CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Elkins did its part to limit possessions in Tuesday’s Class AAA quarterfinal against Bridgeport.
The No. 1 Indians made the most of theirs, shooting nearly 49 percent for the game and better than 60 percent in the second half, while dominating defensively throughout to earn a 55-32 victory at the Charleston Coliseum.
In a game with only 77 field-goal attempts between the two teams, the Tribe (24-1) made the most of its opportunities en route to a 21st straight victory.
“I have a ton of respect for them. When we played them before, they made it a very difficult game for us,” BHS head coach Dave Marshall said. “They were repeating that for the good portion of the game tonight. He coaches them up so well and they’re a physical bunch. They can make you play ugly. They made us grind and work. Credit to my guys. We rolled up our sleeves and went to work. We didn’t get too excited.”
While it took BHS some time to settle in offensively, Marshall’s team rode its defense to a 9-4 lead through one quarter, and then made three three-pointers in the second period — one more than the No. 8 Tigers (13-11) had for the game.
“That first game down here, you’re a little bit tight and trying too hard. If we don’t bring the defense, it could be a whole different situation,” Marshall said.
The first two of those triples in the second came from Phoenix Sickles, the latter of which was part of a 7-0 spurt to begin the period, leaving Elkins with a 16-4 deficit.
The Tigers trailed 23-10 late in the opening half before Landon Sanders connected from long range for the final Bridgeport bucket before the break.
A.J. Friedman scored inside for Elkins’ fourth and final first-half field goal to trim the Tigers’ deficit to 14 at the intermission.
“Unfortunately, tonight, the No. 1 team in Bridgeport did what they do,” Elkins head coach Amrit Rayfield said. “They took a lot of things away from us and held us to 28 percent for the game.”
Lucas D’Angelo opened the second-half scoring with a traditional three-point play to bring Elkins to within 11.
The Tigers would get no closer.
Starting with a Sickles jump shot 44 seconds into the third quarter, the Indians outscored EHS 13-6 over the remainder of the period, making 5-of-7 field-goal attempts to gradually create more separation.
“That’s one of the things about having a senior-laden team — they can adjust to different styles,” Marshall said.
Anderson McDougal scored the first bucket of the fourth quarter to make it a 20-point margin for the first time and the Indians made 5-of-9 shots over the final frame to ensure they stayed in front comfortably.
Sickles led all players with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He made 6-of-8 shots, both three-point attempts and 6-of-9 free throws.
“Coach told us we had to move the ball and get post touches. Whenever you’re moving the ball, everybody on the court gets open shots,” Sickles said.
Sanders added 11 points and McDougal scored 13 on 5-for-7 shooting.
Elkins shot 11 for 40 and has only three assists with 15 turnovers.
Levi Wanless scored a team-high eight points but was 3-for-15 shooting, while D’Angelo and Friedman scored seven apiece in defeat.
“They sit down and guard and put pressure on the ball,” Rayfield said of the Indians. “They pressure at the point right away and then everyone else sits down and guards as well. They get into gaps and don’t allow many straight line drives. You don’t get anything easy.”