CHARLESTON, WV — The Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Bucs returned home with West Virginia Girls Basketball Runner-Up title, after losing to the Huntington Highlanders 72-54.
Many believe that Huntington was assisted by poor officials, calling 20-out-of-27 fouls on Buckhannon just in the second half. The referees only called a total of 7 fouls on Huntington, with 5 in the second half.
At halftime, the Lady Bucs and Highlanders were tied 24-24. The game remained close through the 3rd quarter. In the fourth quarter, the game transitioned into an 18-point lead for Huntington, predominately due to fouls being called on Buckhannon-Upshur.
In the fourth quarter, boos could be heard throughout the stadium, as heckling of refs was rampant. Over 4/5 of the stadium was filled with fans of the Lady Bucs, despite the greater distance compared to Huntington.
Hanna McClung, one of Buckhannon-Upshur’s top scorers, was fouled out according to the refs. Alli Robinson also fouled out.
The game would finish with Huntington as the “State Champions” at 72, and Buckhannon-Upshur as the “Runner-Ups” at 54.