×

B-UHS heads to title game

TENNERTON — Class AAA No. 3 Buckhannon-Upshur, the No. 1 seed in their section, defeated Big 10 Conference opponent Preston, 67-55, on Wednesday in order to advance to a Region I Section 2 final Friday against No. 2 Morgantown.

“Preston’s not a typical No. 4 seed, they came here ready to play,” B-UHS coach Jeremy Maxwell said. “It’s about surviving and advancing, and we made the plays we needed to make in the fourth to keep advancing. Our section is tough, you have to go through two top 10 teams to even get to the final. It stinks that we had to play each other right off the bat.”

Buckhannon-Upshur doubled up the visiting Knights to be out in front 22-11 when the second quarter got underway. Preston fired back with a 20-17 second stanza to trail 39-31 at intermission. The Bucs’ visitors clipped one more off the scoreboard in the third as B-U led 49-42 to begin the fourth and final frame.

An 18-13 margin of victory in the fourth by the Buccaneers kept the win intact. Maxwell said it was a good factor that senior Makayla Reynolds entered the lineup once more after being sidelined by an injury sustained in January.

Reynolds got back in the groove with 13 points, while Hanna McClung paced the Bucs’ scoring with 20 points.

“It’s been a group effort, and a lot of players have continued to step up,” Maxwell said. “We are going to be facing the three-time state champion for the third time this season. We split with them in regular season games. We know them, and they know us. It’s going to be about rolling your sleeves up and may the best team win on Friday.”

Buckhannon-Upshur’s season record improves to 20-3, having won 11 of their last 12 games. No matter what, the Lady Bucs will have two more games guaranteed in order to vie for a state tournament bid. If they win on Friday, they will continue to host. A loss could put B-UHS on the road during regional play.

Friday’s game at Buckhannon-Upshur High School against Morgantown is set for 7 p.m.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $3.92/week.

Subscribe Today