Parkersburg’s Lauren Flanagan handles the ball during Friday’s North-South all-star game in South Charleston. (Photo by Laura Bilson/Gazette-Mail)

SOUTH CHARLESTON — Maybe it was the color of the jerseys.

Behind state Class AAAA champion Parkersburg Big Reds Lauren Flanagan, Kennedy Porter and Lucie Cline, the red-clad South Cardinals defeated the North Bears 80-78 on Friday night in the North-South all-star girls basketball game at the South Charleston Community Center.

Flanagan scored 16 points. Porter netted 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Cline pulled down four rebounds.

“This being the last game of my high school basketball career, I’m thrilled,” Flanagan said after leading a comeback from an eight-point deficit. “To win a state title and then this, it’s the cherry on top.”

The North led 48-40 in the second quarter and was up 53-46 after a basket by Rilee Storm of John Marshall at 8:17 of the third quarter. Greenbrier East’s Kennedy Stewart then made a 3-pointer to spark a 15-0 streak during which Porter scored six points.

Parkersburg’s Kennedy Porter tries to gather a loose ball during Friday’s North-South all-star game in South Charleston.(Photo by Laura Bilson/Gazette-Mail)

The Bears rallied for a 68-66 advantage on a basket by East Fairmont’s Emma Moore with 8:15 left in the game. Anna Tolley of Roane County tied it before Flanagan hit a 2-pointer to give the South a lead it never relinquished.

Flanagan hit a 3-pointer and Porter added a foul shot to put the Cardinals ahead 74-68 with 3:42 remaining. The North, though, rallied within 76-75 on a 3-point play by Grafton’s Kenna Keener with 47 seconds to play.

The Cardinals extended the lead to 79-75 on a pair of Flanagan free throws with 19 seconds left, but Storm converted a 3-point play with 8 seconds on the clock to make it 79-78.

Huntington High’s Ava Gallion set the score with a foul shot with 6 seconds to play.

Storm, who finished with a game-high 21 points, missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“It feels great. I played AAU with these girls and got to play one more game with my coach and my teammates,” Porter said, referencing Big Reds coach and South assistant Chris Murray. “It feels so good to get a W. Like Lauren said, win a state championship and then this is the cherry on top.”

The North led all but 18 seconds of the first half and was up 50-44 at halftime. Storm made a trio of 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.

“We handled a few runs there and came back in the second half,” said South coach Amy Chapman of Gilmer County. “In the second half, defensively I thought we rotated a lot better.”

Tolley scored 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Stewart tossed in 10 points.

Chapman said she was happy to win and pleased with her players’ effort.

“I thought everybody had a great effort,” Chapman said. “Everybody at some point in that game contributed.”

For the Bears, Della Knight of Hampshire scored 12 points and Moore chipped in 10. Kenner led all rebounders with eight.

NORTH 27 23 14 14 — 78: Evans 0, Fox 9, Goodwin 5, Haymond 3, Miller 0, Moore 10, Storm 21, Trent 6, Keener 9, Knight 12.

SOUTH 25 19 21 15 — 80: Flanagan 16, Gallion 7, Frymier 5, Pannell 5, Rushworth 0, Sloan 4, Stewart 10, Tolley 11, Cline 0, Dobbins 5, Porter 11, Jones 6.