ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Bevin Hull and Lyndsey Nestor each scored 16 points to lead Tucker County past East Hardy, 49-44, in the West Virginia Class A state quarterfinals on Wednesday.
No. 2 Tucker County (25-2) finally got over the hump after losing in the quarterfinals the four previous years. Tucker will play No. 3 Charleston Catholic (19-7) on Friday in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals at the Charleston Civic Center.
Hull scored six points during a 12-4 run to finish the first half as Tucker County jumped ahead 29-21. East Hardy pulled within 46-42 with 2:14 left in the game on two Molly Look free throws but got no closer.
Look finished with 16 points for East Hardy. Emily Beck and Lindsey Basye had nine points and nine rebounds, and Ashley Dove added eight points and four assists.
Caroline Bennett added 11 points for Tucker County. Nestor also had 10 rebounds.
No. 7 East Hardy (19-7) was playing in the tournament for the first time since 2002. Four of their seven losses came in battles with Tucker County. Two were by just five points and one was by six.
St. Joseph 91
Fayetteville 60
Dusti Chapman scored 24 points, Jill Pulley added 20 and St. Joseph breezed to a 91-60 win over Fayetteville in the girls Class A quarterfinals.
No. 1 St. Joseph (20-5) forced 42 turnovers. Chapman scored 15 points in the first quarter as the Irish jumped to a 16-point early lead.
No. 8 Fayetteville (17-7) cut the deficit to 44-32 at halftime but couldn’t mount a second-half comeback.
Kayla Rhodes had 26 points and 22 rebounds for Fayetteville.
Charleston Catholic 45
Wheeling Central 37
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Meg Whelan and Maria Femia each scored 11 points to lead Charleston Catholic over Wheeling Central in a Class A quarterfinal.
Charleston Catholic (19-7) beat Wheeling Central for the third time this season and advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight year.
Wheeling Central led 18-15 at halftime but Femia’s 3-pointer with 5:15 left in the third quarter put Charleston Catholic ahead to stay, 22-19. The Irish extended the lead to 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Kara DeSantis led defending champion Wheeling Central (10-16) with 12 points.
Huntington 59
Woodrow Wilson 41
West Virginia player of the year Whitney Bays had 25 points and 19 rebounds to lead Huntington over Woodrow Wilson in a Class AAA quarterfinal.
Second-seeded Huntington (22-3) never trailed, leading 17-4 after the first quarter and 32-9 at halftime.
No. 7 Woodrow Wilson (14-11) shot just 23 percent (17-of-73) from the field at the Charleston Civic Center.
Charlene Diggs led Woodrow Wilson with 19 points while Ashley Chipps had 15 rebounds.
Huntington is looking to reach the state championship game for the third straight season. The Highlanders’ only state title came in 2000.
North Marion 73
Robert C. Byrd 49
Hailey Garrett scored 20 points and top-seeded North Marion beat Robert C. Byrd 73-49 in the Class AAA quarterfinals.
North Marion (24-1) will play Friday against the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal between No. 4 Martinsburg and No. 5 Princeton.
Tiffany Nicholson added 19 points for North Marion and Byard finished with 12.
Sarah Folio scored 17 points and Erin Gilmore had 16 for No. 8 Robert C. Byrd (19-7).
