PARKERSBURG — Athletic competition on any level can be hard to say good-bye to when the time comes for the hard move. Professionals even experience a gut-wrenching decision during the difficult chapter of their careers. Allie Taylor didn’t think her senior year on the Parkersburg South basketball team would change her mind about playing in college. When she began her college search, she was solely focused on her education, but her final campaign in a Patriots’ jersey was special. South went 21-4 and advanced to the Class AAA state semifinals. Taylor also was named the captain of the all-state third-team selections. The two-year varsity starter’s experience ignited the fires of competition so muchso, it wasn’t time for her career to come to an end yet. “This season has been one of my favorites,” said Taylor. “The people I played with, I love them and they are my best friends and just like family and I just couldn’t give it up.” Taylor thought the University of Charleston was the choice, but after the visit to Wheeling Jesuit, the decision-making process was over. “It was just a feeling that this is where I am supposed to be,” she said. Having narrowed her collegiate destination to NCAA?Divison II?Wheeling Jesuit, Taylor contacted women’s head basketball coach Debbie Buff and informed her of the desire to continue her hardwood career. “She watched some tape on me and said she wanted me to come and it just all worked out,” said Taylor. “It feels like everything is where it should be.” Versatility has been Taylor’s trademark when on the court for the blue and white with a touch of red. Parkersburg South head girls basketball coach Ed Davis played the senior at the 3 or 4 with the knowledge she would do whatever was asked of her. “It is really nice I know more than one position,” said Taylor. “Coach Davis helped me a lot with that this year in doing whatever the team needed. It doesn’t make me nervous because I don’t have to depend on getting on the court in just one spot or I am not going to play.” “She is going to get an awesome opportunity there (WJU),” said Davis. “I think her versatility in playing the 3 and the 4 and being able to knock down shots is going to be nice and give her a shot.” Her 2017-18 season averages stand as a testament to her multi-faceted game. The third-leading scorer on the Patriots this season with 11 points per game, Taylor also pulled down 7.3 rebounds, dished out 1.8 assists and swiped 1.8 steals per game, blocked 19 total shots and connected on a team-high 39 triples. “It is a case where work really has paid off,” said Davis, “with all the hours she spent in the gym shooting with coach Hyson and working on her shot and the commitment on the defensive end this year as well as the leadership growth. But I think she has just scratched the surface.” The opportunity to explore deeper below the surface is a good possibility while Taylor is a Cardinal. WJU runs a run-and-gun system similar to the Patriots. Off the hardwood, Exercise physiology stands as her major with an eventual move to physical therapy. “These are the things that interest me,” said Taylor. “I can work with athletes and people and I love being around people. Math, science and people are my things.”