CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Devonti Birch scored the game’s first seven points and top-seeded Robert C. Byrd piled on a big second-half effort to stay unbeaten with a 65-34 win over East Fairmont in the West Virginia Class AA quarterfinals.
“I thought we got out to a quick start, and we talked about doing that,” Robert C. Byrd coach Bill Bennett said. “We came out and made shots early, and then battled some foul trouble and shot selection that made the game closer.”
The Eagles (23-0) built a 17-3 lead before No. 8 East Fairmont (11-14) made it a six-point deficit in the second quarter. Birch finished with 19 points.
“I think it was a really good tone-setter for my team,” Birch said. “It really gets us going and hyped. It felt really good to put the team on top quick.”
Luke Dyer added 17 points on an efficient 7-of-11 from the field.
“Luke’s matured so much this year. He’s crucial to our team,” Bennett said. “Our team is a team, no one person is more important than the other.”
The Eagles shot 45 percent from the field and took 21 more shots than the Bees in large part to their 17 offensive rebounds. The Eagles controlled the boards 36-25.
With 3:31 in the half RCB had to send Justin Noble and Birch to the bench with two fouls, leaving a small lineup on the floor against the length of East Fairmont. But the Bees couldn’t take advantage of the size differential and were outscored by two in that stretch to lead 27-19 at the half.
“Part of the reason those kids were on the bench was because we were carrying out our game plan,” East Fairmont coach Tyrone Asterino said. “Once they sat out we took some perimeter shots and din’t drive to the basket to stop the clock and score while the clock was stopped.”
In the second half RCB turned up the heat defensively to hold the Bees to just six field goals while outscoring them 48-15.
“I was very pleased with our rebounding edge tonight,” Bennett said. “That was something that was something that concerned us with their size, but that’s something we’ve done all year. It was a team effort.”
Said Asterino: “(RCB’s) athleticism wheres you out. You better have a little bit of a bench, because they’re going to play at you the way they play and you have to be ready for it.”
East Fairmont was paced by Myles Johnson and Nick Greely, who had nine points a piece.
“It was easier when Noble went out and then when Birch went out it was even easier to play,” the 6’6 Greenly said. “In the second half I was getting double-teamed, and there was always someone on the backside.”
RCB will put its streak on the line Friday, against the winner of the Bridgeport-Westside game at 1 p.m.