KEYSER, W.Va. — After the first half was anyone’s game, No. 1 Keyser took complete command in the third quarter.
The Golden Tornado (19-4) outscored No. 4 Lincoln in the quarter 26-8, punching the fourth ticket to the state tournament in program history and the first back-to-back appearance in a 67-39 victory on Thursday.
“I felt we were a little too amped up. I go back to the Mountain Ridge game, thought we struggled in the beginning,” Keyser head coach Josh Blowe said. “Credit to Lincoln, had a really good game plan coming in, credit to their girls for making shots.”
Keyser led 29-26 at halftime before opening the second half on a 6-1 run led by Autumn Kerchner.
Kerchner scored layups on two of the first three possessions and finished with 12 points, three assists and a steal.
The Cougars (9-15) cut the deficit to 35-30 on a steal by Gracey Fortney that Slyvie Salerno turned into a layup, but Kiya Kesner answered with a 3-pointer and a layup to push the lead up to 40-30.
“At halftime, we really challenged our girls,” Blowe said. “We gave up 26 points in the first half, we only give up 37 on the season. It was very frustrating, but we challenged them, I looked up at the scoreboard and we only gave up 10 points with two minutes to go in the game.”
Kesner finished with 14 points, four steals and three assists.
Bibs Felton, returning from injury after missing the last four games, then scored seven of the Tornado’s next 15 points to take a 55-34 lead after three quarters.
Felton led all scorers with 23 points, six steals, five assists and a block.
“The ovation she got in the starting lineup was probably the loudest ovation I’ve ever heard,” Blowe said. “She’s been wanting to play, she’s been storing up that energy. She played amazing, she played 30 minutes tonight. She is the best player in our area, and it’s not even close.”
While the final score was lopsided, the first half was anything but a runaway.
The Cougars opened the game on a 9-3 run before the Tornado answered with a 10-3 run to even the score at 13.
“I don’t think we could’ve ask for a better start,” Lincoln head coach Rob Hawkins said. “We played good defense on Felton because she’s really, really good. Even though they made a couple runs in the first half, we were able to stay right with them.”
After Kesner hit a triple to tie the game with 23 seconds left, Fortney buried a 3-pointer to put Lincoln in front 16-13 after one quarter.
The Tornado opened the second quarter on a 10-6 run and took its first lead on a triple by Kerchner with 3:32 before halftime.
In the first half, the Cougars shot 11 of 23 (47%) from the field, most off open looks in the paint.
“Offensively, we didn’t do a great job against pressure,” Hawkins said. “But when we did break pressure, we did a great job making the ball in the half court find open people. That’s what changed in the second half, even when we were breaking, we were not taking advantage when we had numbers.”
Keyser shot 11 of 28 (39%) from the field in the opening half.
Despite Lincoln leading for most of the first half, the Cougars did not have anyone score in double figures.
Hope Blackwell’s nine points followed by Toth’s eight led Lincoln.
Kerchner and Abby Delsignore will be the first Keyser players to appear in three state tournaments in school history, reaching Charleston in 2022, 2024 and now 2025.
“Autumn and Abby have put in so much time, weight room, film, practice, games, taking my critiques every day,” Blowe said. “They stay dedicated to our program. They personify the word leadership and dedication and loyalty to the program. I cannot thank those two enough, and I want those two to go out with a bang.”
Both coaches complimented the atmosphere as the stands were at least 90% full with both fanbases creating a rowdy environment.
“It was great to hear all our fans, luckily we gave them a lot to cheer about early,” Hawkins said. “They were loud and Keyser’s fans were loud. That’s what it’s supposed to be like. A regional game is supposed to have this kind of atmosphere. I’m glad we had enough kids to come over and support us.”
The Golden Tornado will be the No. 7 seed in the Class AAA tournament and gets a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal against No. 2 seed Wayne on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.
The Pioneers (18-4) won last year’s game 75-38 after Addie Atkins set a Class AAA tournament record with eight 3-pointers.
“Friends, family, community, they’ve supported us all season,” Blowe said. “The crowd’s we’ve had here have been outstanding. Can’t thank them enough. I just hope they can make the trip to Charleston.”