Parkersburg South senior Navi Hewitt truly made a name for himself as the Patriots emerged victorious over Parkersburg with an impressive 85 - 67 score on Tuesday night at Rod Oldham Athletic Center. His game-high 34 points, especially the astonishing 20 points in the second quarter, were a sight to behold. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Instant Celebrity Status

After the postgame chat with his coaches, Hewitt was greeted by the enthusiastic South Psychos student section at center court. It was a well-deserved welcome for the star player. Hewitt himself expressed his love for the student section, stating, "That was a lot of fun – I love our student section."

Second-Quarter Explosion

Hewitt's second-quarter performance was nothing short of remarkable. Coach Mike Fallon was in awe, comparing it to Wes Mitchem's similar quarter from years ago. Last year, Hewitt was thrown into the fire early and struggled, but he never gave up. He came back stronger in the spring and was ready to go. This showed his determination and resilience.In the second half, Harry Silvis, who handled the primary ballhandling duties, became more aggressive and made the free-throw line his friend, finishing the game 11 - of - 12 from the stripe and contributing 18 points. Matthew Mullen also scored in double figures with 15 points. Taj Joyce, despite having only a week and a half of practices under his belt after starting for the South football team that made the playoffs, fouled out with four points. Fallon believes that when Joyce gets in game shape, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

PHS's Struggles

Parkersburg (PHS) faced some challenges in the game. They fell behind 7 - 0 in the first two minutes but managed to answer with 11 straight points. However, finding depth to give players a breather was an issue as their starters Nate Rodriguez, Quentin Wilson, and Isaac Dailey played the entire 32 minutes trying to apply and defend the press. Coach Phil Wilson acknowledged that they need to involve more players and increase their bench strength.An ankle injury to starter Zane Lewis didn't help either. He left the game in the first half and returned in the second half in warmups. Wilson will assess his condition after 24 hours.

Fourth-Quarter Dominance

South maintained a strong lead in the fourth quarter, reaching 69 - 53. They then extended their advantage with an 8 - 0 spurt, with four different Patriots contributing to the scoring. Coach Fallon was proud of his team's handling of the environment and social media stuff.PHS is off until after Christmas and will resume with a road test at Harvest Prep (Ohio) on Dec. 27. Coach Wilson emphasized their never - quitting attitude and the need to figure out how to manage playing with a limited bench.For South, the next challenge comes quickly. On Friday, they welcome Spring Mills, a team that Fallon believes is one of the top five schools to visit the ROAC during his tenure. "Spring Mills is loaded. They have a little bit of everything. They have guys who can score. They have big guys. They are as good as any team, like a Morgantown team or any teams we have brought in. We will have our hands full."Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com