Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy skies. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Partly cloudy skies. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
HUNTINGTON - Huntington St. Joe is the "defending" state champion in more ways than one.
The Irish used aggressive, turnover-creating defense Saturday to defeat scrappy Gilmer County, 59-42, in the high school girls basketball Class A, Region IV co-final in the St. Joe gym. The victory sends the Irish (17-5) to the state tournament for the ninth consecutive time, the sixth as defending champions. St. Joe will play Wednesday at a time and against an opponent to be determined in the Charleston Civic Center.
"Finally, our pressure got us some easy buckets," St. Joe coach Shannon Lewis said.
The Irish forced 19 turnovers. In the final 8:47, they created eight turnovers that led to 18 points as St. Joe overcame a one-point deficit.
The Titans (16-6) used a 10-2 run to take a 35-34 lead with 1:22 left in the third quarter as Gilmer County fans roared their approval.
St. Joe's Alexis Hall hit a free throw to tie it, then Mychelle Johnson scored off a steal to put the Irish ahead, 37-35. St. Joe never trailed again.
"In the third quarter, we stayed calm and did what we had to do," Johnson said. "We got anxious for a second, but got it back under control."
St. Joe led by as many as 10 points midway through the second quarter, but struggled to put away a determined Gilmer County team with a significant size advantage. Riley Fitzwater, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, was a particular concern for Lewis. The big center scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. The key to preventing her from scoring more points was to pressure Titan guards.
"We didn't handle their pressure well," Gilmer County coach Amy Riddle said. "We could get to the state tournament if we could just get out of this region."
Destiny Sims starred for St. Joe, scoring 17 points. She scored six points off fourth quarter steals and also hit a 3-pointer. Sims made five steals for the game.
"We had some problems with their big girl," Lewis said. "Then we got some turnovers that let us get some shots."
Hall scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for St. Joe, which won its 82nd consecutive game against in-state competition.
Emilie Jedamski swished four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to help keep Gilmer County close.
The players performed the ritual "good game" exchange after the contest, but some fans weren't as cordial. Several verbal confrontations occurred and one Titans female fan even taunted St. Joe players near mid-court. Another Gilmer County female backer filed a police report, claiming that after the game an Irish supporter assaulted her.
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