George Washington’s Jeriyah Pryor attempts a shot contested by Parkersburg South’s Quinn Bolyard during Tuesday’s game in Charleston. (Photo by Craig Allison Photography)

CHARLESTON — George Washington’s Jeriyah Pryor and Rayana Breckenridge have attained the nickname “The Law Firm.” It’s mainly due to how they attack the opposition on the court, similar to a courtroom.

The two were steady for the Patriots on Tuesday night, combining for 43 points in GW’s 65-45 victory over Parkersburg South.

Breckenridge netted a team-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor, while Pryor totaled 21 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Tuesday’s victory continues George Washington’s hot winning streak to start the season, moving to 15-0 and 7-0 in Mountain State Athletic Conference play.

“[This win] was extremely important,” GW coach Jamie LaMaster said. “I’ve watched these guys on film. I just watched them take down the Big Reds of Parkersburg. That’s a rivalry game, but they came out on top. So, very talented team, very young team. But, I think [they] will have a lot to say about in the region [tournament] that’s coming up here towards the end of the season.”

George Washington’s defense, as the Patriots have done all season, caused chaos and turnovers.

GW forced Parkersburg South into 18 turnovers, with 12 of those coming in the first half.

Those turnovers led to points in transition and open opportunities, which LaMaster was hoping to see.

“They did a great job tonight,” LaMaster said. “A lot of it was scouting report and opposing player tendencies, [then] understanding when to crowd and rotate. [Plus,] who the shooters were. Those types of things. That first-half defensive effort was probably as good as I’ve seen them play since the opener.”

Parkersburg South falls to 8-2, snapping a five-game winning streak. It last lost on Dec. 18 against Spring Valley, 81-47.

Seven Parkersburg South players scored on Tuesday, with freshman Lindsey Logston leading the charge with 13 points.

“GW has more team speed than anybody we’ve faced,” Parkersburg South coach Ed Davis said. “It’s hard to simulate and practice their defense. I thought we did a little better job in the second half against it. They got out of it a little bit, but I thought the guard quickness and depth of the guard quickness was faster than anybody we had seen. It took us a little while to adjust to that.”

Parkersburg South went into the half trailing, 33-15, before scoring more in the third quarter, with 17 points, than it had in the first 16 minutes.

“From a competitive standpoint, to come out and still compete was encouraging,” Davis said. “We played a little more zone tonight than we had to this point. That was good, and the kids were bought into playing a little bit of that. This gave us a little energy. We had some transition opportunities early but didn’t finish. You got to take advantage of those chances when you play these guys.”

An 8-0 GW run stretched out an early lead to 15-3. It added a 12-0 run late in the first half to lead by 18 points at the break.

The two were more competitive in the third quarter. Parkersburg South cut the margin to 48-32 on a Quinn Bolyard triple with 1:02 left iin the third. However, Pryor got two quick buckets to put GW’s lead back to 20 after three quarters, 52-32.

Breckenridge did something similar toward the end of the first half, scoring George Washington’s final seven points.

“Huge, just to close out a quarter, not only on a scoreboard, but from a mentality standpoint as well,” LaMaster said. “Their quickness, speed and hands [are key]. They just need it. They need a step. They did a great job of getting in position and finishing the play.”

A span of seven consecutive points early in the fourth quarter by GW closed it out. The Kanawha County Patriots outscored Wood County’s Patriots 13-12 in the final quarter.

Parkersburg South was led in scoring by Lindsey Logston, who scored 13 points.

GW’s other double-figure performer was freshman Ady Gumm, as she recorded 10 points, including nine from 3-point range.