photo by: Photo Provided

John Marshall's Rilee Storm dribbles down the court during Wednesday's state tournament game between the Monarchs and Golden Tornado inside the Charleston Coliseum.

CHARLESTON — In a late-night state tournament contest between No. 4 John Marshall and No. 5 Keyser, both teams didn’t look at their best on the offensive end, but the Golden Tornado was able to make a few more plays in a 47-40 victory to move on in the WVSSAC Class AAA Girls Basketball State Tournament.

With the victory, Keyser will face top-seeded Greenbrier East in the Class AAA state semifinals on Friday. John Marshall, who played in the state tournament for the first time since 1994 with their appearance Wednesday, finishes their season with a 17-7 record, a regional championship, and as OVAC 5A runners-up.

John Marshall was led in the game by Rilee Storm, the school’s all-time leading scorer, who scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Fellow senior Kaylee White joined Storm in double figures with 11. Paislee Babiczuk scored six and grabbed a dozen rebounds, adding four blocks and three steals. Kalyn Reese scored five and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Jillian Ault (18 points) and Bibbs Felton (17 points) led Keyser.

After a defense-centric first quarter that saw Keyser carry a 11-7 lead through the first period, scores were hard for the Monarchs to come by throughout the second period– John Marshall didn’t connect on a field goal until a two-point jumpshot by Kaylee White with 1:23 left before halftime. John Marshall shot 5-23 from the floor (21.7%) in the first half, whereas Keyser shot 10-23 (43.5%). The Golden Tornado led 24-14 at halftime, with Felton matching John Marshall’s team total in that time.

A 10-point margin was where the game stayed for most of the third quarter. The Monarchs had a chance to pick up steam after an and-one layup off a turnover by Kaylee White, cutting the Keyser advantage to 33-27 with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter, but the Golden Tornado’s Jillian Ault quickly responded, and after a split pair of Monarch free throws Keyser would score the last five points of the quarter to lead 40-28 going into the final frame.

The Monarchs still had fight in them in the fourth. White brought the game back within single-digits with a score inside, bringing the running tally to 44-36 with 4:15 in the game. Another long scoreless stretch for both teams followed, but after a few late-game baskets, John Marshall had some hope after a loose ball led to a dogpile, and a jump ball favoring John Marshall, with 30 seconds to play. Senior Masyn Inclan charged down the court and scored a contested layup to put the Monarchs within six, 46-40 with 22 seconds to play.

After an intentional foul, Keyser split a pair of free throws, and though John Marshall got three shots at the basket on the other end, they couldn’t find the bottom of the net, the clock struck zero, and sent Keyser onto the next round.

The Monarchs had put on a full-court press for much of the game, and the Golden Tornado were guilty of 21 turnovers, but Keyser were also able to break the pressure on many a possession and find good opportunities on their end. Keyser scored 17 fastbreak points Wednesday, while John Marshall scored zero. John Marshall did dominate the glass, securing 49 rebounds to Keyser’s 34.

The Monarchs will say goodbye to senior stalwarts Rilee Storm, Kaylee White, Masyn Inclan, Nia Miller and Lainee Farmer. They are set to return key rotation pieces Kalyn Reese, Paislee Babiczuk and Nora Shock.