CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A 7-0 run to close the first quarter and a 9-2 run to close the first half proved to be the differences for George Washington as they handed Cabell Midland just their second loss of the season, 63-54 in South Hills. A furious fourth quarter rally from the Knights fell just short as the Patriots collected their most impressive victory of the year.
“When you are playing someone that good, you better close everything you can close and you better get every point you can get,” said George Washington head coach Rick Greene. “Even when we had what would normally be a comfortable lead, it is not against them. They are just going to keep coming.”
The Patriots led 30-18 at halftime and pushed that cushion up to 20 points midway through the third quarter. Midland responded by scoring the final nine points of the third quarter to trail 48-37 going into the fourth. Midland crept within six points with five minutes to play. But the Patriots slowly pulled away down the stretch.
Mason Pinkett led the Patriots (9-5) with 15 points.
“Here’s what Mason does — Mason makes everyone better. There’s a ton of guys in the state and in the nation that can score 20. There’s not a whole lot of people that can make everybody else better. He is a great player, not a good player.”
Evan Hughes and Alex Yoakum each added 12 points for the Patriots.
Cabell Midland sophomore Chandler Schmidt led all scorers with 24 points and Kalen Siebert added 13.
The Knights (13-2) suffered their first loss in Mountain State Athletic Conference play while the Patriots picked up a key win as they hope to return to the conference championship game on February 22nd.
“This is a nice win coming down the stretch. We have struggled, we have been a little bit up and down. We are regrouping right now and I am very, very proud of the kids. These are good kids to coach.”