Wheeling Central's hot shooting from its quarterfinal upset over Magnolia did not carry over to semifinal Friday in Charleston. The Maroon Knights battled to the end, but fell to the defending state champion Charleston Catholic Irish 61-55.

Central led by three after one quarter, and still held a two point advantage with 3:52 to go in the half when the Irish went on an 8-0 run, capped by a Nick George three pointer. George led Charleston Catholic with 24 points.

David Park drained a long three pointer right before halftime to cut the Irish lead to 26-23 at the break.

Wheeling Central fell behind by as many as 11 points in the 3rd quarter before battling back to within three with 3:16 to play. The Irish immediately answered with six straight points, and then sealed it from the free throw line. They hit 24-35 free throws for the game, while Central went 14-19 from the stripe.

Park led Central with 18 points. Chase Harler added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Wallace, one of five Maroon Knight seniors, had 12 points and 10 boards.

Mel Stephens' squad finishes with a 14-13 record, after starting the season 2-7. The 2012-13 campaign also included an OVAC Class 2A championship.