Photo by Cody Tomer Wheeling Park senior Jai’lah Walker delivers a pass during Friday’s state semifinal game against Morgantown in Charleston.

CHARLESTON — It just wouldn’t seem right if it didn’t come down to Wheeling Park and Morgantown with a trip to the state championship on the line.

The two met again for the fifth time this year on Friday night in the WVSSAC Class AAAA girls’ state semifinal and Morgantown punched its ticket to the state title game with a 46-31 victory over Wheeling Park inside the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.

It’s the fourth win against the Patriots this year for the Mohigans but coming into the game, the two teams were separated by only three points in those previous four meetings.

“Morgantown had us off our game all night,” Park coach Ryan Young said. “We have to give credit to them first and foremost. We didn’t play our best game but they had a lot to do with that. They were really good defensively and they are well coached. To beat a team like us four times in a season, that’s impressive.”

Park held a 14-10 advantage at the end of the first and only trailed 24-22 at halftime but the Mohigans held the Patriots to one point in the third quarter, 3 of 26 shooting in the second half and 2 of 14 from 3-point range over the final two quarters to pull away.

“Our inexperience of playing together is probably what separated us from Morgantown,” Young said. “But, we’ll be back. We will certainly use this offseason to get better. I think when they reflect on the season they’ll realize it was a good one and a fun one. I couldn’t be more proud of them. Our seniors Zariah Marling and Jail’lah Walker have given a lot to this program. It’s not fun when you lose but we have a lot to be proud of.”

With Morgantown’s defense quieting Park’s offense, sophomore Natalie Daugherty stepped up with four 3-pointers and team-high 16 points.

With the young trio of Daugherty and freshmen Lala Woods and Alexis Bordas coming back next year, along with a plethora of other standout players, she feels confident heading into the offseason.

“All three of us compliment each other by playing together,” Daugherty said. “We all play the same game and grew up playing the same game. So, it’s easier to play with someone who knows the game like you do.”

Daugherty drained a pair of treys in the opening frame and helped Park jump out to a 7-2 edge and sparked the 14-10 upper hand after one.

In the second, a trey from junior Sophie Abraham handed the Patriots a 20-19 cushion but it was their last lead of the game as the Mohigans took a two-point lead into the half and locked down Park in the second half.

Lindsay Bechtel paced the Mohigans with 14 points and Sadaya Jones added 11.

“We have a ton of respect for Wheeling Park and coach Ryan Young,” Morgantown coach Jason White said. “We are really good friends off the court. He has really talented players and they have nothing to hang their heads about. They are going to be around for a long time in this state.”

Morgantown used six points off turnovers to reel off a 9-1 run in the third and took a 33-23 upper hand into the final frame and never let Park get within single digits the rest of the way.

Lala Woods netted seven points for the Patriots to wrap up her first varsity campaign.

“Overall, our season was pretty good,” Woods said. “Toward the end we all wanted it even more but we did work really hard in that game but just fell short. We’ll definitely come together for the next few years.”

Alexis Bordas and Abraham each netted four points and Bordas echoed the statement of Woods.

“I think it was a great season,” Bordas said. “We have a lot of key pieces back next year. We’re all young and still have two or three more years left, so we’re going to be back and still have a chance to win one or more state championships.”

Morgantown will take on top seed Huntington at 8 p.m. tonight for the state championship.