Photo by Cody Tomer Wheeling Park’s Natalie Daugherty, right, makes a pass during Thursday’s WVSSAC Class AAAA quarterfinal game in Charleston while being guarded by Jefferson’s Amaura Washington.

CHARLESTON — If there was any question of how Wheeling Park’s young squad would respond to the pressure of the state tournament, it was put to rest on Thursday.

The No. 3 Patriots set Class AAAA records for most points scored, fewest points allowed, margin of victory, steals and forced turnovers in a WVSSAC State Tournament game by pounding No. 6 Jefferson 70-19 in the state quarterfinals inside the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.

Park jumped out to a 25-6 lead after one and completely shut out the Cougars in the second quarter to take a commanding 46-6 cushion into halftime.

“I thought we came out and played some good defense,” Park coach Ryan Young said. “We pressured them into some quick shots, then we rebounded the ball and pushed it. From a defensive standpoint, we gave up six points in the first quarter and they didn’t score in the second so our defensive effort was pretty good.”

Freshman Alexis Bordas shined on the big stage as she recorded a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds.

“I was pretty confident because I’ve played on multiple stages and floors before,” Bordas said of her first state tournament game. “For me, rebounding is something I can control because it’s more of a hustle thing. It has to do with height but mostly it’s just putting yourself in position and wanting to get the ball. That’s what I try to do because I can control that.”

Fellow freshman Lala Woods was all over the court with 14 points, eight assists, six steals and six rebounds. Her sister, Shanley Woods, played in the state tournament during her time at Park and had some words of wisdom for Lala.

“I have asked her questions about how she felt down here,” Lala Woods said. “She helped me to be ready and prepared for this.”

Sophomore Natalie Daugherty delivered a strong game, too, with 13 points. She was also 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while Jillian Huffman collected seven boards.

“I think canceling out everything and acting like you’re at home,” Daugherty said, regarding the key to her successful 3-point shooting on the big stage. “I just tried to not take notice that there are a lot more people here and just tried to shoot like I always shoot.”

Park’s pressure defense collected a Class AAAA tournament record 23 steals and caused a Class AAAA tournament record 30 turnovers by Jefferson’s offense.

The Patriots cruised to an 11-2 start in the opening stanza and led 25-6 at the end of the first as Bordas netted 11 and Daugherty supplied eight in the quarter.

Then, the Patriots’ defense absolutely suffocated the Cougars in the second, leading to 15 points off of turnovers and a 0 in the Jefferson scoring column for the frame, leading to a 46-6 halftime lead.

Park rattled off 26 consecutive points before Jefferson finally secured a bucket after an 11:33 dry spurt. After leading 56-12 heading into the fourth, Park went to the bench and cruised the rest of the way.

Jefferson coach Damon Smith noted that his team was without their top two scorers, Justus Lee and Heaven Murray, but credited Park for a great game.

“I knew they liked to pressure the ball and shoot 3’s but we just couldn’t execute our game plan as well as I’d have liked to,” Smith said. “It hurts not having Heaven and Justus. That played a big role in the game and I think our kids were really nervous about the game.”

Park will take on No. 2 Morgantown tonight at 9 p.m. with a spot in the state championship on the line. It will be the fifth meeting between the two teams this year with the Mohigans leading the series 3-1.

“These girls all got a lot of shots up (Thursday) in this arena,” Young said. “That will help them feel a little more comfortable (today). It was a good game to get under our belt.”

Morgantown coach Jason White is expecting another classic contest with Park to come down to the end.

“Every day we wake up it seems like we are preparing again for Wheeling Park,” White said. “We really got lucky and stole one in that sectional and our kids know that. I told coach Young in the hand shake line that I had a sneaky suspicion that we would meet up again and here we are in the semifinals. They are really well coached and they have really good players. It will be a war.

“Coach Young is as good of a friend as I have off the court. We joked before the sectional that we should just make it 38-38 with 2 minutes on the clock. That way there will be plenty of time after the game to get dinner. If it’s not going to be us in the championship, I’d rather it be them instead of anybody else.”