By RUSTY UDY
for the Daily Telegraph
NEW RICHMOND — Friday at Wyoming East High School, it was ladies night and Wyoming East put on a basketball clinic.
The Lady Warriors dominated the Region 3 co-final against PikeView, rolling to a convincing 62-34 victory and earning a trip to the Girls State High School Basketball Tournament starting Wednesday.
“We got out to pretty quick start, and that helped our transition game really well,” said Wyoming East head coach Angie Boninsegna. “I was really proud of the kids’ effort; they played really hard.”
The game started slowly, just the pace PikeView wanted to play. The Lady Panthers held the ball early to pull Wyoming East out of its 2-3 zone and give their star, Madison May, more room to slash to the basket.
East eventually came out of the zone, creating some opportunities for PikeView in the lane.
The problem for PikeView — freshman Emily Saunders was patrolling the paint.
“The Eraser” rejected the early chances near the basket and continued to frustrate PikeView all game. She altered numerous shots and forced the Lady Panthers to play mostly from the perimeter.
“We knew we really had to step up our defense and play our best like we did against Summers County,” said Saunders.
All-stater Gabby Lupardus took advantage of the blocks and the turnovers created by the Lady Warriors’ pressure defense. She attacked the basket for two scores and made a nice assist to Allie Lusk for another layup.
PikeView could not find the basket until the 1:50 mark of the opening quarter, when Ashley Scott buried a deep 3. But that was the only score in the quarter for the Lady Panthers.
“PikeView wanted to slow it down on us, so when we got the lead we just stayed back in the zone,” explained Boninsegna.
Lupardus again pushed the ball into the lane before the end of the quarter, kicking the ball out to Kara Sandy, who buried a 3-pointer to give East a 13-3 lead after one quarter.
Wyoming East started the second quarter on a 14-0 run before Madison May hit a jumper with 1:10 to go before halftime. East led 27-5 at the half and was in full control.
“When Gabby can penetrate in the lane and dish it off to the wings or to Saunders, it makes us really tough to defend,” said Boninsegna.
Saunders finished the night with 21 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, while Lupardus scored 12 and had eight rebounds and seven assists.
May and Scott opened the second half nailing a couple of long 3s, but the Lady Panthers could get the lead no closer than 19 points at 37-18.
After a timeout, Wyoming East ended all hope of a comeback, going on a 19-0 run over the next seven minutes for a 56-20 lead, the biggest of the night.
Lupardus summed the game up perfectly.
“We really pushed the ball and played the game at the pace we wanted tonight,” she said. “Our defense is what really helps us win ball games. If we play good defense, we are going to score off of it.”
May finished her standout career at PikeView with 17 points but was held to seven through three quarters against the Wyoming East defense. Scott finished the night with 13.
While Wyoming East was the odds-on favorite to return to Charleston this season, it was a season of adversity. It started the season with Sandy recovering from a knee injury, and Lupardus suffered a bad ankle injury in January, casting doubts on the season.
“We really have faced some adversity this season with the injuries. When your point guard goes down it hurts, but the other girls really stepped up for us,” said Boninsegna.
The standout sophomore Lupardus is especially pleased to have the opportunity to play for a state championship.
“It is a crazy feeling,” she said. “After the injury at Fairmont, I wasn’t sure when I would get to play again, so going to states is an amazing feeling and I am definitely looking forward to it.”
Wyoming East earned the No. 1 seed in the Class AA division of the state tournament and will play eighth-seeded Tolsia Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

at Wyoming East High School
PIKEVIEW (11-12)
Brittany Moore 2 0-0 4, Madison May 6 3-4 17, Ashley Scott 5 0-0 13. Totals: 13 3-4 34.
WYOMING EAST (21-2)
Gabby Lupardus 5 2-2 12, Misa Quesenberry 1 1-2 3, Emily Saunders 10 1-2 21, Allie Lusk 2 0-0 4, Jazz Blankenship 2 0-0 5, Kara Sandy 3 2-2 10, Katie Daniels 0 3-4 3, Haley Butcher 2 0-0 4, Kyndl Johnson 0 0-1 0. Totals: 25 9-15 62.
PikeView...........................3 2 13 16 — 34
Wyoming East...............13 14 18 17 — 62
3-point goals: PV 5 (May 2, Scott 3), WE 3 (Blankenship, Sandy 2). Fouled out: Kaleigh Peyton (PV)