CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With a 6-foot-4 point guard in junior Eli Sancomb, Class AA No. 2 Wheeling Central Catholic poses plenty of matchup problems for opponents.
The Maroon Knights put about every one of them on display Tuesday in a state quarterfinal against No. 7 Ritchie County.
Wheeling Central raced out to a 15-point lead through one quarter, made 9-of-14 three-pointers in the first half and had its way with the Rebels in an 80-27 victory at the Charleston Coliseum.
“We feel like we have good shooters. My thought is if you’re a shooter, you can shoot anywhere,” Central head coach Mel Stephens said. “Being down here last year helps.”
The result sends the Maroon Knights (22-2) to a state semifinal against No. 3 Westside.
Any hope the Rebels (17-8) had of hanging in faded quickly as Central made 7-of-13 shots, 3-of-5 threes and all six of its free throws in the opening period to lead, 23-8.
“We’re always trying to get out to a good start. Watching them warm up, I thought they were a little bit tight and that happens your first time here,” Stephens said. “When your opponent gets off to a hot start, you get a little bit tighter and you realize we either get it turned around soon or it’s going downhill.”
Sancomb was critical to the team’s success during the 8-minute stretch as he scored 15 points in the opening frame, including nine straight for this team at one point.
“We preached all year it’s the next possession and get a stop and score,” Rebels’ head coach Kenny Church said. “Despite the deficit, it’s always about the next possession.“
But the Maroon Knights were even better offensively in the second quarter, making 11-of-18 shots and 6-of-9 treys during a 28-point frame that allowed them to lead 51-17 at halftime.
Threes from Tyler Dean, Sancomb and Luke Sancomb marked the Maroon Knights’ first nine points of the quarter, and after Braxton Billick accounted for Central’s fourth three that frame, Dean added two more to enter halftime 5 of 5 from long range.
“I’m a catch-and-shoot guy. Eli found me and my other teammates found me,” Dean said. “I got good looks today and I was hitting them.”
Eli Sancomb had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists at the break, while Dean scored 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting through the first two quarters.
“I trust my teammates in every fashion and know they’re going to knock shots down,” Sancomb said.
Central entered the fourth with a 63-25 lead, allowing Stephens the luxury of extra rest for his starting lineup.
“Normally down here, you don’t get that. It’s definitely a blessing,” Stephens said. “It’s different for us being in the rotation where you’d play Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you don’t mind being here all week, you get that day off and day to practice and prepare.”
The Maroon Knights finished 31 for 60 to shoot nearly 52 percent in the win.
Eli Sancomb did not play in the fourth quarter and finished with 22 points, 1 boards, six assists and four steals.
Dean scored 21 points and attempted only eight shots.
Other key contributors in the win included Luke Sancomb (nine points) and Max Olejasz (eight points, game-high 12 rebounds).
The Rebels made only 10-of-46 field-goal attempts and were 4 for 24 on two-pointers.
Rhett Johnson led Ritchie with 15 points and made all but one of his team’s six threes.
“Everybody’s been talking about how nice it is go to state,” Church said. “We wanted to win. Give credit to Wheeling Central. They played a great game and stuck to their plan.”