Despite not having scoring leader Cole Lambert, also a savvy veteran ball-handler and emotional leader of his team, Wyoming East battled hard against Bluefield.
In the end the Warriors lost steam and succumbed to the deep and veteran Beavers on the strength of a 25-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters.
Before that the Warriors trailed just 35-33 midway through the third quarter.
“We were in game deep in the third quarter, it was 35-33 and we had Zach Hunt (16 points, three 3s) wide open and we kind of missed him,” Wyoming East coach Derek Brooks said. “Then we kind of turned the ball over three straight times and we didn’t score for a while there.”
In fact out was a nearly seven-minute scoreless streak before it came to an end when Bluefield’ RJ Hairston slammed home an alley-top pass and was whistled for hanging in the rim.
Zach Hunt stopped the streak with a free throw.
Lambert’s leadership in the face of the Beavers defense-led scoring run was the missed.
“He’s our leader, he handles the ball for us, he’s a senior guard who is strong and smart with the basketball and he can almost single-handedly break the press,” Brooks said. “We knew he was going to have trouble tonight because they were going to send two at him. But with him in the game we felt other people could get open and help beat the press.”
Hairston and Jase Smith had 19 each to lead Bluefield. Hunt had 16 for East and Konnor Fox had his first career double-figure game with 10.
Bluefield 68, Wyoming East 41
Bluefield
EJ Washington 3 2-2 10, Kamron Gore 3 0-0 6, Sencere Fields 3 2-5 8, Glen Keene 1 0-0 3, Jase Smith 8 0-0 19, RJ Hairston 8 3-4 19, Rickie Ford 1 0-0 3, Greyson Parris 0 0-0 0, Gerard Wade 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 27 7-11 68.
Wyoming East
Cole Lambert 0 0-0 0, Zach Hunt 6 1-2 16, Bryson Huff 2 0-0 6, Braxton Morgan 3 0-0 7, Konnor Fox 4 2-4 10, Brayden Hoosier 0 0-0 0, Landon Hodges 0 0-0 0, Denis Bariev 0 0-0 0, Irm Balis 1 0-0 2, Owen Biggs 0 0-0 0, Barty Rodakowski 0 0-0 0, TOTALS: 16 3-8 41.
Bluefield 17 14 12 25 – 68
Wyoming East 7 21 5 8 – 41
Three-point field goals – B: 7 (Washington 2, Keene 1, Smith 3, Ford 1) WE: 6 (Hunt 3, Huff 2, Morgan 1). Fouled out – None.
Woodrow Wilson 71, University 46.
Elijah Redfern had an evening to remember with a 32-point effort, including his career 1,000th point in a big win over University.
It soon turned into an evening to forget when he was injured late in the game with a broken hand that will likely cost the potential player of the year candidate a good portion of his senior season.
Redfern ended the game needing 23 points for the 1,000 mark and got it in the third. But he cut in the fourth and took a terrible spill when he suffered the hand injury.
Redfern also had six assists and four rebounds and Jaylen Walton added 13 rebounds for the Flying Eagles.
University seemed to run out of gas in the fourth when Woodrow outscored University 20-5.
The Flying Eagles also got 14 points from Coby Dillon and 10 from Zyon Hawthorne, two sophomores who started last year as freshmen.
The Flying Eagles were 15-15 at the free throw line.
Woodrow Wilson improved to 2-0.
Woodrow Wilson 71, University 46
Woodrow Wilson
Coby Dillon 5 0-0 14, Elijah Redfern 11 9-9 32, Zyon Hawthorne 3 2-2 10, Preston Clarey 1 2-2 5, Nazir King 0 0-0 0, Drew Fitzwater 2 2-2 6, Jaylon Walton 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 24 15-15 71
University
Coen Henderson 0 0-0 0, Ethan Jackson 3 1-2 10, K.K. Lewis 0 0-0 0, John Coleman 3 1-2 7, Luke Hudson 3 0-0 9, Connor Vira 0 0-0 0, Jack Byrer 1 0-0 2, Eli Karpinski 0 0-0 0, Zach Demidovich 4 3-3 11, Carson Ford 0 0-0 0, James Fortney-Garbar 3 1-12 7. TOTALS: 17 6-9 46.
Woodrow Wilson 12 21 18 20 – 71
University 15 9 17 5 – 46
Three-point field goals – WW: 8 (Dillon 4, Redfern 1, Hawthorne 2, Clarey 1). U: 6 (Jackson 3, Hudson 3). Fouled out – None.
Midland Trail 93, Pocahontas 47
Midland Trail had five players in double figures as they knocked off Pocahontas County Friday.
Peyton Bailes led the way with 24 points, including six three pointers.Eli Campbell had 18, Bryar Bailes added 14, Jaden Gladwell 12 and Thad Brown 11.
The Patriots led 52-24 at the break.
Dillon Dunz had 18 for the Warriors and Matt McQuain 11. Pocahontas hit just 1 of 10 free throws.
Midland Trail 93, Pocahontas County 47
Pocahontas
Matt McQuain 5 1-6 11, Clayton Burns 1 0-0 2, Nick Hendrick 1 0-0 3, Dillon Dunz 8 0-0 17, Trent Brock 4 0-2 8, Wade Garber 0 0-0 0, Griffin Taylor 2 0-0 4, Workman 1 0-2 2. TOTALS: 22 1-10 47.
Midland Trail
Bryar Bailes 5 4-4 14, Thad Brown 1 2-2 4, Justin Cooper 3 5-8 11, Jaden Gladwell 4 3-4 12, Eli Campbell 6 3-4 18,Peyton Bailes 8 2-2 24, Landon Syner 0 1-2 1, Gage Johnson 1 2-2 4, Jacob Ewing 1 0-0 2, Ben Harrison 1 1-2 3, Avery Rosencrance 0 0-0 0, Grady Jackson 0 0-0 0, TOTALS: 30 23-30 93.
Pocahontas County 10 14 16 7 – 47
Midland Trail 25 27 24 17 – 93
Three-point goals – PC: 2 Hendrick 1, Dunz 1. MT: 10 (Gladwell 1, Campbell 3, P. Bailes 6). Fouled out – Burns, Dunz.
James Monroe 95, Meadow Bridge 23
Ryan Cole fired in 29 points, one of four in double figures as Class A state champion James Monroe rebounded from a loss last week at Narrows with a convincing victory.
The Mavericks controlled from the tip and led 30-0 after one.
Cooper Ridgeway added 16, Layton Dowdy 13 and Ryan Mann 10 for the Mavericks (2-1).
Brycen Sawyers had eight for Meadow Bridge and Cordell McClung added seven.
Meadow Bridge
Trent Roles 1 0-0 2, Kaiden Sims 2 0-0 4, Cordell McClung 3 0-1 7, Blake Bennett 1 0-0 2, Brycen Sawyers 3 1-10 8, Tony Martin 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 10 1-11 23
James Monroe
Wil Boggess 0 0-0 0, Layton Dowdy 6 0-0 13, Chaz Boggs 0 0-0 0, Cooper Ridgeway 7 2-2 16, Adam Vanscoy 1 0-0 2, Ryan Mann 4 0-0 10, Bannon Goodman 3 0-0 8, Bailee Ridgeway 1 0-0 2, Ryan Cole 12 0-0 29, Brady Baker 2 0-0 4, Cade Dillon 4 0-0 8, Kadyn Hines 1 1-2 3. TOTALS: 41 3-4 95
Meadow Bridge 0 8 12 3 – 23
James Monroe 30 26 25 14 – 95
Three-point goals – MB 2 (McClung 1, Sawyers 1), JM: 10 (Dowdy 1, Mann 2, Goodman 2, Cole 5). Fouled out – None.
Morgantown 56, Shady Spring 47
Class AAA two-time state champion Morgantown came in with an offensive juarrnaut averaging over 100 points per game.
Shady came in with a penchant for tough defense.
The Tigers held down the Mohigans but couldn’t;t muster enough offense in a 56-47 loss Friday in Morgantown.
Ammar Maxwell had 18 to pace the Tigers (1-1), who face University Saturday at 1:45 p.m.
State player of the year favorite Sharron Young had 20 points to lead all scorers. Izzy Everett 15.
Shady trailed by as many as 20 but battled back.
Shady Spring
Jalon Bailey 4 2-3 11, Jack Williams 3 4-6 11, Gavin Davis 1 0-2 2, Ammar Maxwell 7 4-6 18, Josiah McKoy 2 1-1 5. TOTALS: 17
Morgantown
Sharron Young 20, Izzy Everett 15, Jacob King 9, Max Fray 3, Jay Shrewsbury 4, Brady Savage 4, Waylon Colistra 1.
Three-point field goals – SS: 2 (Willams 1, Bailey 1). M: 4 (Everett 2, Shrewsbury 1, Fray 3