NEW RICHMOND, W.Va — After a 7-1 start to the year (including reeling off wins in the first six straight), Wyoming East again stated its case as a contender to make it back to Charleston in Class AA.
“We really feel like the start was great, we just have to keep getting better,” Wyoming East coach Rory Chapman said.
The Warriors knocked off the likes of North Marion and Westside in those first six games, using a huge performance from senior Austin Canada against Westside as he totaled 38 points in the 79-71 victory over the Renegades.
“Christian Hedinger is a hard-nosed tough kid, he knows the game of basketball and hates to lose, Austin Canada a senior leader had the 38 point night against Westside has been great all season,” Chapman said. “Another senior that is new to the scene is Jordan Hayes, we’ve been leaning on him quite a bit to score down inside.”
A 69-44 loss to defending state champion Bluefield, however, served as a motivating defeat for Chapman’s club.
”The film was painful to watch, but I think the kids will get the message,” he said. “They’ll see what they did wrong and we’ll get that corrected and compete much better against Bluefield next time.”
Wyoming East, out of Region 3 in Class AA, is in the same section with Westside and could potentially face Bluefield in regional action come postseason time.
”Southern West Virginia is known for tough, physical basketball, we all know each other down here – there are no secrets between us,” Chapman said. “Region 3 has definitely three teams that can compete for a state championship (Bluefield, Westside, Wyoming East), and maybe a fourth with Liberty coming on this year — it’s going to take a good night to beat the three of us.
“We just can’t get satisfied, know matter how big the win or how many games we win in a row,” he said. “You always have to find things you can get better at and continue to grow as a team and peak at the right time.”
The Warriors, meanwhile, are expected to have another significant addition to the roster in former Summers County standout TaRon Ayers.
| WYOMING EAST 2013-14 Boys Basketball Schedule |
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| 1 | 12/17/13 07:30PM | A | PIKEVIEW | 64 | – | 41 | W | |
| 2 | 12/27/13 07:00PM | A | SOUTH CHARLESTON CHRISTMAS CLASSIC VS. CINCINNATI WOODWARD | 55 | – | 47 | W | |
| 3 | 12/28/13 05:00PM | H | NORTH MARION | 66 | – | 50 | W | |
| 4 | 01/03/14 07:30PM | H | WESTSIDE | 79 | – | 71 | W | |
| 5 | 01/10/14 07:30PM | A | OAK HILL | 55 | – | 46 | W | |
| 6 | 01/11/14 07:30PM | H | SHADY SPRING | 63 | – | 47 | W | |
| 7 | 01/14/14 07:30PM | A | BLUEFIELD | 44 | – | 69 | L | |
| 8 | 01/17/14 07:30PM | H | PIKEVIEW | 76 | – | 53 | W | |
| 9 | 01/21/14 07:30PM | H | MOUNT VIEW | – | ||||
| 10 | 01/22/14 07:30PM | H | SUMMERS COUNTY | – | ||||
| 11 | 01/24/14 07:30PM | A | INDEPENDENCE | – | ||||
| 12 | 01/28/14 07:30PM | A | BIG ATLANTIC CLASSIC | – | ||||
| 13 | 01/30/14 07:30PM | A | SUMMERS COUNTY | – | ||||
| 14 | 02/01/14 07:30PM | A | BIG ATLANTIC CLASSIC | – | ||||
| 15 | 02/07/14 07:30PM | A | WESTSIDE | – | ||||
| 16 | 02/11/14 07:30PM | A | SHADY SPRING | – | ||||
| 17 | 02/14/14 07:30PM | H | OAK HILL | – | ||||
| 18 | 02/18/14 07:30PM | H | INDEPENDENCE | – | ||||
| 19 | 02/19/14 02:00PM | A | MORGANTOWN @ CHARLESTON CIVIC CENTER | – | ||||
| 20 | 02/21/14 07:30PM | A | MOUNT VIEW | – | ||||
| 21 | 02/25/14 07:30PM | H | BLUEFIELD | – | ||||
| wins: 7 lost: 1 ties: 0 | ||||||||