Parkersburg’s Frances Guice (3) gets cut off at the pass by George Washington defender Nasiya Smith (10) during Wednesday’s Class AAAA state quarterfinal game in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

CHARLESTON — George Washington girls basketball coach Jamie Lamaster made a strong push for his sophomore guard as a candidate for Class AAAA Player of the Year in the state of West Virginia.

Jeriyah Pryor won’t turn down the high praise, but she did just fine making a case on her own as the Patriots defeated Parkersburg, 59-50, in a Wednesday morning state quarterfinal game at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

The 5-foot-6 sophomore finished with a double-double after scoring 28 points and grabbing 15 rebounds to go with two assists and two blocks.

“We watched film on Pryor from their last three or four games — she started shooting the ball between 26 and 30 times a game,” PHS coach Chris Murray said. “The determining factor was they made her the go-to person. They established that she is going to be the one that gets them going

“You get that volume in the way she can convert inside and also take you outside.”

Parkersburg’s Frances Guice (3) gets fouled driving for a layup against George Washington’s Nasiya Smith (10) during Wednesday’s Class AAAA state quarterfinal game in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

As the No. 6 seed, GW (15-8) advances to Friday’s semifinal game. In a regular season meeting between the two schools on the final day of January, PHS defeated the Patriots by 13 points.

According to coach Lamaster, in that first meeting PHS was hitting everything in sight from 3-point range.

Not the case on Wednesday as the 17-8 Big Reds never got on track from the perimeter and made just 3-of-22 (14%) from beyond the arc.

“I knew coming in we had to do something different, so we changed by taking Jeriyah off the primary shooters and parking her in the middle of the lane,” Lamasters said. “She was there to help with drivers and help clean the glass.

“It wasn’t necessarily that we were running kids off the 3-point line or trying to take certain kids away. I think we dictated who was taking the shots.”

Parkersburg’s Sophie Lott, left, converts a layup as George Washington’s Meg Smith arrives late on the scene during Wednesday’s Class AAAA state quarterfinal game in Charleston.(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

At the outset, GW beat PHS at its own game as four different Patriot starters dialed in from 3-point range and gave the Patriots an 18-7 lead after one quarter. The gap reached 13 points at 20-7 on a bucket from Pryor to open the second period.

“George Washington shot nearly 50% from three in the first half and we kind of dug ourselves in a hole – that’s a credit to the way they shot,” Murray said. “Their role players hit some really big shots. And we dared them to.”

From that point, PHS was left in catch-up mode and never had a lead the entire game.

“We’ve had games where teams have completely laid off (role players) Mattison Sosebee and Leah Hoston,” Lamaster said. “We preached to them, they have to be at least a threat to score. Take a shot. So early, Mattison let one go and it went in. Great for her.

“As for Leah Hoston, where did she come from? She’s hit threes this year, but she picked a really great day to hit some timely shots.”

Parkersburg’s Lauren Flanagan (1) drives around George Washington’s Leah Hoston (14) during Wednesday’s Class AAAA state quarterfinal game in Charleston.(Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Ellie Kinnison provided a spark off the PHS bench with all seven of her points in the second quarter. The Big Reds closed to within four points on several occasions before GW’s 9-0 run just before halftime was the impetus to a 34-25 lead at the break.

GW kicked off the second half with a second chance scoring opportunity converted by Pryor followed by a Rayana Breckenridge free throw. The deficit fell back into double digits, but PHS rallied around junior post player Porter Kennedy, who scored 10 of her team-high 17 points in the third quarter. Kennedy also finished the game with 15 rebounds.

“My teammates are the ones who see that I am open and they get me a great pass,” Porter said. “I just finish the play.”

Trailing by 11 in the final minute and a half, the Big Reds chipped away and closed to within 46-40 with one quarter remaining. GW did not score on its first five possessions of the fourth quarter and PHS was right back in the thick of things.

Sophie Lott’s bucket at 6:25 remaining in regulation cut the deficit to 46-44. Coach Murray immediately called timeout to set up his defense. A decision he regrets making.

Parkersburg assistant coach Shay Kirby, far right, gives the team a pep talk between quarters in the first half of Wednesday’s Class AAAA state quarterfinal game in Charleston. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

“I wish I didn’t do that, but I was trying to tweak our defense just to add a little wrinkle and deny Jeriyah,” Murray said. “We were having good momentum there and I probably settled down George Washington. So it was a terrible coaching mistake on my part.

“I should have rolled the lightning. We were playing well and had cut it to two.”

The timeout actually did GW more good as the Patriots reeled off seven straight points over the next three minutes. PHS never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

PHS graduates just one senior – Audriana Medina. Coach Murray gets excited when he talks about where the program was when he took over and where it is currently.

“I love this team,” Murray said. “This being year four for me, when I took this job post-COVID there were nine girls left in the program and like $211 in the booster balance. It’s a real testament to the kids that came in and worked really hard. They busted their tails for us.

“I have full faith we will be back. I’m very excited that these girls will be back. Losing to a GW is not a bad loss. We got here and it’s a matter of what we do with it, and how we build on it. We will be all right.”

As for GW, coach Lamaster explained how the outlook looked bleak at the start of the season. He graduated a Division I recruit from last season, and another D-I recruit did not return. His sixth-man did not return to the program. A projected starter from the freshman class suffered a season-ending knee injury during a preseason scrimmage.

“I don’t think a lot of people gave us a chance to even get here, let alone get through the first round,” Lamaster said.

He likes his chances with Pryor on the floor and fellow sophomore guard Breckenridge, who joined teammate Leah Hoston in double figures with 10 points against the Big Reds.

“They are referred to as our law firm, Breckenridge and Pryor,” Lamasters laughed. “Part of me says,’ Wow!’ – what are these girls going to look like in two seasons when they are 18-year-olds. If they stay healthy and stay together, I’m really excited for the future. I’m also really excited about what they have been able to accomplish in their two seasons here at George Washington.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com