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John Marshall Comes Up Short in Regionals

BUCKHANNON — John Marshall head coach Brock Melko knew that if the Monarchs were going to earn a spot in the state tournament, they would have to limit turnovers and not allow offensive rebounds. However, the Buckhannon-Upshur defense forced 25 turnovers and its offense won the battle of the boards and John Marshall fell in a Class AAA Region One Co-Final for the third consecutive year, by a count of 71-50.

“We said before the game that the keys to winning were not turning the ball over and limiting their offensive rebounds,” Melko said. “We just threw the ball away. Part of it was schematically with people in the wrong spots and part of it was just physically making bad passes.

“You have to give them credit, that is what they do. We gave good efforts at times on the boards but they just went after it and their defense had us throwing the ball everywhere.”

It is the third straight year John Marshall (14-11) fell just shy of claiming a regional championship.

“We are just one step away,” Melko said. “We have to get over this hump. I got to experience it as a player and I want these girls to get that feeling.

“I do think we took a step towards getting there. We gave the third best team in the state a fight and I think there are signs we are getting closer. We need it and I am hungry for it.”

West Virginia’s third-ranked Buckhannon-Upshur (22-3) has garnered that accomplishment, winning its third consecutive regional crown.

“This is just another feather in our cap,” Buccaneers coach Jeremy Maxwell said. “This program a few years ago was not that good but we have made three state tournament appearances in a row and this is a school-record 22 wins. It seems like every game we win is another bit of history. This is a really special group and I hope we can keep it going.”

Early on, the Buccaneers used an 8-0 run and defensively forced eight turnovers in the first five minutes of action to take a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Ivy Henderson connected on a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, giving the Monarchs a spark as they reeled off the first seven points of the second quarter, behind a 3-pointer from Shay Straughn and a runner in the lane by senior Kaylee McMullen, which she banked in to cut the deficit to 20-19 with 5:14 left in the half.

The Bucs extended their lead to 30-25 at the half but tallied the first eight points of the second half to take a 38-25 advantage and later added a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 47-29 midway through the third.

McMullen drained a deep 3-pointer to make it a 53-41 score in favor of the Buccaneers with 1:30 left in the third when Melko believed that game turned.

“At end of third, we switched to our 1-3-1 defensive trap,” Melko said. “I thought if we could get it to single digits going into the fourth, that is right where we would need to be.

“We did everything perfect, we had a steal and a fast break but threw the ball away. The next play was also a steal and we missed a wide-open layup at the buzzer. The end of the third was our shot but we just didn’t get it.”

Buckhannon-Upshur began the fourth on an 8-2 run to make the 61-43 hole too much for the Monarchs to climb out of.

Allie Robinson paced Buckhannon-Upshur with 15 points, followed by Audrey Gaudet with 14, Hannah McClung with 11, while Makayla Reynolds, Lauren Louk and Ashton Maxwell each added eight points.

Avery Derrow led John Marshall with 17 points and five rebounds, while Shay Straughn turned in 15 points and the lone senior, Kaylee McMullen, recorded seven points in her final game.

“When I first got the job, I immediately knew she was our leader,” Melko said of the senior. “I told her going into her sophomore year that she would have the keys to the program for the next three years and I really respect her.

“She doesn’t get nearly the amount of credit that she deserves. She calls out plays that I don’t even think of and averages around seven assists a game. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Although the season didn’t end the way Melko and the Monarchs were hoping, he still believes that his team grew throughout the season. In basketball and in life.

“We had a lot of ups and downs this year,” Melko said. “If they take anything out of this season, I hope they learned how to respond to adversity. I am proud of them. We played in front of a huge crowd and things were going wrong early but they played with good attitudes, played for each other and picked each other up. It was a display we can be proud of.”

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