CHARLESTON — Defending Class AAA champion Parkersburg returns to the state tournament wearing a bigger target than last year, when it entered as a No. 3 seed.
This time, the Big Reds (23-1) are the No. 1 seed and have looked dominant outside of a loss against Class A No. 1 Saint Joseph Central.
Parkersburg will be in action against No. 8 Hampshire (9-15) on Wednesday night in a quarterfinal on the opening day of state tournament action at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.
“A lot of work went into getting there and we know how hard it was last year getting there so the kids don’t take it lightly,” Big Reds coach Scott Cozzens said. “We’ve been practicing really well and I think we’re ready to go, but they know first hand the best team might not win.”
Parkersburg’s rotation goes 12 deep, allowing the Big Reds to consistently apply pressure defensively, which leads to points off turnovers.
Hampshire will be looking to pull off a major upset after entering the postseason with six wins. The Trojans edged Spring Mills 48-47 in a Region II co-final after making eight 3-pointers.
“We probably wouldn’t have been predicted to be here,” Hampshire coach Julieanne Buckley said. “Our last three games have been our best three games. We have nothing to lose. We’re the underdog, so we’re going in excited and ready to play.”
No. 2 Greenbrier East (22-3) faces No. 7 Huntington (15-10) at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday in the Class AAA opener.
The Spartans’ only in-state losses this season were against St. Joseph Central and George Washington. Greenbrier East got revenge by defeating GW, 61-51, in a Region III co-final.
The Spartans will have to execute against Huntington, which allows fewer than 36 points per game.
The other two quarterfinals take place Thursday and feature No. 4 Wheeling Park (18-5) against No. 5 South Charleston (20-5) at 11:15 a.m., before No. 3 University (20-5) meets No. 6 Martinsburg (18-5) at 7:15 p.m.
University had a 9-5 record in late January, before beginning an 11-game win streak that’s ongoing. The Hawks have scored 197 points in three playoff games, but offense could be tough to come by against the Bulldogs.
“You like to make baskets and scoring is a lot of fun, but the common denominator is that if we have to live off our defense, we can,” University coach David Price said. “That’s something we can bring to the court every night.”
The same can be said for Martinsburg, which has held each playoff opponent to 37 or fewer points.
“To be one of the last eight playing is what you work for every year,” Bulldogs coach Kyle Triggs said.
Wheeling Park began the season with six straight wins and brings a five-game win streak to Charleston, including a 44-35 victory over Morgantown in a Region I co-final.
“We don’t take this for granted, that’s for sure,” Wheeling Park coach Ryan Young said. “It’s pretty obvious they have very good guard play and they present a lot of challenges. It’s a pretty even matchup and it’ll come down to who plays better on Thursday.”
All five of Park’s losses came against the three teams seeded ahead of the Patriots at the state tournament — two to Greenbrier East, two to University and one to Parkersburg.
Wheeling Park also was the No. 4 seed a year ago when it reached the semifinals.
South Charleston started the season with nine consecutive victories and has won five straight down the stretch.
“We were really young last year and these kids came back strong,” Black Eagles coach Gary Greene said. “Athletics at South Charleston have been down a little bit this year and we’re representing not only the school, but the community, because the community has been behind this team all season.
“We have to play awful good defense. They have some really good guards and one of the best shooting guards in the state. Athletic ability-wise, we match up pretty good. We’ll have to contain their pressure a little bit and hope we play solid halfcourt defense.”
With four 20-win teams and seven squads with at least 15 victories still left in the Class AAA field, Parkersburg’s Cozzens expects high-level high school hoops throughout the week.
“I believe it’s one of the better brackets in a lot of years,” he said, “meaning that anybody can come out of it.”
