charleston Civic Center.
The victory sends second-seeded Huntington (25-1) into the title game for the first time since 2009 when it faces No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion Morgantown (24-1) at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday. The Highlanders finished as runners-up in three straight state title games (2009-11), falling to Morgantown, Parkersburg South and North Marion.
The one-sided result took a while to transpire, despite the Patriots turning the ball over 18 times in the first half. They trailed by just seven at the break.
“I think we just kept playing,” George Washington head coach Jamie LaMaster said. “Defensively in the first half we did a good job, but it got away from us in the second half.”
Out of those 18 first-half turnovers, Huntington managed 15 points – all but eight of its first-half total. In the second half, the Highlanders forced 21 turnovers and scored 18 points off those. The 36 turnovers was one short of the single-game record held by Logan (2000 vs. Huntington) and Parkersburg South (2014 vs. Hampshire).
Huntington iced the game by outscoring GW 15-4 in the third.
George Washington junior forward Shi Banks had 12 points and 11 rebounds after a 27-point, 19-rebound performance in the quarterfinals against South Charleston.
“The 27 and 19 are pretty high for her,” Huntington coach Lonnie Lucas said. “She’s a good player, but she wasn’t going to get that against us.”
The George Washington backcourt, which had success against the South Charleston guards, weren’t as fortunate against Huntington, which also forced 36 turnovers in the quarterfinals against Buckhannon-Upshur.
“Whenever they press, they’re all over you,” said George Washington guard Jessica Lowen, who had eight rebounds, but with sophomore guard Dee McMillan combined for 25 turnovers. “You get the ball and they’re running at you. It’s hard to look up the floor. They’re long and athletic and fast. You have to know where your people are before you even get the ball.”
The Highlanders lost the rebounding battle 43-33, but finished with 23 steals. In two games, Huntington has forced 72 turnovers and has 49 steals. Its 26 thefts in the quarterfinal tied the single-game tournament record shared by Huntington (2000, vs. Logan) and Parkersburg South (2014, vs. Hampshire).
