GW finally conquers PHS
Patriots get first win over Big Reds in four years
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PARKERSBURG -- Reigning Mary Ostrowski Award winner Kalissa Lacy has done a lot in her high school career, but a win over Parkersburg High didn't appear among those accomplishments.
You sure could tell during the Patriots and Big Reds game Tuesday night at PHS Memorial Fieldhouse.
She scored 27 points, dished out three assists and pulled down seven rebounds as she finally got a victory over one of her toughest Mountain State Athletic Conference rivals.
Kierstyn Fore added 11 more points and the Patriots jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead en route to the 56-36 win.
Lacy predicatably flashed a big smile after the win.
"It feels awesome. Every single year they've beat us and we have been kind of competitive but never actually super competitive. It feels really good especially for our four seniors," she said.
"We were definitely happy with the big run in the beginning but we knew they fight and never give up and we just thought we had to keep our foot on the gas. We let up a little bit in the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter we got back together and calmed everyone down," she said.
The senior set the tone from the beginning with her own 6-0 run before two minutes had even left the clock. Points off a rebound and two more off a steal set the Patriots on their way. Hayley McCale managed to get the Big Reds on the board with a pair of baskets, but Lacy's 3 with 37 seconds left put the Big Reds up 11-5.
The beginning was an encouraging start for GW head coach Jamie LeMaster, who had an easy game plan for his team to remember.
"We just had to keep it simple. We knew this team was capable of shooting the three ball really well and they competed and have been right in some games with some top teams in the state like Fairmont Senior and Wheeling Park. We couldn't just lose our intensity and focus."
The Patriots also didn't challenge Sierra Mason and company to a full-court contest. Instead, the Kanawha Valley school forced the Big Reds to set up a half-court offense and they simply could not score … at least through the first half.
GW switched to a zone in the second half and PHS took advantage.
In the game where the group dropped below .500, Cozzens team outscored its visitors 29-24. That included an 8-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter that cut the lead down to 45-28, but the run hardly dented the Patriots composure. All GW needed to do was run clock. By limiting the Big Reds scoring chances, it forced them into fouling and gave the Patriots more time to burn the clock down.
Lacy's final three points of the game set the final score.
Even though it wasn't a comeback, Cozzens was pleased with his team's effort in the second half.
"I was proud of the way they fought back. Maybe it was our fault for not playing more of that style and not trusting the team. That still is no excuse for the effort they have been giving," he said.
"We just have to go play. That is where the IQ has to come up. Offensively the first half we didn't run an offense even though every set had an offense in it but things broke down and then it became 1 on 5 and people were cutting when someone was driving and others were just standing around."
That can't be the case if the Big Reds hope to finally snap their losing streak against Hurricane in a 7:30 p.m. contest on Thursday.
In a year where everyone is trying to get a piece of the two-time defending champions, every game is a potential upset.