HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS
Frankfort 51, Buckhannon-Upshur 49
FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The 2018 season started in thrilling – and heartbreaking — fashion for the Buckhannon-Upshur High School Lady Buccaneers.
It was a match-up of top 10 teams – albeit from different classifications – as the AAA No. 7 B-UHS Lady Buccaneers faced the AA No. 5 Frankford Lady Falcons at the Frank Hines Memorial Basketball Mixer in Fairmont on Saturday.
Down by a point at the game’s final stoppage with 6.9 seconds left, senior guard Abby Beeman drained a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to give her Lady Falcons a 51-49 win.
The buzzer beater completed a comeback for Frankfort, which looked to be in trouble early after the Lady Bucs jumped out to a 21-13 lead in the first quarter.
But Buckhannon went ice cold in the second period, converting no field goals, and trailed 26-25 at halftime.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth slugfest and ended with the game tied 40-40, setting up a thrilling finale.
The teams traded the lead well into the final minute, when B-U made the front-end of a one-and-one to go up by a point, then also corralled an offensive rebound with a chance to extend their lead or run out the clock.
The Lady Falcons fouled immediately and took advantage of a missed free throw to race down the court as the clock ticked into single digits. The Lady Bucs knocked the ball out-of-bounds with 6.9 seconds left, setting up the final play and Beeman’s heroic shot.
Alli Robinson led the Lady Bucs in scoring, followed by Audrey Gaudet and Shelby McDaniels. The Lady Bucs shot 40 percent from the field and 23 percent from behind the arc.
B-U will take on Preston County at home on Monday in a game that was originally scheduled for Thursday. The JV game will tip off at 5:45 p.m. with the varsity contest to follow at 7:30 p.m.
COLLEGE WOMEN
W.Va. Wesleyan 63, Fairmont State 61
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Wesleyan College Lady Bobcats withstood a furious second-half rally to edge the Fairmont State Falcons 63-61 on Sunday.
The Lady ‘Cats raced out to a 38-22 halftime lead with a blistering offensive output, including an 82-percent shooting effort in the second quarter.
But that statistic reversed itself in the second half, with Wesleyan converting on just 15 percent of their shots in an eight-point fourth quarter.
It was enough. Barely.
Abi Gabauer led three Lady ‘Cats who finished in double figures with 15 points. Alexa Szelong added 11 and Symmer Matlack contributed 10 off the bench.
Fairmont State’s Brooke Kurucz led all scorers with 20 points, and teammate Rachel Laskody was close behind with 19.
The win was the second straight for coach Vicky Bullett’s Lady Bobcats, who are now 2-4 overall and 2-2 in Mountain East Conference play.
They’ll stay at home for a game Wednesday against U.Va. Wise. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE MEN
Fairmont State 65, W.Va. Wesleyan 52
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – Fairmont State shot 55 percent from the field en route to a 65-52 win over the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bobcats on Saturday.
Eight players contributed points for the Falcons, who improved to 6-2 overall on the year and stayed a perfect 4-0 in Mountain East Conference play. The Bobcats, meanwhile, dropped to 3-4 (1-3).
Daylin Lee and Clay Todd led all scorers with 15 points each, but Wesleyan didn’t get a single point off their bench in the loss. The ‘Cats also struggled from range, hitting just seven of their 25 three-point attempts, compared to 10-of-21 for coach Joe Mazzulla’s Fairmont Falcons.
The Bobcats have faced a tough slate of early MEC games with their current streak of West Liberty (5-1), Shepherd (5-1) and Fairmont State (6-2).
Coach Jack Meriwether’s squad will return to the hardwood on Wednesday when they host U.Va. Wise. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Rockefeller Center.
