SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — Luke LeRose delivered another electrifying performance as Nicholas County held off a fourth quarter rally from Lewis County, winning 72-68 in the Class AA, Region 2, Section 2 championship game.
LeRose, a junior guard, entered the game averaging 31 points per contest. Against the Minutemen, LeRose scored 39 points. Eleven of those came in the final frame.
Nicholas used a 12-3 run between the first and second quarters to take a 22-9 lead. The Minutemen answered with a 10-3 burst and trimmed the deficit to six points midway through the second. The Grizzlies led 32-24 at halftime. An 11-0 run midway through the third quarter extended the Grizzlies lead to 13 points, 54-41 at the end of three.
But the Minutemen rallied quickly in the fourth quarter. A 13-1 run in the opening three minutes of the frame brought them within two points, 55-53. The Grizzlies however pulled away in the final moments to secure the sectional title.
“We try to stay the course all the time,” said Nicholas County head coach Brian Phipps. “We have confidence in what we are doing. We are senior-laden. They have experience and they know what to do.”
Rylee Nicholas added ten points for the Grizzlies. Shawn Moran led the Minutemen with 22 points. Kyle Gannon added 18 and Asa Post chipped in with a dozen.
Lewis (10-15) will travel to face Bridgeport in the Class AA, Region 2 tournament Wednesday. The Grizzlies (16-8) will host Robert C. Byrd the same night as Nicholas seeks their first state tournament appearance since 1964.
“This is just the first step,” Phipps said. “It has been a long time since we hoisted this trophy and hopefully we can get two more.”