PARKERSBURG — The last time PHS and Parkersburg South girls’ basketball teams met an epic showdown occurred with a spot in the Class AAA state championship game on the line. A physical contest featuring two injuries ended with the Big Reds victorious before their winning of the state title over Buckhannon-Upshur the next evening inside the Charleston Civic Center. Nine months later, the two rivals renew acquaintances at 7:30 p.m. Friday night inside Rod Oldham Athletic Center. A win by the Big Reds would give them a foot up in the sectional race over both other members in Ripley and the Patriots. PHS defeated the Vikings, 71-46, on Dec. 7 inside Memorial Fieldhouse. Seeding in the sectional tournament last season was determined by South’s dominant regular-season victory over the Big Reds inside the ROAC, despite PHS winning on its Sam Mandich Court earlier in the year. Depending on how the remainder of the sectional games play out, a Patriots’ win could be a big part in helping South secure another first-round bye in the sectional tournament. Each team has taken different routes to get to this early season game. Winning is all Scott Cozzens’ group has done since the competitive March evening. The Big Reds enter the contest 5-0 on the 2018-19 campaign. In order to remain unbeaten PHS has to overcome the loss of two of its top players in Bre Wilson (who tore her ACL in the aforementioned semifinal) and Madi Mace (who injured her left ankle against George Washington Saturday) in an atmosphere the Big Reds haven’t handled well the past 18 years. “We will see what happens,” said Cozzens. “It doesn’t matter who is available to play or who isn’t available to play. Someone has to step up and play and do the things we need to do. We need to do them the right way and get better. “Everyone who has stepped up so far has done a good job.” There are a few factors the Patriots bring to the table that worries the Big Reds’ second-year leader. “They have some size and athleticism,” said Cozzens. “They will shoot the ball better at home than on the road. We have to defend shooters and not give them second chance points. It will be interesting to see what kind of composure we play with because it has been a long time since anybody has won over there. Will the fact get in the girls heads or not?” The Patriots already dropped one game at the ROAC in the opener against Fort Frye. The loss was part of three straight to begin the season for Ed Davis’ ball club. Davis and company began a course correction with a 58-51 win over Hannibal River (Ohio) on Dec. 10 followed by a 59-54 win over another rival in Ohio Valley Athletic Conference opponent Morgantown on Dec. 13 to pull within one game of .500. The Patriots improved to 3-3 Thursday night with a 69-49 win against Logan. “There aren’t a whole lot of secrets when we play them,” said Davis on the Big Reds. “They are a great team. Cozzens does a great job of using their talent to the best of their abilities. We can’t simulate that in practice, you just do your best to get them ready. I think they want to play well and get back to square one with some positive momentum before Christmas break” Davis isn’t playing up the home court advantage with his team either. “This PHS team is loaded with a good freshman class and they are going to put five talented kids out there that know their system whether we are playing them here or on the road,” he said. “You always feel more comfortable at home until the ball tips and then you just have to play. We shouldn’t feel overconfident at home as we have lost once here this season.” Fans shouldn’t expect everything plus the kitchen sink thrown in during just the sixth contest of the campaign. Neither team wishes to show their entire hand before post-season play rolls around in two-and-a-half months.