Charleston – No. 3 Nitro started fast and held off every rally attempt from No. 2 Wayne to claim a 53-43 victory in the Class AAA semifinals Thursday morning in the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
The Wildcats, the only team in the Class AAA field to have won a state championship, advance to the title game where they’ll face the winner of East Fairmont-Lewis County on Saturday at 10 a.m.
The Wildcats took an early advantage with the 3-pointer, nailing five in the opening quarter to lead 21-7.
The Pioneers were never able to overcome that deficit, cutting it to a point in the third quarter but failed to do much else.
Natalie Smith led Nitro with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Brooklyn Cawley netted 11.
Jayce Sammons was the only Pioneer in double figures with 16 points.
