Wheeling Park spent the majority of last season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. The prevailing question wasn’t if the Patriots would make the state tournament in Charleston, but how they would fare once there.
That “how” never got answered. It wasn’t the coronavirus that cut Park’s season unexpectedly short. It was the Morgantown Mohigans with a 50-49 regional upset.
Looking back, Wheeling Park head coach Ryan Young admitted it wasn’t a matter of his team taking the Mohigans lightly. After all, MHS benefits from having 6-foot-3, Division-I post Kaitlyn Ammons on its roster.
Rather, the Patriots just got outplayed.
“We didn’t take anything for granted,” Young recalled. “We just got outplayed and give the credit to Morgantown. They played an excellent game, and our shots weren’t falling.
“But in the minds of the 16, 17, 18 year olds in that position, their expectation is that they were going to win.”
This season, the expectation is certainly still there that Park can make it to the state tournament. But the road is a bit tougher than a season ago despite the Patriots’ current No. 3 ranked in Class AAAA.
That road, which begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. up at the Palace on the Hill, begins with rival John Marshall standing in the way. Should the Patriots’ advance past the Monarchs, which Young is the first to admit is far from a sure thing, then they will have to defeat those same Mohigans for the sectional championship.
Park beat JM twice this season, but the second matchup (59-46) was considerably more tightly contested than the first (79-42).
“They gave us all kind of fits when we played there a couple weeks ago,” Young said. “I’m not expecting anything different this time. I’m not expecting anything but a battle. They have enough talent to compete and are well coached.”
Maggie Stakem 
Asia Roby
Wrong Time for Injuries
The last time Park played JM, it had one day to adjust to life with senior post Bella Abernathy, as she was injured the day before during practice.
Gone was Abernathy’s years of starting experience, her tenacity in the post and on the boards, and her 18 points and eight rebounds per game. In fairness, an adjustment period was needed.
“We didn’t have time to adjust without Bella going into that game. I think we’ve made some adjustments since then.”
The prognosis for Abernathy coming back is not good either. She has a follow-up from her hand surgery coming up and the doctor will decide if she can go or not. But Young isn’t counting on her return.
“The odds aren’t in her favor,” Young said.
Further muddying the waters, junior post Jai’lah Walker (5-11) recently returned from injury, only to get hurt again, reinjuring the same ankle she banged up during the preseason. Her prognosis for Tuesday and beyond is also up in the air.
The hit the roster took in the post was evident in the second game against Morgantown. Wheeling Park beat the Mohigans earlier in the year 52-50. The second time, sans Abernathy, Park fell 55-41.
“Her loss was pretty evident when we played Morgantown when you compare it to when we played them with her,” Young said. “But that’s also one reason I thought the seeding could have gone another way. Our record against each was the same and we beat more ranked teams.”
Wheeling Park was ranked No. 2 in the region, behind Morgantown, with University, Buckhannon Upshur, Bridgeport, and Preston ranked Nos. 3-6. John Marshall and Brooke, which won’t be competing because of a positive test, rounding out the top eight.
Given Park and Morgantown split, there are two main differences in their respective schedules. One, Wheeling Park defeated No. 2 Cabell Midland while Morgantown lost to the Knights. The other difference is Abernathy is out, but played both in the wins against MHS and CMHS.
“I don’t know if they held her injury against us. But we still have enough to compete.”
Sophie Abraham 
Naliah Lekanudos
Still Plenty of Talent Left
Not having Abernathy will hurt. If Walker is unable to return, that will further add to the pain felt in the Patriots’ post game.
But the proverbial cupboard is far from bare.
Wheeling Park still has 3-point sharpshooter and Bethany signee Lindsey Garrison at its disposal. Garrison averages better than 19 per game and has made 48 triples through 15 games.
But her game has improved tremendously away from the 3-point line.
“She’s been doing well shooting, but it’s not just that,” Young said. “She’s getting her teammates involved, being a leader and not just a scorer. She’s a good all-around player and has picked up her defense too.”
Fellow seniors Asia Roby and Maggie Stakem also picked up the slack. Roby runs the show from the point and scores at 8.6 per game. She’s capable of knocking down 3s and has a penchant for beating defenders off the dribble.
Stakem, meanwhile, was the complementary muscle to Abernathy, second on the team in rebounds and a solid defender.
A trio of underclassmen have also stepped to the forefront this season.
Sophomore Sophie Abraham and junior Zariah Marling are having a profound impact on the floor, as is freshman post Merritt Delk, who at an athletic 5-10, is the tallest Patriots’ post player left standing.
Fortunately, she’s been able to more than hold her own.
“Honestly, she’s probably our best rebounder outside of Maggie and Jai’lah with Bella out,” Young said. “She hasn’t looked to score much, but she can finish. She’s a great athlete and is a great role player. She doesn’t play like a freshman.”
If Park gets past JM, the Patriots will play Morgantown on Friday at Morgantown.
The winner of that game will host the loser of the Region 1, Section 2 final while the loser will travel to the Section 2 winner.
Park owns victories against University and Buckhannon-Upshur but again, Young isn’t taking anything for granted. If anything, the Pats’ may be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
From not earning the No. 1 seed, to falling in the rankings earlier this season before even losing a game, let the redemption begin.
“I think we got jumped in the polls before we even lost a game, and to me, that is more motivating than sitting at No. 1 all season going into the postseason,” Young said. “We’ve never been concerned about state rankings, but we can use that as motivation and settle it on the court.”
