CHARLESTON, W.Va. — No. 7 Hurricane provided an early boys basketball state tournament upset, shocking No. 2 South Charleston 63-47 in the Class AAA quarterfinals Wednesday.
Hurricane (20-6) was led by a game-high 21 points from J.T. Rogoszweski, who finished 7-of-10 shooting. Trey Dawson chipped in 12 points, while Henry Sorsaia added 11 points and 11 boards.
“Hell of a game,” said Redskins coach Lance Sutherland. “We played defense, which is what we had to do to win. Our preparation paid off and these guys played a great game.”
South Charleston (24-2) played without leading scorers Brandon Knapper and A.D. Cunnigham throughout much of the first half as the tandem sat with three fouls each. Coming out of the half, both picked up their fourth fouls and didn’t return to the game until the score was lopsided.
“When you have those guys in foul trouble sitting on the bench next to me, then it makes it more difficult,” South Charleston coach Vic Herbert said. “I think Hurricane was the aggressor. They got us back on our heels and kind of picked us apart at times.”
The Redskins trailed 12-5 early when forward Rogoszweski drove baseline and slammed home a dunk. The play sparked a 12-0 run and Hurricane never trailed again.
“That was a great intensity booster, and we knew we had to come out with a lot of energy,” Dawson said. “A play like that just gets the crowd going and makes us play better defense.”
The win avenged an earlier-season 74-62 loss to South Charleston and was the first state tournament win for Hurricane’s program.
“It feels great, it’s only the second time in school history we’re here,” Dawson said. “To make it to the semifinals in our second year is just amazing. It’s a real community booster.”
South Charleston was paced by 11 points each from Jonah Cosby and Cunningham. Kentre Grier added 10 points and Knapper was held to just two points—18 below his average.
Hurricane was dominated on the boards, losing the battle 41-25, including 25-6 on the offensive glass. The 25 offensive rebounds led to a 61-35 shot differential in South Charleston’s favor. But Hurricane made 54 percent of its shots to just 31 percent for the Black Eagles.
“Tonight we just couldn’t throw a quarter in the ocean,” Cunningham said. “It was very frustrating.”
Hurricane will face the Hedgesville-Parkersburg South survivor in the Class AAA semifinals on Friday.