CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Chapmanville very much looked the part of a No. 1 seed throughout the first half of Wednesday’s Class AAA quarterfinal against Robert C. Byrd, building an eight-point lead after one quarter that grew to 17 at the intermission.
But the No. 8 Eagles hung tough behind an efficient offensive showing and the Tigers’ struggles from the free-throw line, drawing as close as five with inside 2 minutes remaining before the Tigers did enough to finish off a 75-68 victory at the Charleston Coliseum.
“It was a tough one. It was a battle,” Tigers’ coach Brad Napier said. “We had some nice runs. They put together some nice runs. We didn’t shoot the ball well at all, especially from the foul line. We did a good job rebounding. That’s been a strength of our team all year. Our defense was hit and miss.”
Chapmanville (21-3) had a distinct height advantage and made the most of it for a 47-29 rebounding advantage. That included an astounding 30 offensive boards to the Eagles’ five, leading to a 17-2 edge on second-chance points.
“That’s the strength of our team and what we’ve done all year. We’ve won the boards every game,” Napier said.
A front line of 6-foot-7 Keaton Terry and 6-6 Benji Adkins combined for 27 points and 26 rebounds, but largely contributed to their team’s struggles at the free-throw line as well, making a combined 3-of-14 attempts for a squad that finished 19 of 43 from the charity stripe.
“If we make some of those foul shots, we can stretch that game out more,” Napier said, “and I can breathe easier on the side.”
The Tigers misfired on 8-of-12 free throws in the first quarter, but made 8-of-15 shots from the floor and forced face turnovers to build a 22-14 advantage. Terry was a catalyst to the success with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field.
“I was just hustling trying to make an impact for my team,” Terry said.
Chapmanville got a pair of three-pointers from Dakota Dalton during the second quarter, forced an additional five turnovers and led 37-19 at one point after Eli Smith connected from long range, before settling for a 41-24 halftime lead.
“They’re just so darn big. We knew it was going to be a game between our speed and athleticism compared to their height and ability to get it inside close,” Eagles’ coach Basil Lucas said.
Logan Boyce led the Eagles (15-8) with 13 points and three triples through the first two quarters and the sharpshooter hardly slowed up in the third with an additional two treys over the opening 1:06 of the second half.
The Tigers managed to maintain a double-figure advantage throughout the entirety of the third despite the Eagles shooting 7 for 9 from the field.
Chapmanville’s lead was 56-43 through three frames, but the Eagles continued to pose problems and had what had been a 16-point deficit to 10 when Camryn Newsuan scored from close range with 3:08 remaining.
“We gave some open looks to some of their best shooters and they made them. They kept coming,” Napier said. “They’re a tough out. They’re athletic and quick and we knew it was going to be a tough game.”
Newsuan followed with a three and freshman Elijah Holmes made two free throws that cut the Tiger advantage to 66-61 with 1:46 remaining and gave the Eagles nine unanswered points, all of which came from Newsuan or Holmes.
Dalton followed with one free throw, and after Newsuan missed a floater, Smith moved the lead to eight on two foul shots with 1:08 to play.
The closest RCB got the rest of the way was the final margin, which came after Newsuan made a three just before time expired.
Terry totaled 18 points and 15 boards while Adkins had nine and 11, respectively.
Smith scored 17 and Dalton added 16.
Boyce led the Eagles with 22 points and made half of the team’s 10 triples. Newsuan scored 19, Holmes 11 and Carson Bennett contributed nine without missing any of his four field-goal attempts.
“It’s hard rebounding against a team like that when you have almost all guards,” Lucas said. “Carson’s a guard. He’s had to guard the other team’s biggest guy, because Cooper Floyd and he are the biggest guys we have.”
RCB shot 26 for 48, including 16 for 25 over the final two quarters.
“It was a tremendous comeback. We got in a hole,” Newsuan said. “We’re a senior-led team and faced adversity. Most of us have been playing since we were freshman and sophomores. We’re built for the big stage. We came back and held our own. I’m proud of all my guys.”