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St. Marys upends Williamstown in regional co-final

By Kerry Patrick 5 min read

ST. MARYS - Before someone could secure their ticket for the Class AA state tournament, the girls basketball teams from St. Marys and Williamstown operated under a state final simulator Wednesday night in a regional co-final.

After failing to advance to Charleston last season, the second-ranked Blue Devils pulled out a slugfest by defeating the third-ranked Yellowjackets 43-35.

"It was all about effort," St. Marys coach Fred King said. "Our motivation is hanging on that banner that says the school's last state championship in girls basketball is 1990. No matter who is the coach, it's the girls and what it means to the community."

St. Marys senior point guard Addie Davis played with a purpose, never showing much emotion until the end of the game. She finished with a game-high 13 points to go with five rebounds and four assists for the 19-4 Blue Devils.

"We had so many external factors going into this game," Davis said. "It was a great atmosphere - the same thing you would find at the state tournament. It was an intense game - the same thing you are going to see with every game at the state tournament. And I can't wait for it. Tonight was all the preparation we need.

"For me personally, this is the best feeling. Especially with this rivalry. These are the best kind of games."

St. Marys advances to next Tuesday's state quarterfinal round against Ritchie County. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. The winner advances to the semifinals against the winner of No. 3 Charleston Catholic or No. 6 Logan.

"The reason we played a tough schedule this year is to get us ready for (the state tournament)," King said.

After playing in the state championship game last season, Williamstown bows out at 18-6. The Yellowjackets graduate two seniors - Faith Pickens, who will continue her basketball career at the University of Tampa, along with Annabelle Haught, who will attend Mount St. Marys and join the school's women's flag football team.

"We have always known this region is like a mini state tournament," Williamstown coach Danny Bunch said. "I told the girls after the game, I felt like that last quarter and half they left it all on the floor. If we played like that the entire game it may have been a different story.

"Kudos to St. Marys. They played great. They came in here with a gameplan and executed it really well. And we didn't."

St. Marys showed zone to offset Williamstown's two bigs - Pickens and junior Arissa Burt. The Blue Devils packed in the defense and forced the Yellowjackets to beat them from the perimeter.

That never materialized as the likes of St. Marys defender Anna Bennett came up huge, cheating on her coverage inside and enticing Williamstown ballhandlers to throw into double-teams.

In the second half alone, Bennett came up with four steals.

The Blue Devils did not trail until the 4 ½-minute mark of the second quarter when Gracie Montgomery's four-point play off a made 3-pointer and a foul shot put the Yellowjackets in front 16-15.

An immediate response from St. Marys, thanks in large part to Davis, resulted in a 12-2 run to end the half and put the Blue Devils in front 27-18. In the final four minutes of the first half, Davis assisted on a pair of baskets to a pair of freshmen in Laney Watkins and Landrey Riggs. Davis also scored five points of her own, including a 3-pointer as time expired.

"There is not a girl on this team I don't trust putting their hand on the ball," Davis said. "Everyone from the last player on the bench to the captain, they all matter. "

Early in the fourth quarter, Riggs knocked down a 3-pointer as St. Marys pulled ahead to its largest lead of the game at 13 points (36-23).

The gap remained in double digits at 39-29 with the clock hitting two minutes when Williamstown gave St. Marys a scare and closed to within 39-35 at the 41-second second mark. Haught ignited the charge with two straight buckets as part of her team-high nine points. Quinn Bunch's steal and ensuing layup capped the run.

"I felt we were just sort of a step behind all night," Bunch said. "We got some stops and got the lead, but I don't think we communicated very well. I think the atmosphere might have had something to do with that and maybe the girls couldn't hear me."

St. Marys made four free throws down the stretch and won the rubber match of a three-game series with Williamstown this season.

Gracie Montgomery and Pickens both added eight points for Williamstown. Pickens also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds and led the team with four assists.

St. Marys is taking three seniors to Charleston with Davis, Callie Powell and Linsie Asher. Powell overcame a preseason injury to stay in the starting lineup throughout the season.

"Addie and I talked, we wanted to make it to state 4-for-4 years - last year, we kind of had a slump," Powell said. "Tonight was a huge rival game. Our student section was great, our fans were great. You know they are always going to show up and support us.

"As far as our underclassmen, we have the fastest person in Laney. We told her to just take it to them, and she did. Anna did great on defense. Everybody stepped up."

Watkins also scored in double figures with 10 points, while Brynnley Bulluck - limited in her playing time in the first half because of foul trouble - finished with seven points and five rebounds.

"Before the game, my gosh, the nerves were awful," Watkins said. "As soon as the game started I was OK. This is really exciting because I have always dreamed of going to state. The seniors throughout the season have been so amazing for us underclassmen."

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com

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