Parkersburg boys roll past Cabell Midland, 85-63

Parkersburg’s Zane Lewis (21) looks to put up a shot near the basket while being defended by Cabell Midland’s Evan Hughes (21) Tuesday night inside Memorial Fieldhouse. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
PARKERSBURG – The one-man press breaker is closing in on 1,000 points for his school career.
Tuesday night inside Memorial Fieldhouse, Parkersburg senior Nate Rodriguez scored a game-high 28 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, as the Big Reds turned in what coach Phil Wilson described as an “A-minus” effort in lieu of Thursday’s major clash with city-rival Parkersburg South.
“We did a good job bouncing back from that loss (to Capital) in Charleston – that game made us have to refocus on what we are good at and that is on defense,” PHS coach Wilson said after his ballclub improved to 5-8 and 4-3 in the Mountain State Athletic Conference. “This whole week was defense, defense, defense. Our offense feeds off our defense. When we can defend the ball well then the guys shoot the ball well.
“This is only the second or third time that we have been up throughout the duration of a game. We just have to take care of the ball, move it around and take some time off the clock. That’s where the minus comes in. Once we realize that, we can move up to an A-plus.”
Cabell Midland (7-8, 2-5 MSAC) entered the game with two wins in its past three games. In the two wins, the Knights averaged 96 points on offense. PHS allowed the Knights just 41 points through three quarters.

Parkersburg’s Nate Rodriguez (25) dribbles around Cabell Midland’s Evan Hughes (21) during Tuesday’s game inside Memorial Fieldhouse. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“We have a lot of guys in the locker room who don’t quit,” Rodriguez said. “We have had some battles this year – lost some games we should not have and also won some games we should have.
“When we see a team press like we saw tonight, we know we are going to fine. We feel good about our chances, especially in the fourth quarter. I trusted my guys and they trusted me.That’s why we were able to win.”
In a last-ditch effort to climb back in during the fourth quarter, Cabell Midland showed a full-court press for the first time in the game. Rodriguez at point guard had plenty of options as he sliced-and-diced through the pressure – a majority of the time he kept possession and made the easy jumper and lay-ins.
“People always talk about Nate had x amount of turnovers; Quinten had x amount of turnovers – look, these kids are playing 28 to 32 minutes a game and they have the ball 90% of the time,” coach Wilson said. “They are going to turn the ball over. It’s just of those things you have to accept.”
With plenty of opportunities ahead in the regular season, Rodriguez is within 21 points of reaching 1,000 for his career as a Big Red. The accomplishment would have added meaning should it happen against a Parkersburg South program he has yet to beat.

Parkersburg’s Luke Anderson (3) scored a career-high 20 points as the Big Reds defeated Cabell Midland 85-63 Tuesday night inside Memorial Fieldhouse. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“They are a well-coached team – we just have to come ready to play,” Rodriguez said. “You always want to defend your home of course.
“We just tell the guys to get better every day. We are 0-0 every day.”
Trailing by 18 points (62-44) with six minutes remaining in regulation, Cabell Midland turned up the heat and closed to within 69-57 on Ethan Blackburn’s pull-up jumper at the free-throw line.
Wilson immediately called a full timeout at the 3:41 mark. Out of the break on the ensuing possession, PHS killed 45 seconds off the clock. Capping off the sequence – on a feed from Luke Anderson, Rodriguez made an open 3-pointer from the corner and the run was on.
In a minute and a half, the Big Reds scored 12 straight points to extend the lead to 24 points and secure the win. PHS scored 32 points in the final period on 13-of-17 shooting (76%).

Parkersburg’s Quinten Wilson (5) guards Cabell Midland’s Aidan Ray (5) during Tuesday’s game inside Memorial Fieldhouse. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
“I told our guys, you’ve seen this team almost come back against Huntington and win that game – don’t let them come back and win this game. Just hold the ball. In the huddle, I said no more 3-pointers. So what happens? We shoot a 3-pointer. But it went in.
“We could have ran the last four minutes off the clock if we wanted to. If we got a wide open layup, take it. If you don’t, move it around. Nate got that three to go in – that’s the second time this year. Isaac (Dailey) did it to me once. But they both went in.”
Anderson’s assist on Rodriguez’s three was only part of the story for the Big Reds’ sixth-man. The junior knocked down a team-high four threes and scored a career-high 20 points
Anderson’s plus-minus rating received an uptick as he played a crucial role in several spurts which gave PHS double-digits leads throughout. With the game tied at 9-9, he scored five points during a 15-2 run which extended into the second quarter and put the Big Reds in front to stay at 24-11.
Moments later, Cabell Midland cut the deficit into single digits before Anderson again responded with another five points and an assist on a Dailey 3-pointer as part of a 10-2 run to increase the lead to 36-21.
Anderson was a regular member of the starting member the first five or six games of the regular season. He has accepted his current role and relishes he idea of getting a scouting report as the game plays out.
“Playing as the sixth-man helps because you can determine who the best player is on the other team and what they do best,” Anderson said. “So you know how to stop that.
“(For Thursday), we need to get back on defense. We need to get deflections and steals. That’s the way it was tonight. We really stepped up on defense.”
A total of four PHS players scored in double figures, including Wilson with 15 points and Dailey with 10. Wilson passed up several look beyond the 3-point arc and created a higher percentage shot with his mid-range jumper.
“The last two games, Quinten has been really looking to be a little bit more aggressive,” coach Wilson said. “He’s looking to get his spot. He is not forcing anything. It would be like him to take those threes that he has, but he is doing a good job of getting to the mid-range jumper.
“Combined with his threes, if he can build around all that for the remainder of the season we are going to be pretty tough.”
Cabell Midland struggled from outside, making just 4-of-21 (19%) from 3-point range. The Knights’ top two scorers this season, Aidan Ray and Ethan Blackburn, finished with 19 and 10 points, respectively.
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com