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PARKERSBURG -- Things are looking up for the Parkersburg girls' basketball team, and a hot streak has the Big Reds in position to make noise late in the year.
Now, I won't get ahead of myself. Even first-year head coach Chris Murray said the win over Class AAAA No. 1 Huntington was "just another game."
In no way does that minimize toppling the top squad in a 64-63 thriller on Tuesday, but Murray is exuding the leadership that made him successful during his previous head coaching gig at Belpre. He knows PHS still has more road games than home games left in the regular season. He knows teams will be gunning for them come playoff time.
There's just something special about what this team is doing.
We're seeing excellent basketball played in Class A from unbeaten Gilmer County and the usual dominance we've come to expect from unbeaten Parkersburg Catholic in Class AA. Those two are setting themselves up for deep playoff runs (not to mention other ranked local girls' teams like Ripley, St. Marys, Ravenswood, Calhoun County, Doddrige County, Ritchie County and Webster County) and I suspect PHS is doing the same in Quad-A.
While PHS is not undefeated at 12-4, it came off a 65-32 thrashing of South Charleston just 24 hours removed from the Huntington upset, and it happened on the road.
More importantly, it brings Parkersburg's winning streak to eight games (and they've also won 12 of their last 13), and it's thanks to a team effort where the hot shooters aren't letting up. When PHS was a dynasty in the making in Class AAA under Scott Cozzens, big individual and team showings were paramount to winning.
Standouts like Brilynn Florence (with a team-leading 15.3 ppg), London Hood, Kisten Roberts and Trinity Balog were top performers in the Huntington game, and other key team contributors like Payton Harvey, Riley Hilling and Taylor Miller can provide a spark when it's needed the most. It's a good situation for the Big Reds to be in with so many girls who can step up, and it could pay huge dividends on the biggest stage.
Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com.