OHSAA Girls Basketball Regional Semifinals

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Fayetteville 45, West Liberty-Salem 33

@ Springfield High School

The West Liberty-Salem Lady Tigers’ postseason run came to an end Wednesday night, falling to Fayetteville 45–33 in the Regional Semifinals at Springfield High School.

West Liberty-Salem started strong, grabbing an early 3–2 lead and battling the Rockets throughout the opening quarter. The Lady Tigers kept things close early and trailed just 12–9 after the first eight minutes.

Fayetteville began to pull away in the second quarter, using its size and length to disrupt the Tigers offensively. West Liberty-Salem was held to just six points in the frame while the Rockets surged ahead behind a dominant first half from Aubrey Baker. Baker knocked down three triples and totaled 15 points before halftime, helping Fayetteville build a 26–15 advantage at the break.

The Lady Tigers refused to go away quietly and fought to chip away at the deficit in the third quarter. Momentum began to swing slightly toward West Liberty-Salem late in the period, trimming the lead to nine as the scoreboard read 34–25 heading into the final quarter.

West Liberty-Salem opened the fourth with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to six and give the Tigers renewed hope. However, that would be as close as they would get.

Fayetteville answered by leaning on its size advantage inside and capitalizing at the free-throw line. The Rockets finished 14-of-23 from the charity stripe and gradually pulled away to secure the 45–33 victory.

Baker finished with a game-high 22 points to lead Fayetteville.

West Liberty-Salem was led by Ellery Wygal with nine points. Ava Astorino added seven, while Emily King and Arianna Weaver each finished with six. Addi Wallen chipped in three points, and Ava Poppe scored two. The Lady Tigers went 2-of-9 from the free-throw line in the contest.

Tiger head coach Dennis McIntosh gives his thoughts on the fight his team put up.

West Liberty-Salem closes the season with a 22–4 record and a trip to the regional semifinals — just the third appearance at that stage in program history.