CHARLESTON, W.Va. — North Marion boys basketball coach Steven Harbert has offered a relatively simple three-word phrase to his team for much of the season.
“No matter what, you have to find a way,” Harbert said. “Whatever you do, find a way.”
That’s precisely what senior Maddox Batson did down the stretch Wednesday, tipping in a missed shot from teammate Conner Balwanz with 2.4 seconds left to send No. 2 North Marion to a 66-64 victory over No. 7 Shady Spring at the Charleston Coliseum.
“It was just a really good bounce from the rebound,” Batson said, “and I got a lucky tip on it and it went in.”
Final (Class AAA Quarterfinal): No. 2 North Marion 66, No. 7 Shady Spring 64.
Maddox Batson’s putback with 2.4 seconds left wins it for the Huskies. #wvprepbb pic.twitter.com/x8a6aiMmQ9
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) March 18, 2026
NMHS (20-2) advances to face No. 3 Bridgeport in a Friday semifinal.
Batson’s winning bucket came moments after Shady Spring (16-7) got a tying three-pointer from Gabe Short from the top of the key.
It didn’t seal the victory until the Huskies generated a final defensive stop, a task made more difficult after the Tigers threw an inbound pass the length of the court and it was tipped out of bounds, giving Shady possession underneath the basket it was shooting at.
Standout Shady guard Coby Dillon then caught the ensuing inbound pass and attempted a corner triple for the win, but it was well off the mark, allowing the Huskies to prevail.
“I wanted to win it and not go for the overtime. A couple guys were in foul trouble,” Dillon said. “I got a decent look at it, just missed it short.”
Balwanz had made a three with 55 seconds left to break a 61-all tie.
That North Marion was in position to win late was can be attributed to how the Huskies played throughout a fourth quarter that began with them trailing 54-46.
Batson’s three, combined with two free throws from Cole Morris, two more from Jacob Kucish and another two from Balwanz, provided Harbert’s team with its first lead of the game at 55-54 with 6:25 remaining.
Although Dillon countered with a three to put Shady back on top, the Tigers struggled to handle North’s full court zone press after executing at a high level against man-to-man pressure for much of the first three quarters.
“We had to change it up,” Harbert said. “We got too tight on them and they were able to get to the rim so we went from a man press to a zone press and they became indecisive with what they were doing.”
Half of Shady’s 10 turnovers came in the final frame.
“They did a good job of changing up their pressure. They went to a zone press and it gave us fits,” Tigers’ coach Ronnie Olson said. “We turned the ball over. Nothing we haven’t seen before. That was the big spurt in the game. We did a heck of a job versus their pressure except for that little spurt when we couldn’t get the ball up the floor.”
The Tigers executed plenty well enough for the first three quarters, including 6 for 9 shooting the opening frame to build a 15-9 lead on the strength of Dillon’s eight points.
Shady put pressure on the rim throughout much of the second period and it led to the Tigers making 8-of-9 free throws to up their lead to 36-26 at halftime.
“It felt like a state championship-type game,” Olson said.
Dillon led all players with 13 points at halftime, while Short had nine and Jace Lilly seven.
North Marion point guard Eli Ramsey scored 10 third-quarter points to help keep his team well within striking distance as the Huskies had a deficit of what became a dozen down to five late in the period, before ultimately facing an eight-point deficit with 8 minutes left.
Despite cutting its deficit by only two points throughout the third, the Huskies never lost their composure.
“Why do I stay calm? Because if I’m nervous, it bleeds over,” Harbert said. “I have all the confidence in these guys.”
Ramsey was scoreless in the fourth, but that’s when Batson had all seven of his points and Kucisch accounted for six of his 18.
“In the fourth, we played more so for each other and that’s what led to our success,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey still led all players with 19 points and added four assists with no turnovers for a team that turned it over a mere three times.
Balwanz scored 16 in the victory.
Dillon’s 22 points were a game high and came on 9-for-13 shooting, while Short scored 14 and Lilly 13 in defeat.
Both teams made 16 of 20 free throws.
“It was a good game and someone had to lose. It’s not for lack of effort,” Olson said. “It sucks, but here we are.”
MetroNews broadcast interview with North Marion’s Steve Harbert after the Huskies’ 66-64 win over Shady Spring: #wvprepbb pic.twitter.com/uaQhsU17zO
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) March 18, 2026