CHARLESTON, W.Va. — George Washington boys basketball coach Rick Greene paid no mind to Huntington’s 10-10 record leading into the state tournament.
“Very few games have they been healthy,” Greene said. “They have to be seeded the way they were because of their record and people beat them, but that’s one of the best No. 8 seeds you’ll see.”
The Highlanders led by six at halftime and two after three quarters, hanging squarely with the top seed throughout, but coming up short in a 61-60 setback that sends the Patriots to the semifinal round.
“Somebody might beat us, but nobody is going to play harder,” Greene said. ”They just won’t quit and that’s a credit to their character.”
GW (21-2) was certainly pushed to the limit Thursday night, and after building a 16-14 lead through the first quarter, the Patriots were outscored by eight in the second period.
Ethan Dalton scored the last seven points of the opening half to match GW’s offensive output by himself in that period.
“Ethan had an amazing game controlling the pace, getting tough buckets and keeping us in it a few times when we got down,” Huntington coach Lambros Svingos said.
The Patriots shot 3 for 12 and scored seven points in the quarter, including two from 6-foot-6 Wright State signee Noah Lewis after he’d accounted for 14 points through the first 8 minutes.
Despite facing a 29-23 deficit, there was hardly panic from Greene’s team, and when Lewis opened the second-half scoring with consecutive baskets, it was a one-possession game. Dominic Sprouse followed by going 2 for 2 on free throws to tie the game at 29, though the Highlanders (10-11) countered with five straight points, including a conventional three-point play from Clemson football signee Tayveon Wilson.
Huntington never trailed in the third, but struggled to find an answer for Lewis, who scored the last of his 10 points in the period on two free throws to cut his team’s deficit to 39-37.
“We shouldn’t panic. We’re veterans,” Greene said. “This floor can humble a ton of people. We weren’t happy at halftime. We thought we could do some things better defensively and we were going a little too fast offensively. It was more of, ‘hey let’s calm down, we can play better than that and we know we can play better than that.’”
The entirety of the fourth quarter was played within one possession until Chuck Kelley came up with a pair of pivotal plays with the Patriots leading 52-50 after Lewis had scored inside. Kelley first drew a charging foul on Dalton, and then scored while being fouled on the other end for what amounted to a conventional three-point play and five-point advantage with 2:05 left.
“We played more free in the second half and played how we usually play,” Kelley said.
MetroNews broadcast interview with GW’s Rick Greene following their 61-60 win over Huntington in the Class AAAA quarterfinals: #wvprepbb pic.twitter.com/qYxupkcNzW
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HHS trailed by six before Wilson scored in the paint with 1:05 to play, and following a GW turnover, the Highlanders’ top scorer converted from close range again to make it a two-point game.
Kelley sank two free throws with 28 seconds left, though Wilson scored on a second-chance opportunity to again make it a two-point margin with 12 seconds.
Lewis made the first of two free throws to up his team’s lead to three, and out of a timeout, the Patriots elected to foul Wilson near midcourt with 3.8 seconds left before the Highlanders could potentially attempt a tying triple.
Wilson missed both free throws, rebounded the intentional miss and scored from close range just before time expired, but the Highlanders came up a point short.
“We had something nice drawn up and we thought about it before we got with the guys,” Svingos said. “We were going to roll with it and see what happens. You can’t really stop that from happening.“
Lewis set a new Class AAAA state tournament single game record with 37 points. It came on 12 for 22 shooting from the field and 13 of 18 on free throws. He also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds despite the Highlanders winning the board battle, 34-29.
“I just play basketball. I’m going to make the right play,” Lewis said. “I’m not going to go out of my way to get points, especially in a game where the one right play can be the difference.”
Sprouse scored 11 for a second GW player in double figures.
The two teams combined for 18 turnovers, 13 of which Huntington was responsible for.
Wilson led the Highlanders with 29 points and nine boards. Dalton scored 13 in defeat.
“It’s meant everything to me. I didn’t get to play last year because of an injury,” Wilson said. “Basketball is my first love. It felt good to make the state tournament and go out with my boys.”