Bruce McKean
Contributing Writer
PCHS Varsity, 54
Midland Trail Varsity, 59
The #10 ranked (AP Poll) Pocahontas Coun- ty High School girls basketball team played fellow member of Region III Section 1, Midland Trail Feb- ruary 3 in Dunmore before a big crowd of Warrior and Patriot fans. Trail won another thriller by four points, this time in overtime.
Head Coach Mike Kane felt the best team let the game slip away with too many bad passes and other mistakes.
The Lady Warriors never trailed in the game until junior Laurel Johnson, with only 2:40 to go in regulation, made a two-pointer to go ahead 42-40. Trail had tied the game at 40-40 in the fourth quarter with 3:30 to go on a goal by junior Jenny Wilson. PCHS had their big-gest lead in the game, nine points, at the end of the third quarter, 38-29. Trail took its biggest lead in the game at 44-40 on a goal by freshman Emily Dickerson. Up to the 40-40 tie, the game had been tied only once at 8-8.
As time was running out, and Trail up 46-49, sophomore Alexa Taylor shot from three-point range to try to tie the game at 49-49, but she was fouled by Johnson just as time expired. Taylor is very composed under pressure, and she swished all three foul shots, as the Warrior faithful went wild. The large crowd of Patriot fans went silent in disbelief that she had made all three shots to tie the game at 49-49, and send it into overtime.
The overtime period saw four ties with the final one at 55-55. PCHS sophomores Laila Calhoun made three of five foul shots and Charity Warder hit one of two in overtime. Wilson of Trail would hit six of eight foul shots in overtime, including the last four of the game in the last six seconds that would win the game for the Patriots.
It was not the prettiest game that saw 36 Trail turnovers and 24 by PCHS that included 12 bad passes. PCHS again out rebounded their taller opponent 41-28. Trail hit 17 of 30 foul shots, and PCHS made 13 of 20. Thirty-nine of the 50 combined foul shots occurred in the fourth and overtime periods, as the whistles seem to be blown on about every play.
Wilson scored in every quarter and was game high scorer with 25 points that included two threes of the team’s five treys. Calhoun also scored in every quarter and pocketed her sixth double-double of the season and her thirteenth double-digit scoring game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Warder had her eighth double-digit scoring effort this season with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, Kira Bircher tallied eight points, eight rebounds, seven deflections, five steals and four assists. Brianna Hefner contributed seven points, seven rebounds, five steals and four deflections. Alexa Taylor provided five points, four assists, four steals and three rebounds, Sage McLaughlin accounted for five rebounds and two points, Trail had two other double-digit scorers in senior Mickie Hypes with 15 points and Dickerson with 10 points that included two treys.
Trail improved to 11-5. PCHS, now 10-5, will visit Pendleton County in a make-up game at Franklin on Thursday, February 8 – JV plays at 6:15 p.m.; Varsity at 7:30 p.m.
PCHS will host Pendleton in the annual Pink Out Game Saturday, February 10 – JV at 1 p.m.; Varsity at 3 p.m. PCHS will host Greenbrier West Tuesday, February 13, at 7 p.m. Varsity only.
