CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Huntington boys basketball coach Ty Holmes believes his team has jelled and is playing as more of a collective unit in the postseason.
That was certainly the case Tuesday in a Class AAAA quarterfinal against South Charleston at the Charleston Coliseum.
The No. 4 Highlanders were locked in defensively from the opening tip, and they seized control of the contest by dominating the final 5 minutes of the opening half to pull away from the fifth-seeded Black Eagles, 67-44.
“We’re jelling at the right time and playing together defensively and offensively,” Holmes said. “We’re doing what we’ve worked on and scoring off our defense.”
With the win, Huntington (20-5) advances to a semifinal Thursday against defending state champion and No. 1 Morgantown.
“They have good size and a really good team that’s well-coached,” Holmes said. “We’re excited to be able to compete against the No. 1 team in the state. It gives us a chance to see where we’re at.”
South Charleston (18-8) scored six unanswered points in the opening quarter to turn a three-point deficit into an 11-8 lead.
Trailing 13-9, the Highlanders produced the last six points of the first frame on a three-pointer from SC transfer Duane Harris and three points from Malik McNeely.
While that was all the offense McNeely provided in the first quarter, there was plenty more to come.
A 6-foot-3 junior, McNeely scored six points in the second quarter, including the Highlanders’ last four points of the first half.
Having recovered from a knee injury sustained during football season, McNeely provided the Highlanders with a major lift at the perfect time.
“I’ve been kind of close throughout the season,” McNeely said, “but I thought I had it in me.”
It was part of a dominant second period for HHS, which trailed by one point 13 seconds into the quarter, but outscored SCHS 21-8 the rest of the frame.
Huntington had all 10 of the contest’s paint points in the second, along with a 9-0 edge in points off turnovers. For the game, the Highlanders scored 27 points off turnovers to SC’s six.
“A lot of us not playing well had to do with them guarding and they shot the ball very well,” Black Eagles’ head coach Josh Daniel said. “We had some self-inflicted mistakes turning the ball over in the first half, and them getting offensive rebounds hurt. They had 13 more shots [34-21] in the first half and six more points on second-chance opportunities.”
Facing a 36-24 halftime deficit, South Charleston was still within striking distance to start the second half.
But McNeely’s first-half play put him among the Highlanders’ first five to start the second half, and he continued to make the most of his opportunity.
McNeely went on a personal 7-0 run to start the second half, putting SC in a 43-24 hole at the 6:20 mark of the third quarter.
He scored nine points in the frame, while Harris provided four and Mikey Johnson added a dunk, enabling the Highlanders to lead 51-30 through 24 minutes.
“They’re very talented. They were a tough guard for us man to man,” Daniel said. “If they’re making perimeter shots, they’re really hard to beat. That’s what got them separation.“
SC never got closer than 19 in the fourth quarter.
“We’re starting to talk a lot more on defense and we’re rotating and telling people where to go,” Johnson said. “It makes the defensive rotation a lot smoother.”
McNeely led all players with 22 points and added eight rebounds. He made 10-of-14 shots.
Harris scored 15 to go with six rebounds and five assists. Johnson added 14 points, seven boards and four steals.
Huntington had all 12 of the game’s fast break points.
Bryson Smith, playing his final high school game, led the Black Eagles with 12 points and nine boards.
“I went hard every minute of every practice and every game. I gave it my all,” Smith said. “I feel good because I didn’t hold anything back. I didn’t take anything for granted.”
Roman Kellum added eight points and a game-best 10 rebounds in defeat.
SC made only 14-of-44 shots, though it cashed in on all 13 of its free-throw attempts.
“We’re buying into what we’re teaching,” Holmes said. “We’re communicating well and playing solid defense as a team.”
(Huntington postgame press conference)