Last season Class AAA Region 3, Section 1 was one of the more intriguing ones.
Shady Spring defeated PikeView in the sectional championship before losing at home in the regional co-final. PikeView went on to overcome a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road to punch its ticket to the state tournament.
Both teams are hoping for a rematch, but must first overcome challenges from Westside and Independence in the openers.
PikeView (12-7)
The Panthers secured the No. 1 seed in the section but may be the most intriguing in the field. They’ve lost to Summers County twice, but have split with Beckley, challenged Wyoming East to the wire and trailed defending Class AAAA champion Huntington by five points in the second half of a meeting earlier this season.
As simple as it sounds the path to a sectional title for the Panthers likely comes down to making shots, something the Panthers have struggled with down the stretch. As a team they’ve struggled to hit the 30 percent mark in three games down the stretch (at Princeton, vs Wyoming East and at Summers). Particularly painful is the fact most of them have been attempts in the paint.
But there have been strides.
The Panthers shot over 30 percent from the field against Beckley, clawing out of an 11-point hole to force overtime. They also received notable contributions from several underclassmen. They’ll need more of that moving forward.
PikeView has arguably the best player in Region 3 across any class in Hannah Perdue but the task of winning a sectional championship is a lot to put on one player’s shoulders. For the Panthers to do so they’ll need those younger players to continue moving forward.
Shady Spring (9-7)
Shady comes into the sectional tournament as the reigning sectional championship but nobody knows what to expect. The Tigers have had their ups and downs with starers Kierra Richmond and Braylie Wiseman missing most of the last month so Tuesday’s opener against Westside will be their first game back since suffering injuries.
They’ve had a few days to practice but rust factors in.
On the flip side it might be a benefit to Shady.
Last season Richmond missed much of the condensed season due to illness, forcing the other kids to step up and help fill that void. This season put them in the same situation again, allowing freshman sharp shooter Kendra Pizzino to step into the spotlight.
The Tigers have had spurts where they’ve relied on Richmond to carry the offense. Wiseman filled that role as a double-double threat before she went down but much like PikeView, Shady’s hopes of winning the section depend largely on the contributions of its role players.
Westside (5-15)
Two years after graduating a senior class that featured five multi-year starters, the Renegades are still struggling to find their footing.
They’re 0-3 against the top two seeds with the closest game being a 15-point loss to Shady on Jan. 13.
There may be an advantage in testing Shady’s Kierra Richmond early after a month-long absence but it’s imperative the Lady Renegades get off to a fast start on Tuesday. When the two teams met at Shady in the beginning of the season the Tigers outscored them 14-5 in the opening quarter and the game was never competitive afterwards. For reference Richmond scored 22 and Gibson added 14. No Lady Renegade scored more than six points.
If the Renegades want to have a chance at the sectional title they’ll need to slow the ball down and find a way to consistently score. In every game they’ve lost this season they been limited to 41 points or less. In their wins the lowest output was 48.
Independence (6-12)
Independence has its own standout in Alyssa Daniels, but scoring has still been a struggle for the Patriots.
Indy is 0-3 in sectional play and has failed to score more than 30 points seven times this season. Standing in the Patriots’ way is the No. 1 seed in the section, PikeView. The two teams didn’t play at all this season but the No. 1 task will be stopping PikeView all-stater Hannah Perdue.
If they can slow her down and hit shots they’ll have a chance to secure a massive upset win. While it may seem hopeless, PikeView has been hot and cold at times. The Patriots have athletes such as Alli Hypes and Chloe Honaker that they can throw at her challenge her but a path to the championship game is dependent upon finding a way to score.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
Region 3, Section 1
Game 1: No. 4 Independence at No. 1 PikeView – Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Game 2: No. 3 Westside at No. 2 Shady Spring – Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
Game 3: Championship game between winner of Game 1 and winner of game 2 at the highest remaining seed – Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
