GLENVILLE, W.Va (WBOY) – The 2022 Class A state basketball tournament could not have ended in a more heartbreaking way for the Gilmer County girls, watching as the Cameron Dragons’ final prayer slipped through the net to take the state title away from the Titans.

Without a single starter returning from last year’s team, it has not been an easy process for head coach Amy Chapman, but her young team is playing its best ball at the right time.

After back-to-back losses to Class AA opponents earlier this month, Gilmer County has won four straight to reach the Class A Region IV final, hosting Tug Valley on Wednesday.

To Chapman, it’s a testament to the hard work and desire of a group of girls out to prove their doubters wrong.

“I have a handful of them that comes in at 7 am every morning wanting to get extra shots up. That’s just the character of this group. They want to get better. They want to keep tradition and be in Charleston and play for championships and they’ve got a really good team that are starting to figure each other out right now,” she said.

The Gilmer County girls basketball team gets its chance to return to the Class A state tournament and avenge its championship game loss on Thursday night as the Tug Valley panthers visit the Gilmer County Thunder Dome at 7 pm.

The Titans won the regular season meeting with Tug Valley on February 15 by a final score of 57-41.