By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
Why so serious?
The Moorefield student section looked like drones, until the Yellow Jackets swarmed the hardwood and the fun began with loud and creative cheers.
That energy and enthusiasm grounded the Falcons as Moorefield jumped out to a substantial lead en route to celebrating a 53-29 win.
The good vibes enabled the Yellow Jackets to dance to a 27-4 advantage in the opening frame.
Kiersten Rinker scored 13 of her game-high 23 points for the Yellow Jackets in that first period, including three triples.
Moorefield’s Parvatee Snyder complemented the early fun with 10 points and finished with 12 markers.
In the last minute of the first period, Moorefield’s Brylee Reel notched two free throws, then Brenna See stole the ball leading to a jump.
Snyder drew a foul and made one on the line with the Falcons getting the carom prior to a walk.
Rinker launched a 3-pointer putting the Yellow Jackets up 27-3.
Frankfort managed one free throw in the waning seconds by Kasi Oullette off a steal.
“We have had a lot of personnel changes with injures and other things this year. Coming into the playoffs, we thought what would give us the best chance for us to advance is to play fast, try to press and create offense from our defense and it worked out great. The girls really had fun on the court tonight and that was the kind of basketball I want us to have. That was a great first quarter and we couldn’t have scripted it better. They say it is hard to beat a team three times and it is, that’s a true statement. They are young and scrappy. That Northcraft girl is only a freshman and will be trouble the next three years. Hats off to them for playing hard the whole game. Lincoln is big and athletic, but we are relishing the underdog role right now. There’s not any pressure on us right now. Facing all the adversity we had all year to be here now is a blessing. We are going in there with house money and will give them our best shot. [Faith] It is huge. We talk about character all the time being the most important thing, being able to respond well through adversity and still be able to honor God through our actions and words. That has been a central theme for us since day one and will remain so as long as I am coaching. We leaned on it and will continue to do so to help us. We have Philippians 4:13 on our board in there. The girls wrote it up there at the beginning of last year and it has remained up there through all of their seasons. We look at it every single day,” Moorefield coach Jared Wratchford commented.
Moorefield started the second period with a defensive rebound by Lily Eye which led to two free throws by Snyder.
Snyder swiped the ball and dished to See for a layup to create a 32-4 lead at 7:07.
Frankfort’s Angel Arnold and Allegra Northcraft garnered steals over the next minute and change, but the Falcons would draw iron four times prior to a free throw by Arnold.
Eye blocked a shot, then Frankfort’s Ava Lupettie stole the ball back and the Falcons came up empty.
The Yellow Jackets committed a few more fouls before Frankfort was on the line again with Arnold making both markers.
The Falcons kept the momentum going as Emma VanMeter stole the ball and found Ouellette for a basket.
Lupettie stole the ball and netted a breakaway layup as the Falcons cut the deficit to 31-11 at 2:18.
Rinker added a jumper with under a minute left in the first half and the Yellow Jackets carried a 33-11 advantage into the break.
Moorefield held a 15-9 edge in the third frame to build a 48-20 lead entering the final stanza.
Moorefield’s Jocelyn Wagner dished to Elizabeth Williams for a mid-range jumper at 6:47 in the third period.
Over the following two minutes, Northcraft scored twice in the paint for the Falcons coming after turnovers.
Wagner scored in the lane as the Yellow Jacket stood a 37-15 lead with under five minutes to go in the third period.
See made swift block and steal leaden to a layup by Rinker at 3:49.
The Falcons notched two free throws on the next series, but Moorefield responded with a jumper by Wagner.
Frankfort hit iron and the Yellow Jackets swarmed to the perimeter with Rinker making the sting for a 44-17 lead.
In the closing 24 seconds of the third frame, Northcraft and Williams traded baskets for the 48-20 score.
The Falcons opened the fourth period with a jumper from Northcraft.
Both teams missed several shots and Moorefiel committed three turnovers over the ensuing three minutes as the score didn’t change until Rinker drilled a 3-pointer at 4:15 for a 51-22 lead.
The Falcons managed a little 7-0 run over the next couple minutes with four free throws by Lupettie and Errica Metcalf drained a 3-pointer to close the gap 51-19.
Snyder made a steal and found Alli Jackson for a jumper as the Yellow Jackets created a 53-29 win.
Moorefield advances to the Class AA Region II Tournament co-final facing top seed Lincoln tomorrow in the Cougars Den with a trip to the state tournament on the line.
Moorefield Boys Basketball starts regional action in Lincoln on Friday and is looking to arrive early to support the girls on the road to Charleston.
