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River City Classic: PHS girls fall to Fairland, 74-60

Parkersburg's Lauren Flanagan uses a screen from teammate Kennedy Porter during the Big Reds' 74-60 setback Friday afternoon versus Fairland in the River City Classic at Marietta College's Ban Johnson Arena. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

MARIETTA — Parkersburg jumped out to a 10-0 lead versus Ohio power Fairland on Friday afternoon, but the Dragons used a 16-5 effort in the fourth quarter to finally pull away for a 74-60 triumph in the River City Classic at Marietta College’s Ban Johnson Arena.

Bailey Russell led all scorers with 28, which included her 1,000th career point that came on a layup following a steal with 9.1 ticks left in the first.

Russell, the Dragons’ player of the game who added a game-high five steals, was joined in double figures by Addison Godby, who had 18 points, seven boards and a game-high two blocks.

Big Red Frances Guice was named player of the game after putting up 20 points. Lauren Flanagan joined Russell with a quartet of 3s and added 16 points for PHS, which received a dozen counters and a game-high 10 rebounds from pivot Kennedy Porter.

Guice and Sophie Lott, who had five points and joined teammate Audriana Medina with four assists, knocked down a 3 and a deuce apiece to get the Big Reds off to the 10-0 start.

Parkersburg's Frances Guice manages to get around the screen of Fairland's Addyson Cornell (11) as she tries to guard Bailey Russell during the Big Reds' 74-60 setback Friday afternoon in the River City Classic at Marietta College's Ban Johnson Arena. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Fairland (8-1) closed it to 14-13 following a pair of Ava Layne foul shots for part of her nine points, but Medina hit from deep and Flanagan followed with two more treys to push the advantage back to 10.

Although Ellie Kinnison’s two charity stripe conversions had PHS up 25-17, Russell scored the final five points of the quarter, which included finishing the three-point play after her 1,000th point, as the Dragons closed it to 25-22.

Fairland, a Final Four team a year ago, took its first lead at 35-34 with 45 seconds left before halftime when Layne hit a 3. Parkersburg’s fifth turnover of the stanza followed as the red and white trailed 38-34 at intermission following a Godby trey.

Porter opened the second half with a bucket and then a three-point play to put PHS back in front. An Addyson Cornell putback gave the Dragons the lead, but Flanagan made it 42-40 when she hit another 3. However, Fairland proceeded to go on an 11-0 spurt, which included consecutive trifectas from Russell.

A three-point play by Guice and another Flanagan trey got the Big Reds within one at 54-53 late in the third and head coach Chris Murray’s squad still trailed by one at 56-55 following two free throws from Gracie Lively, but Russell scored to give Fairland a 58-55 lead entering the fourth.

Philo's Reagan Miller passes out of a double team by Belpre's Larissa McDaniel and Madison Lauer during the Electrics' 38-21 setback Friday afternoon in the River City Classic at Marietta College's Ban Johnson Arena. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

The Big Reds, who allowed 10 offensive rebounds in the third, missed their first six shots of the fourth as Fairland took control by opening the quarter on a 14-1 run. Russell had seven of those points and Kamryn Barntiz hit a 3.

Isa Taliaferro chipped in six points, had a game-high five assists and joined Godby with seven boards.

Parkersburg, which dropped to 5-1 and returns to action at 1 p.m. today back at Marietta College versus Unioto, also received three steals from Medina.

The Big Reds, who had 14 turnovers and forced eight, finished 8 of 24 from downtown and shot 44% (22 of 50) from the floor. Fairland made 9 of 29 from beyond the arc and shot 44.3% (27 of 61).

Belpre 38, Philo 21

Belpre overcame a sluggish start here Friday afternoon against Philo in the River City Classic at Marietta College’s Ban Johnson Arena to improve to 7-3 following a 38-21 victory.

The Golden Eagles, who will seek a third consecutive win on Thursday at Alexander, trailed 6-4 after one as first-year head man Austin Cunningham’s squad missed 15 of 16 from the field.

A triple by Bri Wolfe and a putback from Aleigha Busse, who was the Philo player of the game, had Belpre in a 5-0 hole before Gracie Bills’ putback at the 5:02 mark got the Golden Eagles on the board.

Bills’ three-point play via an assist from Julia Way, the Golden Eagles’ player of the game, cut the deficit to 11-10 midway through the second.

Belpre finally took its first lead at 12-11 when Shy Miller found Addy Stewart for a deuce and the Golden Eagles grabbed the advantage for good at 15-13, which also was the intermission score, when Haley Alloway drained a 3 with 1:05 left in the half.

The third quarter started sluggish as the two teams combined for six missed shots and three turnovers.

However, Larissa McDaniel assisted on a Way 3, which ignited a 10-0 run that was capped by a Stewart short bank shot.

Reagan Miller had a pair of hoops to close out the quarter, getting an assist on the last one from Liv Fink, which made it 25-17, but Stewart knocked down a trifecta to open the fourth as the Golden Eagles won going away.

Alloway finished with a game-high 13 points, four steals and was a rebound away from a double-double. Way scored 10 points and had seven boards and three steals. Stewart chipped in seven points while Bills had six points along with game-highs of 11 caroms and three assists.

Busse paced the Electrics, who received six markers apiece from Wolfe and Miller, with seven points. The trio also has six rebounds each.

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