Awarding some Regional ribbons – Part 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PARKERSBURG - The stage is set for next week's state tournament in Charleston. After weeks of regular-season play and a two-week postseason, thirty-two regional co-champions from four classes finally descend on the Coliseum and Convention Center, but only four groups will walk away as winners. Take a look at some of the girls who helped get their teams there as well as those players who did everything they could in the attempt:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kylie Conner, Princeton, PG, 5-4, Sr.</strong> - This wasn't supposed to be happening. Princeton wasn't supposed to be about to upset the mighty George Washington Patriots, who were finally on a role, thank you very much. The Tigers were supposed to enjoy playing into the postseason and go back home with an L just like the Patriots planned. Oops. Instead, Princeton found themselves with a 35-34 lead with seconds left in the game and Kylie Conner found herself at the free-throw line. Sink just one free throw and GW needed a bucket to tie the game, miss a free throw and GW could win the game. What came next made Conner a hero. She hit on 1 of 2 and forced the Patriots into a must-make situation. They missed. And the Tigers celebrated on the Patriots home floor as they were headed to Charleston. Talk about drama, indeed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='382867' first='Braylyn' last='Sparks'], Philip Barbour, CG, 5-2, Jr. </strong>- Philp Barbour needed some help. Okay, a lot of help. They trailed RCB entering the fourth quarter and the season was almost over. Or was it? Not only did the Colts go on a furious fourth quarter rally, but once they pulled even with RCB in OT they got that bit of help. To put it simply, [player_tooltip player_id='382867' first='Braylyn' last='Sparks'] came in clutch not once, not twice, but three times. She answered the call again and again and again. It started with her first free throw late, the one that extended the lead. It continued when she hit the next shot that pushed the lead up to two. And finally, it ended as she swiped the ball from the Eagles' [player_tooltip player_id='379486' first='Avery' last='Childers'] and she dribbled the clock out. Just for good measure, Sparks also led all scorers with 17 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ella Pinkney, Lewis County, SG, 5-6, So.</strong> - Lewis County was so close. Oh so close. The Minutemaids were so close they could practically taste it. Why if they had been any closer they would have been in the state tournament. Ella Pickney made sure that close wasn't close enough but no cigar. On a night that will long be remembered, she came alive just like she did against Lincoln County and so many other times this season. She provided the closing statement and sunk PikeView. She stole a PVHS inbounds pass with seconds left on the clocked than iced the game at the foul line. She connected on both shots and seconds later, the Maids were heading to the state tournament. Wowza. Oh, and her clutch play just so happened to come on a night where she poured in a career-high 28 points. Can you say awesome? </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bayley Frashure, Gilmer County, G, 5-4, Jr.</strong> - Bayley Frashure came up huge. Gigantic, in fact. Pick whatever adjective you want, it certainly fits. With the Titans finally having firmly established two reliable scorers, Frashure became the third against Tug Valley and the Panthers failed to handle her. Instead, she tallied a career-high 21 points, while forcing the Panthers into a lot of uncomfortable positions. Let [player_tooltip player_id='496329' first='Allie' last='Ellyson'] or [player_tooltip player_id='570499' first='Ava' last='Dobbins'] score or stop Frashure? It became a common theme on the night as the girls shared the ball around with all teammates, but took over when they needed to, especially Frashure. She had shown flashes in her first two seasons, and finally announced herself at the perfect moment. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->