Parkersburg senior Kennedy Porter, right, embraces head coach Chris Murray following the Big Reds’ 59-53 win over Parkersburg South in the Class AAAA state championship game. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

CHARLESTON — You can learn a lot about a basketball team by watching how they play in the fourth quarter when the game is one the line.

For the Parkersburg Big Reds, it’s when they’re at their best.

The PHS girls were no strangers to hard-fought, down-to-the-wire games throughout the regular season. That experience came in handy these past few nights in the state tournament. Parkersburg beat University, Morgantown and Parkersburg South with an average margin of victory of four points on the way to capturing the Class AAAA state championship.

“Shout out to the girls, man,” said PHS head coach Chris Murray. “Fourth-quarter closers, baby. Trevor Hoffman, let’s go.”

The Big Reds found themselves down three going into the fourth quarter against their rivals on Saturday night. With eight minutes left in the season, Parkersburg did what all great closers, like the aforementioned Hoffman, do — finished strong.

From left, Parkersburg’s Lauren Flanagan, Frances Guice and Kennedy Porter celebrate after Porter was named the state tournament’s Most Valuable Player. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

At the 6:50 mark Lauren Flanagan buried her fourth 3-pointer of the game to tie it at 41-all. With 6:17 on the clock, Faithlyn Butcher added another 3-ball, and by the time Lucie Cline finished scoring four straight points with 4:19 left, the Big Reds had a 48-41 lead.

Frances Guice added a basket to cap off a 12-0 run to begin the pivotal final period. South crept to within six on Lindsey Logston’s 3-pointer with a minute to go, but Guice and Flanagan combined to go 7 for 8 at the free-throw line to slam the door shut.

“That’s the definition of closing games out,” Murray said. “When you’re at the state tournament, that’s what you have to do. I think when the moments are at their highest pressure points, you have such an experienced leadership group that come in and they execute at a high level. That’s a credit to them. That’s a testament to them to not get too high or too low.”

There’s no limit to the number of sports or movie references Murray could make when describing how fun this year’s Parkersburg squad was to coach. They were certainly a journalist’s dream team.

“We’re probably one of the best teams to cover because everything’s close with us all the time,” Murray laughed. “We are just an insane basketball team. A lot of it’s because of pace, right? The way we take some quick shots and the way we keep trying to push the tempo.”

From left, Parkersburg South’s Emilee Owens, Lindsey Logston, Grace Dotson and Quinn Bolyard take a breather during a break in the action. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

If the Big Reds’ 2025-26 season really was a movie, then the ending was one even a Hollywood director would find impressive.

After losing twice to Parkersburg South during the regular season, PHS got to meet its arch rival for a round three in the state championship game — the first time the two schools have ever met in such a game — and the third time was, indeed, the charm.

“I’ve never personally treated this game one way or the other,” Murray said of the rivalry. “I’ve always just treated it like another game, but you can’t ignore the fact that it’s a big game. It truly is. It’s the first time in state tournament history, and we get to own that. That’s gonna matter. When we walk into their gym, they’re gonna know that. When they walk into our gym and that picture’s on the wall, they’re gonna know that, so that’s a great feeling.”

Asked what the difference was this time around versus the Patriots, Murray responded,

“Our toughness. We adjusted the defense on how we wanted to guard them a little bit. I think that we were playing a little bit more to the side, and we wanted to be more — if you talk to (assistant coach) Amy (Way), nose to nose. If you talk to me, chest to chest — but same thought. But we just wanted to guard better and be a little bit tougher on the boards. That’s a tough group. They don’t waver. The moment’s not too big for them. We knew they were gonna make runs. We just had a big run, too.”

Parkersburg head coach Chris Murray, right, coaches up Frances Guice during a timeout. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

The energy inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center was palpable. For the Big Reds and Patriots, it was an opportunity to showcase their rivalry on the big stage.

“That’s no different than being at the Fieldhouse or being at the ROAC,” Murray said. “It’s just a bigger environment and more people were paying attention. You don’t really focus on it too much, because you’re just so used to it. You’re truly just used to it because we play in it all the time. You just get used to tough environments, but it was cool. It’s great for girls basketball. It’s awesome for the sport.”

One player with a unique perspective on the rivalry is Cline, who transferred from South to PHS for her senior year. Saturday, Cline finished with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds — a double-double to help power her team to glory.

“It takes absolute guts to transfer to your rival your senior to play basketball,” Murray said.

“We had Lucie come in this year. She bought in late, and once we got her going, it was great. Her conditioning got up to par.”

The Parkersburg student section celebrates following the Big Reds’ 59-53 win over Parkersburg South in the Class AAAA state championship game. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Kennedy Porter, named the state tournament’s Most Valuable Player, said Cline fit in with this PHS group perfectly.

“Having Lucie definitely brought a complete change to this season,” Porter said. “We did lose some players last year, and she stepped up and took that role. She’s done a great job all season. It goes back, like, we’ve played together before. This past summer me, Lauren, Lucie and Francis all played on AAU, and I think that really helped us a lot in getting where we are today and this plaque that we have right here.”

Cline was thrilled to help bring a state title home for the Big Reds, her former rivals who she now considers family.

“These girls are literally like my sisters,” Cline said. “I love them all. This is like the best experience. I’ve had the best experiences all year with these girls. It’s definitely something to remember.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.

The Parkersburg South student section cheers during Saturday’s state championship game against Parkersburg. (Photo by Jordan Holland

Parkersburg student-athlete Landen Deuley competes in a contest during halftime of Saturday’s AAAA state championship game between the Big Reds and Parkersburg South in Charleston. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)