6:00pm: Sportsline with Tony Caridi

Thoughts and observations from the Class AAA and Class AAAA state tournaments

One year after the start of the pandemic brought an end to high school basketball season before boys teams could compete at the state tournament, there were memories aplenty on the hardwood in Charleston.

Some thoughts and observations from the Class AAA and Class AAAA state tournaments, which culminated with Shady Spring and George Washington as state champions.

Class AAA

—— Shady Spring entered the state tournament with a chip on its shoulder and the third-seeded Tigers refused to be denied of their first state championship.

The Tigers got some breaks along the way, first beating a Herbert Hoover team that was missing a large portion of its roster due to covid protocols in a quarterfinal. Shady Spring also got to avoid top seed Robert C. Byrd and No. 2 seed Fairmont Senior, with both Big 10 Conference teams eliminated in quarterfinal contests.

That allowed Shady to take on No. 7 seed Winfield in a semifinal, before securing its first title against perennial power Wheeling Central, which made the jump from Class A to Class AAA.

The way the Tigers played, it seemed to hardly matter what team was standing between them and a title. Their relentless defensive pressure all over the court, combined with unseflish and proficient perimeter play offensively, allowed the Tigers to win each of their three games in Charleston by double figures.

The Tigers averaged 70 points and allowed only 46.3, while holding teams to 34 percent field-goal shooting, including 23 percent on three-pointers. Shady also led all Class AAA teams with a field-goal percentage slightly above 45 and a three-point percentage of 38.2.

Shady displayed plenty of grit, with senior guard Todd Duncan fighting through a sprained ankle to make a big impact in the victory over the Maroon Knights.

The bad news for the rest of Class AAA is Duncan is the lone senior on the roster. The Tigers start four sophomores with a freshman serving as the sixth man.

—— Hampshire made history with its quarterfinal victory over RCB, becoming the first No. 8 seed to win at the state tournament.

The senior-laden Trojans never trailed by more than six in the program-defining victory, but were forced to rally from a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

In a 53-47 victory, Hampshire’s 12-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line, compared to the Eagles’ 5 of 15 effort, proved to be a big difference.

Four of the Trojans’ five starters, including standout Drew Keckley, are seniors. It remains to be seen what happens with Hampshire moving forward, but coach Daniel Alkire’s team showed it more than belonged in Charleston. Even in the season-ending semifinal loss to Wheeling Central, the Trojans were competitive throughout and trailed by just four after three quarters.

—— Speaking of Wheeling Central, the Maroon Knights made a run to the final as the the No. 5 seed.

Central nearly saw its season come to an end in its tournament opener, but Michael Toepfer beat the buzzer on a three-pointer out front to give the Maroon Knights a 40-39 victory over Nitro.

Three of Central’s five starters, including standout guard Ryan Reasbeck, are juniors, while a fourth — Leyton Toepfer — is a freshman.

The departure of J.C. Maxwell (the grandson of coach Mel Stephens) leaves a major void to be filled, but the cupboard will be anything but bare for the Maroon Knights.

— Storylines were anything but lacking at the state tournament, though changing one result would have allowed for another interesting one.

Had Winfield beaten Shady Spring in the semifinal, the Generals would have met Central in the title game. That would have meant Generals’ coach Chris Stephens was coaching against his father Mel Stephens for the crown.

Class AAAA

—— Kudos to Woodrow Wilson coach Ron Kidd, Morgantown coach Dave Tallman and both programs for the class displayed in the aftermath of Dwayne Richardson’s death.

Just four days after Richardson was killed in a shooting incident in Beckley, Kidd’s team showed tremendous passion and heart in a 69-56 loss to the top seed Mohigans.

In addition to a moment of silence in Richardson’s honor before the start of the game, both teams warmed up in shirts honoring Richardson, while his jersey and balloons forming the number ’12’ were displayed on the Flying Eagles’ bench.

On an emotional day for all involved, the tribute to Richardson is one that won’t soon be forgotten.

“I don’t even really remember what happened in the game,” Tallman said afterward. “Our thoughts were with Dwayne, his family and the Beckley community the whole night.”

Woodrow Wilson players salute their fans following a season-ending loss to Morgantown. Photo by Eddie Ferrari

—— In a basketball season unlike any other, it was only fitting the final game played came down to the last shot. Trailing George Washington by one point, Morgantown’s Luke Bechtel attempted a game-winning jump shot, but it missed the mark, allowing the Patriots to prevail, 47-46.

On the previous possession, Patriots’ sophomore Ben Nicol made a tough mid-range jump shot that proved to be the game winner and won’t soon be forgotten.

The top two seeds both entered the title game with one loss and the contest was within single digits throughout.

—— To reach the final, GW was forced to overcome six-point halftime deficits against a pair of Eastern Panhandle schools — Jefferson and Martinsburg.

The Patriots trailed by as much as 13 in the semifinal against the Bulldogs at the midway point of the second quarter.

Things were going so well for Martinsburg in the opening half that reserve guard K’Marion Dowe made a three-pointer with only his left shoe on — one of the lasting sequences of semifinal Friday.

—— University’s quarterfinal loss to Huntington had several statistical oddities.

The Hawks, who squandered a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter, shot nearly 54 percent in the 66-63 loss. The Highlanders, meanwhile barely eclipsed 30 percent, making 20-of-64 field-goal attempts.

Both teams went to the free-throw line plenty (UHS was 21 of 27 and HHS was 22 of 32), but turnovers and rebounding made the difference in the outcome. The Highlanders forced 26 turnovers and held a 39-31 rebounding edge, including 24-6 on the offensive end. In turn, Huntington attempted 25 more field goals than University.

The win seemed to take a toll on Huntington, which shot 26 percent and was out-rebounded by 22 the next day in a season-ending loss to Morgantown.





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