CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Six-foot-3 senior Baylor Haught likely falls under the category of a role player for Class AA No. 1 Williamstown.
In Tuesday’s state quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 Moorefield, Haught went well above and beyond his role to play an integral part in the top seed’s 67-32 victory at the Charleston Coliseum.
Haught posted game-high totals of 21 points and 12 rebounds, and WHS (15-1) held MHS (6-12) to single-digit scoring in three of four quarters.
“What a great game by him,” WHS coach Scott Sauro said. “The thing that’s funny about it is his fifteen shots has to be a career high in attempts. He shot a lot today, but a lot of that is a byproduct of his teammates finding him and him getting open.
“The other thing about him is he had twelve rebounds and some he didn’t get that he was in on. He really is the heartbeat of our team. He plays so hard, gets after it and he’s been a good leader for us. His effort is contagious and that says a lot about him.”
The victory allows Williamstown to advance to a Friday semifinal against Chapmanville.
Williamstown never trailed in the contest, leading 14-7 after the first quarter and 27-12 at halftime thanks in large part to its defense.
Moorefield was held to 5-of-22 shooting in the opening half and scored only two points in the paint.
“The biggest thing is we weren’t hitting shots,” Moorefield coach Scott Stutler said. “That changes the game pretty quick. I’m proud of the way we played and got here, but we struggled to shoot tonight and that hurt us a little bit.”
Xavier Caruthers hit three of Williamstown’s four three-pointers in the third quarter, helping up his team’s lead to 46-23 entering the fourth.
“Once you see one go in, they just kind of flow,” Caruthers said. “It helped that my teammates got me the ball in good position.”
Haught made 10-of-15 field goals and added a pair of blocks.
“It really was right place right time,” Haught said. “Anything I can do to help the team out, getting points or rebounds.”
Caruthers was the team’s second-leading scorer with 15 points, while Sam Cremeans added 12 points and six rebounds.
WHS held a 42-30 rebounding advantage and had only eight turnovers.
“Early in the game, we didn’t shoot the ball well from the perimeter, but defense travels,” Sauro said. “In the second half, we did a better job of screening and getting open looks. Guys kind of settled down a bit.”
Coleman Mongold led Moorefield with 8 points. Jaydon See had a team-high eight boards, but was scoreless after being the focal point of Williamstown’s defensive plan.
MHS, which entered having won five straight, made only 3-of-25 triples in defeat.
“They were taking away Jaydon See and doing a good job helping on him,” Stutler said. “Shooters have bad nights, team have bad nights. We just didn’t make shots.”