West Virginia

Kentucky takes down West Virginia, will face Texas in Sweet 16

Published

3 months ago

March 24, 2026

Kentucky takes down West Virginia, will face Texas in Sweet 16

West Virginia is a team that Kentucky was designed to beat, but that doesn’t always happen.

The Mountaineers are small, ferocious, and force turnovers at an elite rate. Kentucky needed to counter that with the size West Virginia just doesn’t have.

Early on, they did just that.

1st half showcases the size difference

West Virginia’s average height is 5’9, and they love to press. Kentucky should be able to just find Strack or Key and allow runners to come off them. The Cats opened up handling the pressure pretty well. Amelia Hassett hit two first-quarter 3’s, and Clara Strack had 4 and 4. But West Virginia was also handling the Cats’ size pretty well.

6’1 Kierra Wheeler had 4 points and 4 rebounds herself as she battled down low in the opening frame. Teonni Key was a monster in the opening half. The senior had 11 points and 5 rebounds, but as the half wore on, the pressure started to get to Kentucky.

After the Cats stretched the lead to double figures, West Virginia would force a 10-second violation as Kentucky struggled to find Clara Strack in the middle of the press. When they did a couple of possessions later, it was a double dribble, and those are the simple kind of unforced turnovers that Kentucky can not have in a game like this.

A 13-2 run from West Virginia sent the two teams to halftime tied at 36. Kentucky shot 48% percent from the floor but had 7 turnovers, 3 from Key and 1 from Strack. West Virginia was led by 13 from Gia Cooke and 10 from Wheeler.

If Kentucky was going to get to its first Sweet 16 in a decade, it would come from Strack and Key.

2nd half started with a Kentucky streak

The Cats started the 3rd with a big flurry, a 13-2 run saw Kentucky extend back to an 11-point lead. It was kind of identical to how the 2nd quarter played out, with Kentucky handling the pressure and using its height to convert easy baskets.

West Virginia really struggled down low against Kentucky’s size. They converted just 13-of-32 from 2-point range.

Kentucky would have a 12-point lead heading to the 4th, just 10 minutes away from a first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015-16.

It started with a bang as West Virginia would throw a haymaker. The Mountaineers would go on a 12-2 run to start the 4th, and Kentucky did look rattled. But to their credit, they slowed it back down and went down low to Key and Strack. The two stars on the day for Kentucky would answer and get back up 8 behind a beautiful post move from Strack.

Gia Cooke, as she did all day, answered. She hit a huge 3 to stem the Cats’ momentum and bring West Virginia back to within 5. The guard would finish with 23.

Tonie Morgan would rise up with 2 minutes to go; she missed the jumper, but a huge hustle play from Clara Strack would give Kentucky another chance to build on its 4-point lead.

Strack would then convert, but like she did all afternoon, Sydney Shaw hit a clutch 3 from the corner, her 6th, to bring West Virginia to within 3 with just 90 seconds to play.

Clara Strack’s turnover issues would play big as she tried to back down, and Jordan Harrison would swipe her 4th steal of the night. Two free throws later, and it was just a 1-point game.

Tonie Morgan hadn’t hit a lot of shots, just 2-for-8. But the point guard hit a massive free-throw line jumper to get Kentucky back up 3 with 55 seconds to go.

West Virginia would hit 2 more clutch free throws, and with 8 seconds to go, Hassett had a wide-open 3. It clanged off the rim, and the Mountaineers would have the last shot.

The Mountaineers had not led since early in the 4th quarter. Gia Cooke shook Teonni Key and had an open jumper that rimmed out. Key would secure the rebound, and Kentucky called a timeout.

On the inbound play, the ball would be hit off Morgan’s shoe. West Virginia would get a chance for a tip-in with .2 left.

West Virginia couldn’t get a shot off, and the Cats will be heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016. And they did it on the road.

Up next is (1) Texas, which the Cats lost to by 11 earlier this year. That game was a lot closer than the final score, as the Cats were actually within 1 with just over 5 to go.

The game will be in Fort Worth, so it will be another road game. But we should all enjoy this Sweet victory.

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Related Topics:Featured Kentucky Wildcats News Kentucky Women’s Basketball

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West Virginia

Stories of the Week: June 14 through June 20

Published

3 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Press Room

Stories of the Week: June 14 through June 20

There are early Dyson deals for Prime Day Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner — the annual four-day sales event is happening June 23-26 this year. In the past, it’s been a great time to score substantial discounts on Dyson products, from …

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West Virginia

Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews

Published

14 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va – Charleston is celebrating Juneteenth with its annual parade, followed by a celebration in Slack Plaza featuring live entertainment, food, educational exhibits, and more.

The parade stepped off from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center at 11:30 on Friday with a long line of organizations participating and several community members recognized as “Mr. and Miss Juneteenth.” Smiles dotted the procession as organizers watched a community come together.

“It’s just a wonderful thing when we can bring the community together to celebrate freedom, and here in West Virginia, we’ve had some challenges because they’ve said that Juneteenth is not a state holiday, but our people are still celebrating,” parade chairperson Karen Williams said.

The parade marked the start of an entire day recognizing the history of Juneteenth, the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people when the Union Army arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. With the last stronghold of slavery in the Confederate States eradicated that day, June 19 came to be celebrated as a second independence day, and President Joe Biden established it as a national holiday in 2021.

In West Virginia, former Gov. Jim Justice was the first to declare a state holiday and did so in each of his last four years in office. Gov. Patrick Morrisey recognized Juneteenth with a proclamation on Friday but has not declared a state holiday in 2025 or 2026.

“Representation really matters, so seeing Black queens and Black kings roaming the streets of Charleston is a beautiful thing, and it’s a needed thing. I think there’s a lot more people that aren’t going to celebrate Juneteenth than people that are, so I think it’s really important that we continue to celebrate this holiday and show why it’s important,” Miss Juneteenth Adult Keyarna Frederick said.

Different groups from around the Kanawha Valley came out to participate from businesses and youth organizations to political committees and arts collectives. Williams believes that shows that Juneteenth is a day for the entire community to celebrate.

“Appalachian people have always grown up and lived together, and what we want—we want people to continue that. We want people to continue to be together. We’re not saying this is a Black event or a white event. We welcome all people to come and participate,” she said.

The parade route echoed her sentiment as nearly everyone who joined the parade shared handshakes, high-fives, and hugs. That spirit of togetherness spoke to the day’s honorees as well.

“It’s definitely something that we should all be celebrating. It’s for all of us, not just for a certain color or a certain kind. It’s for all of us, so I believe everyone should be celebrating this day,” Mr. Juneteenth Adult Edward Frederick said.

“This is my first time in the parade. It’s so beautiful. It’s so amazing to see different organizations a part of the parade, seeing how much muscle has went into even doing something like this, so I think it’s a beautiful thing for Charleston,” Keyarna Frederick added.

From the parade to the activities in Slack Plaza, the day’s organizers sought to create an environment to celebrate Juneteenth with a spirit of unity. Williams hopes that anyone that joined or watched felt that along the way.

“I want them to see that we are Almost Heaven, West Virginia; that we are celebrating freedom; and that we are a community that embraces one another,” she said.

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