ALBRIGHT: Mary O title doesn’t bother Shay-Lee Kirby at next level

April 4, 2020

Shay-Lee Kirby is a warrior on the basketball court. Coaches, players or onlookers taking in her mad skills on either the offensive or defensive end of any past game could see as much for themselves. No scorer intimidates her when she’s guarding them. No shot is too big for her to take on the other end of the court, either. The West Virginia Sports Writers Association and state coaches were witnesses during her final season as a member of a dominant Parkersburg High School team. And this prowess anointed her as the best girls’ basketball player in the state via the 2019 ...

ALBRIGHT: Calhoun girls met expectations, now comes the hard part

April 1, 2020

Imagine you are a member of the Calhoun County girls’ basketball team. Staring you down every campaign is the fact the program has never had a winning season. It is an unblinking and unavoidable mark weighing on your mind year after year. There’s no escaping the weight until it is lifted. Now, imagine being a member of the Red Devils’ team who finally broke that streak. What is the next thing your teammates and you want to do? Have another winning season, right? It didn’t matter the expectations were higher and the schedule ramped up a bit in difficulty. Goals remained ...

Ritchie’s Dave Mossor ready to play ball

March 26, 2020

Veteran Ritchie County head softball coach Dave Mossor is ready to get back on the diamond and play softball. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, only time will tell if spring sports will take place at all in 2020. At this point the Rebels should’ve been heading toward the 10th game of their campaign. “I’m just about as distraught as I’ve been in years,” admitted Mossor. I completely understand where he’s coming from. Holding out hope some portion of the year will be saved, Mossor has very good reason for that. “Chloe was throwing the freaking ball. I ...

Moving Olympics costly for Japan

March 26, 2020

TOKYO, Japan — This should not come to be a surprise to anyone. The 2020 summer Olympics have been postponed to 2021. This is the first time since 1944 that the games were moved. In ‘44, they were cancelled outright due to the ongoing World War II. This postponement is obviously different, and it’s turned the sports world on its head once again. For starters, cities that host the games foot a bill that is anything but cheap. It’s the reason why Boston terminated its bid to host the 2024 Olympics back in 2015. Some cities cannot pull together the resources necessary for ...

ALBRIGHT: Madeline Huffman takes place among MOV greats at point guard

March 25, 2020

Three young ladies hold perhaps the highest spot in the pantheon of great Mid-Ohio Valley high-school point guards. Parkersburg South, St. Marys and Parkersburg Catholic fans certainly know their names well. Each young lady contributed heaps of everything to their teams during the time spent in the school’s uniform. Maggie Boelter, Kelsie Fickiesen and Taryn McCutcheon elevated their groups to new levels from the moment of their arrival until their departure. Many have taken a shot at adding their name to this highest of lists over the years, but to no avail. Four years ago, another ...

ALBRIGHT: W.Va. should still name high school hoops’ state champions

March 17, 2020

Parkersburg High’s girls basketball team largely rolled through its in-state regular-season schedule. University and Williamstown’s boys alongside North Marion’s and Huntington St. Joe’s girls then similarly followed suit. As a result, all performances earned these groups the No. 1 seed in their respective state tournaments from coaches ballots. They didn’t get to enjoy those privileges very long, though. COVID-19 appears to have wiped out everyone’s opportunity to enjoy three days of games on the Charleston Coliseum floor. It’s erased chances for teams to either ...