Parkersburg South Taj Joyce (5) looks to pass the ball against Huntington High defender Tayveon Willson (33) in a basketball match up on Tuesday in Huntington. (Photo by Shauntelle Thompson)

HUNTINGTON — Parkersburg South coach Mike Fallon told both his team and his wife that he felt a 71-68 overtime win was coming against Huntington on Tuesday night.

In a top-10 matchup with 17 lead changes and 12 ties, Parkersburg South’s Taj Joyce proved him right with a 3-pointer from the right corner as time expired.

“I kept looking at our kids. Two minutes left, I told them, ‘We’re going to win,'” Fallon said. “At the end of regulation, I told them, ‘We’re going to win. We’re going to find a way.’ I even looked to my wife and told her that we’re going to win.

“Probably the first time in my life that I’ve told my wife something and it worked out. Very proud of our kids.”

Joyce finished with 19 points, five in overtime, five rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Harris Silvis led the game in scoring with 26 points and was a large part of how the Patriots built a comeback.

No. 7 Huntington (4-2) went on a 13-2 run midway through the third quarter, but Silvis tallied 14 points in the fourth and two more in overtime to finish the game off. Fallon said he has trust in both Joyce and Silvis to lift the No. 4 Patriots (6-1).

“Any time him or Harry let go of that thing, you think it’s going in,” Fallon said. “Those two shoot the ball so well. We designed it knowing if we got Matt (Mullen) downhill, they’d have to bring help to keep him from a layup.

“He made the great play and kicked it to the corner for Taj. It’s ironic. Huntington was killing us with that play all night. We left the corner so many times.”

Huntington had a wealth of scorers despite being tested with the absence of Isaiah Lapsley and early foul trouble. Pierson Dejneka (13), Nate Hannah (15) and Tayveon Wilson (15) joined leader Ethan Dalton (17) in double digits.

“Having Isaiah out right now, that definitely hurt us a little bit,” Huntington coach Lambros Svingos said. “Having seniority to get the ball up the floor at the right times, the end of the game for example – I wouldn’t say that’s the big reason, though.

“I’m extremely proud of our bench. Khyren Chandler is a freshman, and he had quality minutes for us. Zavier Turner had good minutes for us, and Nate Hannah had a crazy good game. He usually comes off the bench.”

Svingos said his team can run 11 deep.

“I want to get to the point where I can rotate that deep,” he said. “I haven’t had that since I’ve been here, but I have the guys now that can, so I’m really proud of them tonight.”

Parkersburg South brought a press for much of the game that forced Huntington into 14 total turnovers. It helped them overcome a 14-rebound deficit as points were had on occasion from stolen inbound passes.

Nevertheless, Huntington also broke that press often for a total of 9 made 3-pointers as backcourt pressure led to open shooters.

“We were shooting well and communicating well on defense,” Huntington coach Lambros Svingos said. “We had a game plan coming in on how to beat their press. It worked pretty consistently. It was working all game, but we had some mental lapses.”

The lead changed hands seven times before Tayveon Wilson made it eight by halftime on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer of his own.

From there, he had six points of that 13-2 run to give Huntington the largest lead of the night, 42-31.

“Back and forth. Tayveon Wilson, what a class kid. I wish he’d have went to Clemson early,” Fallon said with a laugh. “He’s a great athlete.”

Parkersburg South wouldn’t go away. Silvis hit a 3-pointer to make it 49-45 entering the fourth quarter before he then rattled off two more 3s and a three-point play to score 12 of the next 16 for the Patriots. It gave them their first lead of the second half and a 56-55 advantage.

“He’s always been able to do that,” Fallon said. “In the first half, (Dejneka) had him sped up. We talked at halftime about settling down and slowing a little bit. He did that, slowing down in his mind, and he made a big, big difference.”

A final make for Silvis tied the game to end regulation, 64-64. From there, the teams looked prime for a second overtime period before Joyce’s final make.

It’s a bitter way to lose a game, but it’s one Svingos said offers invaluable experience as both teams have statewide ambition.

“I tell the guys when we start the season that a basketball team does one of three things: they get better, they stay the same or they get worse,” Svingos said. “As long as we’re getting better every game, that’s all I care about. Come March, if we play our best basketball, that’s our game.

“Ethan Dalton led us in scoring, and this is his first year with quality minutes. The same thing goes for Nate and Pierson, who started for us a little bit last year. A lot of these guys are fresh to varsity and these experiences. Knowing that they’re performing this well against a team like that – I’m not happy with a loss, but I’m over the moon with where we’re going.”

Huntington travels to Capital at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13. Parkersburg South plays at Morgantown at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8.