LOOKING UP — John Marshall’s Kaitlyn Groves looks to shoot over Brooke’s Hope Bowman during a Class AAA sectional semifinal on Wednesday. (Photo by Cody Tomer)

MOUNDSVILLE — Some wins can be quite painful.

None more than John Marshall’s hard-fought, 46-41, Class AAA Region 1, Section 1 triumph over scrappy Brooke Wednesday night at the Moundsville Field House.

While the win propels the Monarchs into Friday’s sectional championship tilt against Wheeling Park, the Monarchs might be playing without the services of star guard Shay Straughn.

The all-state dynamo incurred a severe ankle injury in the second quarter, with John Marshall holding a 15-14 lead. She courageously attempted to play in the second half but was limited to just two possessions.

Straughn’s second-quarter exit, combined with some fine play by the Bruins, resulted in the visitors holding an 18-17 halftime advantage.

Two JM (15-8) veterans stepped up in the second half to fill the void created by Straughn’s injury. Senior Kaitlyn Groves scored all of her 15 points after intermission, while junior dandy Abby Blake netted a trio of treys to go with five steals in the final 16 minutes to keep the Monarchs’ tourney trail alive.

“Shay was very emotional on the bench after she got hurt. I told her that her teammates would not let her career end sitting on the bench,” JM coach Brock Melko said. “The entire team really stepped it up. I am proud of the everyone. But, Kaitlyn and Abby really did a great job.

“We showed a lot of character playing through adversity. Shay means so much to this team. Brooke played really well. (Hope) Bowman is a great player and nearly impossible to defend in the halfcourt.”

Thanks to eight points from Groves in the third quarter, JM inched out to a 33-32 lead entering a nip-and-tuck fourth frame.

The Monarchs, nursing a slim 38-36 lead with roughly three minutes to play, went into the delay-game mode. Both teams traded missed free throws before Groves meshed two charity tosses with 1:53 showing for a 40-36 JM advantage.

Brooke’s Natalie Ryan goaled, making it a 40-38 reading. After the Monarchs again misfired at the charity stripe, the Bruins’ Chloe Fox buried a trey to give Brooke a 41-40 edge with 49 ticks remaining.

Blake quickly responded with a 3 of her own with 38 seconds to play, propelling JM back on top at 43-41. Brooke committed another turnover before Groves drained two more free throws with 21.1 showing, boosting the Monarch lead to 45-41.

Brooke subsequently misfired from the floor and quickly fouled Groves. The 5-foot-9 forward meshed one freebie to seal the JM victory.

“Survive and advance. That is what tournament basketball is all about,” Melko said. “With or without Shay, our game plan against (Wheeling) Park will not change. We must value the ball and play our butts off defensively.”

Straughn netted six points, grabbed five boards and recorded three steals in her limited action. Blake ended with 16 markers.

Brooke was led by Bowman. The 6-foot-3 senior all-stater did a lot of everything in a losing cause. She netted a game-high 20 points to go with 18 rebounds and swatted five Monarch shots. Ryan was her top support with 11 points.

“Our kids played well. They gave it all they had,” acting coach Amy Serevich said, filling in for Ryan Scherich who was absent for medical reasons. “We prepared very well for this game, and we were right there at the end. I was proud of our effort.”.

John Marshall 46, Brooke 41

Brooke 10-8-14-9 — 41

John Marshall 8-9-16-13 — 46

BROOKE: Fox 2 0-3 5; Buckmelter 0 0-0 0; Ryan 5 1-1 11; Byers 2 1-2 5; Bowman 7 4-4 20; Knorr 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16, 6-10: 41.

JOHN MARSHALL: Helms 1 0-0 3; Hunnell 0 0-0 0; K. Groves 4 7-9, 15; Anna Blake 1 0-2 2; Blair 0 0-0 0; L. Groves 1 0-0 2; Abby Blake 6 0-0 16; Straughn 3 0-0 6; Stocklash 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 17, 7-11: 46.

3-POINT GOALS: Brooke 3 (Bowman 2, Fox); John Marshall 5 (Abby Blake 4, Helms 1).