Paden City 65,

Doddridge 56

Wildcat Myah Charkawi and teammate Cydney Blatt combined to score 46 points to power Paden City past Doddridge 65-56 in the finals of the Hometown Invitational Tournament (H.I.T.) Feb. 1 inside St. Marys High School Gymnasium.

The Lady ‘Cats raced out to an early 14-10 count after one period of play and went into the locker room up 29-25.

Blatt and Taylor Cosper, both sophomores, each knocked in four baskets to start the third period to put Paden City up 19 before Doddridge came roaring back to climb to within 51-39 heading into the fourth period.

With Blatt leading the charge with her physical play in the paint and Charkawi’s net ripping free throws down the stretch, the Lady Wildcats with-stood a barrage of Lady Bulldog baskets to gain the Division II H.I.T. title in its second year of existence.

Both teams scored 22 goals, but the Wildcats drained 18-29 charity tosses, with Charkawi swishing 13-16, including six of eight in the final period that sealed the deal for the Lady Wildcats.

Charkawi finished the night with a game-high 25 points that included a pair of baskets from beyond the arc, while adding five boards and making two steals. Blatt followed with a double-double, 21 markers and 12 rebounds, that included 10 offensive boards, while making a team-high five steals.

In addition, Cosper contributed a dozen markers, while making four steals. Hannah Stanley netted six points, including one basket from long range, while Kayla Hizer netted a deuce.

Both Blatt and Charkawi earned all-tournament honors for the Lady Wildcats.

“What a game,” said Paden City Head Coach David Riggle. “All the girls played as well as they could. Some of the girls are also cheerleaders and had just finished the OVAC Class-A Championships at WesBanco, and bolted down here to play in the title game. I new they were tired, having placed second in the cheerleading competition. They had a right to be, but the energy they got from competing and the focused they showed in this title game was priceless,” added Riggle.

“Coach Allen Miller and I are so very proud of all the girls. It’s an awesome feeling to be a Paden City Wildcat today,” added Riggle.

Van 51,

Hundred 39

Paige Shriver netted 12 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Hundred Lady Hornets to get by Van, who won 51-39 in H.I.T. action at St. Marys, Feb. 1.

Emily Rine netted eight points for the Hornets, including a pair of three-pointers, while sophomore Josie Phillips contributed seven markers, including a pair of long range bonus bombs.

In addition, Hornet freshmen Madeline Goff swished a pair of baskets from beyond the arc and Valerie Soles netted a trio of two pointers. Junior Elaine Topp tacked on four points, including one from long range. Finishing the Hornet scoring was Ashley Miller with three points.

“The girls played their hearts out,” said Hundred Head Coach Jeremy Kelch. “When Lindsay Jones went down with an injury, it’s been hard to bring along these young girls without her senior leadership on the floor.”

Shriver was chosen to be on the all tournament team.

Valley 53,

Montcalm 32

The ‘Jills’ Alisha Carter set the St. Marys Gymnasium nets on fire with five made baskets from beyond the arc on her way to a game-high 19 points to lead Valley to a 53-32 victory over Montcalm Feb. 1.

The Lumberjills hurried out to a 14-3 lead after one period of play and held a 18-7 advantage at the break with most of their starters on the bench.

The ‘Jills would outscore the Lady Generals 20-12 in the third frame and finished them off with a 15-13 count in the final eight minutes of play.

Maddison Arnolds and Karissa Headley each contributed six markers, while Erin Brown netted five points, contributed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.

In addition, Sarah Bassett tacked on four points, while Megan Martin ripped a bonus bomb. Cassidy West, Kaitlyn Brown, Bailea Underwood, Melanie Thomas and Mariah Dudgeon each knocked in a deuce for the rest of the Lumberjill scoring.

“The girls were on fire tonight,” said Valley Lumberjill Head Coach Lance Binegar. “We came out focused and finally played extremely hard for 32 minutes.”

Carter was selected to the all tournament team.