DUNMORE – The Lady Cavaliers went on a road trip Friday night looking to avenge an early-season loss to the Pocahontas County Warriors. Back on December 13, the Warriors snuck out of Charmco with a 67-62 win despite 21 points from Preslee Treadway and 20 more from Maddie Fields. The contest came on the heels of the Greenbrier West volleyball team winning the state championship on December 3, limiting the ability of some girls to focus solely on hoops. No excuses from the Cavaliers, however, as head coach Mark Agee anticipated another nailbiter.
The Lady Warriors would claim the early lead on the strength of 11 points from sophomore standout Allyson Taylor. Taylor was versatile, scoring a pair of field goals, a three-pointer, and 4-5 shooting from the foul line. Riley Pollack added a pair of baskets. Treadway led the way for the Lady Cavaliers with five points. Haylee Ward added four more with a three-pointer and a free throw. West got two points each from Fields and Lacey Critchley, but the Warriors led 18-13 at the end of the quarter.
Pocahontas County built on their first quarter lead as freshman sharpshooter Savana Sharp drilled three three-pointers. Pollack added a fourth trey, and the Warriors got a pair of free throws each from Shayla Bennett and Calli Propst. Treadway shouldered most of the Cavalier scoring load with seven points. Keylee Clere added a couple of free throws, but Pocahontas County held a 34-22 lead at the break.
As the second half started, Treadway started getting to the foul line. In addition to eight points from the floor, Treadway added seven more from the line for a 15-point quarter. Fields added six points on three buckets, allowing West to chip away at the Pocahontas lead. The Warriors got a balanced effort in the quarter with six points from Allyson Taylor and five more from senior Mackenzie Taylor. Bennett and Sharp notched four more from the foul line. The Pocahontas lead was 49-43 after three quarters.
Fouls mounted for both teams in the fourth quarter. Allyson Taylor made four trips to the line, knocking down six free throws to help her lead Pocahontas with eight points in the final quarter. Alexis Arbogast hit a pair of baskets and went 3-4 from the foul line for seven points. Greenbrier West narrowly outscored the Warriors 19-18 in the final frame, with Fields adding eight points and Treadway supplying another six. Brilee Redden drilled a three and Critchley added two more, but West’s effort came up a little short in a 67-62 loss.
The game was marred by 61 foul calls, 32 on the Warriors and 29 on the Cavaliers. Each team had four players foul out of the contest. Free throw shooting was the difference in the game. The Cavaliers shot 20-42 (48%) from the foul line while the Warriors hit on 27-41 (66%).
Preslee Treadway scored a game-high and season-high 33 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Maddie Fields collected the first known triple-double for Greenbrier West in this sportswriter’s years of research with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 steals. Both players are pursuing individual scoring milestones and are on pace to do so if they maintain their season averages.
Allyson Taylor led the Lady Warriors with 24 points. Savana Sharp added 13.
Greenbrier West (5-6) hosts Webster County Monday night at 7:30. The Cavaliers will celebrate their seniors before the game at approximately 7 P.M. Pocahontas County (9-4) hosts Tygarts Valley Monday night at 7:30 P.M.
GW – 13 9 21 19 – 62
PC – 18 16 15 18 – 67
Scorers – (GW) Treadway 33, Fields 16, Ward 4, Critchley 4, Redden 3, Clere 2.
(PC) A. Taylor 24, Sharp 13, Arbogast 9, Pollack 7, M. Taylor 7, S. Bennett 5, Propst 2
