Ripley head coach Derek Mullins address the Vikings during a timeout against Winfield Wednesday in Charleston. (Photo by Heather Belcher)

CHARLESTON — Winfield sixth man Owen Taylor came off the bench and delivered a game-high 20 points as the fourth-seeded Generals dealt No. 5 Ripley a 46-33 defeat in a Class AAA state quarterfinal late Wednesday night inside the Charleston Coliseum.

Ripley, which had split the regular season series with a 71-69 home win in double overtime on Jan. 16 before losing 64-39 on Feb. 9 at Winfield, kept it close for a half but ended the campaign at 20-5.

The Vikings of head coach Derek Mullins, who lost to third-seeded Nitro a year ago by three in the opening round, were led by Blake Justice’s 10 points. Parker Smith had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds while Kyler Doss chipped in six points via two treys.

Ripley, which trailed 10-9 after one, 21-20 at halftime and fell behind 38-28 going to the fourth, was held to a season low in points. The previous low came against the Generals on Feb. 9, but the Vikings followed that up with nine straight wins and a second consecutive trip to state.

The Generals, now 22-3 and set to face No. 1 Chapmanville at 11:15 a.m. Friday, also received eight points from Owen Jones and six apiece by Mydan Oglesby and Brody Ilderton, who had a game-high eight rebounds.

Winfield, which got a game-high three assists from Carter Workman, reached the state tournament for the 12th time and first since 2021.

The Vikings, who got two steals from Brady McVay, were unable to find their range from distance and hit 5 of 18 from beyond the arc. RHS finished at 30.2% (13 of 43) compared to the Generals’ 39.2% (20 of 51), which included making 4 of 15 from deep.

WHS, which lost the turnover battle 16-15 but had a 15-8 edge in points off them, held a decisive 32-16 points in the paint advantage that was aided by a 37-28 rebounding edge.