Mar 6, 2025
photo by: Kristin Mazgaj
Wheeling Central’s Kaitlyn Blake makes a move inside against Tyler Consolidated on Wednesday in their Class AA Region 1 Co-Final on Coach Skip Prosser Court.Blake scored 35 points as Wheeling Central advances to the state tournament.
WHEELING – It has been a magnificent season for the Wheeling Central girls’ basketball team.
The Lady Maroon Knights’ magical campaign got even sweeter Wednesday night on Skip Prosser Court as Central punched its ticket to the state tournament in impressive fashion via an 82-45 romp over Tyler Consolidated in a WVSSAC Class AA Region 1 co-final.
The lopsided nod was Central’s 21st against just a pair of blemishes. Coach Roberta Olejasz’s OVAC 3A championship squad toppled the Silver Knights, 88-39, in the regular season.
Tyler Consolidated, which advanced to Wednesday’s title tilt by ousting Oak Glen, 59-53, bowed out with an 11-13 mark.
The Lady Maroon Knights came off the opening tip like gangbusters, virtually removing all doubt of the game’s outcome by halftime, much like their regular-season meeting with the Silver Knights.
Igniting Central’s early surge was Kaitlyn Blake. The multi-talented senior again displayed why she is one of the premier players in the state by scoring seven points as the hosts sprinted to a 13-4 advantage.
Much to its credit, Tyler didn’t fold.
The Silver Knights exhibited a good measure of resolve to fight back in grabbing a 20-17 lead early in the second period. That, however, would be as good as it got for Tyler.
Central unleashed a 26-6 outburst en route to building a 43-26 halftime advantage. Blake ended the half with 23 points while receiving solid help from rising sophomore Bella Fitzsimmons. She dropped in 10 points in the first two quarters, including two treys.
The Maroon Knights put matters out of reach on the strength of a huge third quarter.
The hosts put 33 points on the board in the frame, pushing their lead to 76-31. Blake (12) and hard-playing junior guard Seneca Heller (11) combined for 23 points in the quarter.
The fourth period belonged to the Central reserves as no starter saw the floor.
“We got off to a nice start but then we got a little sloppy,” Olejsaz said. “But I attribute that to not playing for 10 days. After we got back into the flow I thought we played well.
“We really did a nice job in the second and third quarters. We got out and ran and we did not commit a turnover during that stretch,” added the Wheeling Central Hall of Famer. “It was a nice team win. We got positive contributions from a lot of players.”
Blake was unstoppable in the paint.
The 5-10 dandy finished with 35 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and a like number of steals. She now has more than 1,900 points in her illustrious career.
“It’s been a fantastic year. We have a great group of talented girls who care about each other,” Blake said. “But we still have work to do. We have been focused from the start of the year on winning the state championship. We still need to take care of business three more times.”
Heller also turned in a sparkling effort. She delivered 17 points and boundless hustle. All told, nine Maroon Knights found the scoring column.
“Going into the season we knew we had a good group,” Olejasz said. “They like each other, have great camaraderie and worked hard. It is a fun bunch to coach.
Kathryn Grimm turned in a fine effort for Tyler. The junior guard totaled 19 points while Taylor Donaldson added 11 counters. Tyler committed 21 turnovers.
The Lady Maroon Knights head to Charleston with some unfinished business. They fell to eventual state champion Williamstown in last year’s state tournament semifinals.
“Our goal from day one this year was to get back to Charleston and return with a state championship,” Olejasz said. “We felt we left some things on the table last year at the state tournament. This group is focused on taking care of business this year.”
Central will open play in Charleston on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. against Philip Barbour. Central enters the tourney as the No. 1 seed.
WHEELING, W.Va. —The University of Charleston had three players finish with double-doubles as the Golden Eagles …
CAMBRIDGE – Eight local head basketball coaches and eight players have earned All-Eastern District honors as …
COLUMBUS – The goal of every wrestler in Ohio is to advance to the state tournament. For 28 Ohio Valley …
Copyright © The Intelligencer | https://www.theintelligencer.net | 1500 Main Street, Wheeling, WV 26003 | 304-233-0100
