BECKLEY, W.Va. — Five players scored in double figures for Greater Beckley Christian as the Crusaders collected an impressive 60-49 win over Charleston Catholic.
GBC’s Isaiah Hairston led all scorers with 15 points. He was followed up by teammates Kaden Smallwood (14), Elijah Edwards (11), Thaddeus Jordan (10) and Krystian Krunic (10).
“We’re happy to have the win,” said Greater Beckley Christian head coach Brian Helton. “We know how hard they are going to play. I thought our kids tried to match that intensity. I thought we did a good job of defending in the half court and getting the ball down inside on offense.”
The Crusaders (10-3) have won four games over a span of five days.
“Last night we played so well (against Webster County) that I think maybe early on we had a little hangover,” Helton said. When you play one of the top teams in the state you can’t have that our you’re going to have what happened to us early which is find ourselves down.”
Charleston Catholic led 11-7 after the first quarter but the Crusaders closed the half on an 18-2 run to take a 28-17 lead into halftime. The Irish crept to within six points in both the third and fourth quarters but could never inch any closer.
Zion Suddeth led the Irish (7-3) with 13 points. Aiden Satterfield and Marshall Pile each added a dozen points.
The Crusaders have won five consecutive games and are undefeated against Class A competition. “Our three losses are to Class AAA teams (University, Life Christian, Va. and Woodrow Wilson). All in all, this one marks right up there with all of those wins. When you play a top five team like Charleston Catholic, you have to count that as a great win.”