Parkersburg South’s Skylar Bosley (24) tries to track down a loose ball during Wednesday’s Class AAAA regional co-final game against Cabell Midland at Rod Oldham Athletic Center. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

PARKERSBURG — For Parkersburg South, Wednesday’s Class AAAA, Region IV co-final against fourth-ranked Cabell Midland replicated the regular season for the Patriots.

Nursing a 5-8 record at one juncture, South finished the campaign above .500 at 13-12 following a 73-64 loss to a Cabell Midland outfit which made 11 of its first 12 shots from the floor, and led by as many as 18 points in the first half.

“The girls were so resilient this year in bouncing back, and this game was a perfect example of what kind of season it was,” South coach Ed Davis said. “We struggled there at the beginning of the game, and Cabell Midland knocked down shots and did a lot of nice stuff at the beginning. During the season, we kept battling.”

Trailing 38-28 in the opening moments of the second half, South climbed back into the picture and eventually took the lead after hitting the Knights with a 19-7 run which put the Patriots in front for the first time at 47-45 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

“The communication on defense is what helped us — we didn’t communicate that well early and Cabell Midland puts you in a lot of screen situations and if you don’t communicate they will stick you in the eye,” Davis said.

Hannah Wingrove’s fifth 3-pointer of the night kept South in front 50-49 before Cabell Midland ended the period on a high note with Jazmyn Wheeler’s bucket followed by Jadyn Allie’s and-one for a 54-50 lead and one quarter remaining.

Cabell Midand (17-5), seeking to climb another pedestal after last season’s runner-up finish, maintained a 54-52 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter then went on an 11-3 run and created some breathing room with less than three minutes showing on the clock.

The Knights essentially relied on seven made free throws in the final 1:46 to seal the win.

Jadyn Allie knocked down four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points. Wheeler, who added another 21 points, and Allie put Cabell Midland’s offense on their back in the third quarter as South made its push.

A total of four Cabell Midland players scored in double figure, including Rylee Allie with 13 points and KK Potter with 10 points.

“The first quarter did set the tone,” Cabell Midland coach Matt Adkins said. “South played hard tonight. They came out and smacked us in the face in the second quarter We kind of back off and they made a game of it toward the end of the third quarter and into the fourth.

“It’s a great feeling to get this team back to state. We were runner-up last year, so we would like to get back to that championship game.”

South loses six seniors off its current roster, including point guard Skylar Bosley, who finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists.

“Skylar got so consistent this season and picked up her scoring, but she did it just all-around,” Davis said. “That’s going to be a void to fill, but we have a lot of kids coming back. Kids who didn’t get to play later in the season that can play and have played well for us during the season.”

The hot hand of another senior, Hannah Wingrove, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and prevented Cabell Midland from completely burying South. Wingrove ended the night with 21 points. Carrie Rhodes and Brooke Sandy each pitched in six points. Rhodes also pulled down six rebounds.

“I was happy for Hannah tonight,” Davis said. “She knocked down shots, and we see that every day in practice. I was confident she was going to knock down shots tonight. She kept us afloat to allow us to make those runs.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com