Bruce McKean
Contributing Writer
PCHS Varsity, 44
Summers County Varsity, 65
Class A #10 ranked (both AP and Coaches Polls) Pocahontas County High School girls head basketball coach Mike Kane remarked after his girls 44-65 loss at home Saturday to perennial power #7 and #6 ranked Summers County: “If we could have just made a basket earlier in the game, it might have all been different.”
The Lady Warriors missed all 12 shots in the first quarter that included 10 shots from two-point range, two from three-point range and two foul shots. The Lady Bobcats full-court press immediately frustrated the Lady Warriors.
The first quarter ended 0-16 in favor of SCHS.
Laila Calhoun hit two foul shots to start the second quarter to put PCHS on the scoreboard, but by half-time Summers upped their lead to 41-8. PCHS had their top three scorers, Calhoun (three fouls), Charity Warder (two) and Kira Bircher (three), in foul trouble and on the bench at times. Starter Briana Hefner also had two fouls, and PCHS had 11 fouls to only seven for Summers. Those four starters finished the game with four fouls each while only three SCHS players finished with three fouls. PCHS out rebounded the Bobcats 30-23 and had more turnovers 33-27.
Finally in the third quarter, the home team had an 8-0 run led by Bircher and took the quarter 15-12. Calhoun scored eight of her 12 game points in the final frame, and we took the fourth quarter 21-12. PCHS drops to 8-4, SCHS improves to 6-6 with five losses to Class AAA and AA schools and one loss to Class A Tucker County.
Game high scorer was SCHS senior Hannah Taylor with 23 points, five steals and multiple blocks. reshman Taylor Isaac had 12 points and six steals, and junior Erica Merrill matched her 12 points with 12 rebounds for a double-double.
PCHS high scorer was Bircher with 14 points, eight rebounds and six steals followed by Calhoun’s 12 points, including six of eight free throws, three deflections, and four rebounds. Hefner scored eight points and tallied four offensive rebounds. Warder put up six points and seven rebounds. Alexa Taylor dished out three assists and scored two points. Jerica Reed finished the scoring with two points. All ten Lady Warriors played.
Tygarts Valley will play at PCHS January 24 (JV game, 5:45 p.m., Varsity, 7:30 p.m.). Greater Beckley Christian travels to PCHS Saturday, January 27, for a varsity-only game at 1 p.m. PCHS plays at Pendleton County Tuesday, January 30 (JV game, 6:15 p.m., Varsity at 7:30). All but one game that was postponed due to weather have been rescheduled, so listen to AMR or check the schedules on MaxPreps.com and the WVSSAC website for changes.
PCHS JV – 2 Qtrs, 17
Summers County JV, 16
PCHS won its third JV game this season (two quarters only) versus Summers County 17-16, and the PCHS JV record improves to 5-1. SCHS JV drops to 5-3.
PCHS sophomore Cloey Sharp was tied for game high scorer with eight points and four rebounds. Freshman Kirstin Taylor totaled six points, five rebounds, two steals and two deflections. Freshman Destiny Vandevender and Tessa Kiner scored two points plus one blocked shot, and one point and two steals respectively. SCHS sophomore Bethani Cline also scored eight points. Freshman Lilli Plumley had seven offensive rebounds. All nine PCHS and all six SCHS players saw action in the game.