COLUMN: Having a little fun

March 14, 2026

That Fred Persinger guy is quite the cat. I was listening to the WVMetroNews radio broadcast Wednesday evening with Fred on the call and Dave Wilson supplying the color. Everything has been a complete whirlwind the last couple weeks with the state wrestling tournament and now getting ready for our spring tab special section, let alone the fact it’s March Madness time. Anyway, toward the end of one of the games Wilson mentioned it was the 50th girls state hoops tournament and that he knew of someone who had been to them all. Persinger responded by reminding listeners, or perhaps ...

‘Clock is ticking’: PHS beats Morgantown, will face South in the state final

March 14, 2026

CHARLESTON — No. 2 Parkersburg nearly led the entire affair against No. 3 Morgantown in a late Friday night Class AAAA state semifinal inside the Charleston Coliseum, and although the Mohigans managed a single tie at 44 it was the red and white who emerged with a 56-51 victory. The 18-6 ...

PHS vs. South: It was always possible

March 14, 2026

It’s official: Parkersburg’s CrossTown Showdown is headed to Charleston. Parkersburg and Parkersburg South will square off in the Class AAAA state championship at 7:30 p.m. today inside the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center. Thinking back to early January, a conversation was had within the Parkersburg News and Sentinel sports department between reporters. The Patriots had just upset the rival Big Reds 48-47 at Rod Oldham Athletic Center. The atmosphere inside the gym that night was electric. “Imagine if South and PHS met in the state championship game,” a veteran ...

South passes first test at state tourney

March 13, 2026

CHARLESTON — Freshmen Lindsey Logston and Quinn Bolyard got their first taste of state tournament action Thursday, leading Parkersburg South to a 59-46 win over Martinsburg in the Class AAAA state quarterfinals at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Logston and Bolyard ...

PHS survives University, 71-70, in overtime

March 13, 2026

CHARLESTON – Parkersburg’s air of confidence never rattled. Not when University made five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and erased a 13-point deficit. Not when a University reserve knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation. And not even when the Hawks set up for ...

Bulluck, Watkins clutch as St. Marys advances to Class A title game

March 13, 2026

CHARLESTON – A total of 11 high school girls basketball seasons had come and gone since St. Marys last appeared in a state championship game. That all ended on Thursday morning when a Lainey Watkins layup followed teammate Brynnley Bulluck’s made 3-pointer in the final minute of ...