PARKERSBURG — Facing one of the top girls basketball teams from Kentucky, Parkersburg South senior Devin Hefner wasn’t fazed a bit. Actually, none of her South teammates were overly alarmed either as the Patriots cruised to a 70-58 victory Boyd County (Ky.) at Rod Oldham Athletic Center. “We were excited to play this game,” said Hefner, who led all scorers with 26 points. “It was a challenge and we were up to it. They are a good team, but we were ready for what they threw at us.” South (12-3) was more than ready. The Lions (13-3) came out wanting to press on defense and go fast on offense. In the first quarter, it worked — sort of — but the Patriots still led 22-21. South took control in the second quarter as it opened on a 9-0 run that punctuated by Hefner’s 3-point basket. The Patriots extended their lead to 11 points (39-28) as Hefner scored five more points and Allie Taylor completed a 3-point play. Hefner finished with 10 points in the quarter as South went into the locker room up 39-30. “(Devin’s) just a great kid,” said Parkersburg South coach Ed Davis. “She creates a lot of problems for defenders because of her offensive game. She has grown into one of our leaders, and tonight she showed why.” Hefner continued to pace South in the second half with 10 points. She also had a team-high 11 rebounds and four assists. Any serious thoughts of the Lions making a comeback were quickly erased in the third quarter. Following a Harley Paynter layup to start the quarter, the Patriots responded with a 13-0 run. Allie Taylor sparked the run with six points, including a 3-pointer. “We were really focused on playing tough defense,” Davis said. “We are playing with a lot of confidence. We knew were facing one of the top teams in Kentucky, and we want to play great competition to see where we stand. We knew they could shoot, and they got some baskets, but our defense was solid.” Boyd County coach Pete Fraley, whose Lions are ranked No. 1 in the Northeast Kentucky media poll, said the shots that normally fall for his squad didn’t against South. “We expected a tough road game,” he said. “We knewthey had a nice team, and they showed it.” The Lions didn’t have many answers for Makenna Winans or Taylor. Winans finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Taylor had 18 points and eight rebounds. Overlooked in the victory was the outstanding defensive play of Sierra Hays. The 5-foot-6 junior had the difficult task of covering Boyd County’s top player, Savannah Wheeler. While the Marshall-commit finished with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists, Hays hounded her all game. “They ran every play through (Wheeler),” Hefner said. “Sierra gave her hard time and made her work for everything.” Wheeler entered the game averaging 25.8 points a game, along with 55 3-pointers. She made 8-of-21 shots, including three 3-pointers. Harley Paynter, who is averaging 15.3 points a game, scored 12, while Graci Borders had a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss. The final score doesn’t quite show South’s dominance. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Patriots led 70-45 following two free throws from Rylee Horner. As both teams emptied their benches, the Lions closed the game on a 13-0 run. “We travel a lot to play good teams,” Fraley said. “We’re back at it again (Saturday) against Johnson Central at home.” Following back-to-back emotional victories — 54-42 over Morgantown and Boyd County — South must regroup and get ready for rival Parkersburg on Monday. The Big Reds travel to South for a 7:30 p.m. game. “It’s always exciting playing them,” said Hefner, an Ohio Wesleyan commit. “We’ll start to focus on PHS at practice (on Saturday).”