The Beckley boys basketball team cannot necessarily be considered a stranger to the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, but it has been awhile.
The last time the Flying Eagles were in the state tournament was 2021 when senior all-state guard Elijah Redfern was a freshman.
Since that time, Beckley has struggled through back-to-back losing records and first round sectional losses.
The pain and frustration of the past two seasons was wiped away Thursday night when the Flying Eagles erased a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat longtime nemesis George Washington.
“I am so proud that Redfern gets the opportunity to get back to the state tournament. That is the Mecca of West Virginia basketball,” Beckley head coach Ron Kidd said. “I think he deserves it along with Naz (Nazir King), our (other) senior, and all of our players. I am so proud of the way we played tonight and for them to get an opportunity to go back to the state tournament.”
Even though the Flying Eagles had struggled the last two seasons and still had a young roster overall, Beckley wore the “favorite” label in Class AAAA Region 3, Section 2 this year.
The label seemed to be on par after lopsided wins at Greenbrier East and over University in Morgantown to start the season.
Everything changed in the final minutes of the game against the Hawks.
Going up for an in-bound pass, Redfern was knocked off balance from behind and suffered a hand injury falling to the floor. The injury sidelined the senior guard for just over five weeks and threw Beckley’s season into a spin.
During the eight-game absence, the Flying Eagles went 3-5 and were haunted by late-game struggles in some narrow losses.
When Redfern returned, Beckley’s efficiency did not match what it was at the start of the season.
Home wins over Huntington, Greenbrier East and Bluefield, were off-set by double-digit road losses at Shady Spring and Bluefield. Beckley also lost to Bridgeport in a game played at W.Va. State University during the Par Mar Stores Shootout at the Big House.
Also complicating matters for the Flying Eagles were battles with team illness along that stretch.
A pair of road wins over sectional foes Oak Hill and Princeton were followed by a loss at George Washington in mid February.
Following a week off after the GW setback, the Beckley machine seemed to find its rhythm.
Home wins over Parkersburg South who was red-hot at the time and a 41-point pasting of Capital sent the Flying Eagles into the postseason on a good note.
Riding the momentum, Beckley hammered Oak Hill by 29 points and then won the sectional title with a 88-60 beat down on Princeton.
“I think the key to our team is being connected. It’s a mindset,” Kidd said after the Princeton win. “The way we are moving the ball and finding the open guy, I think that has been the difference with this late run that we have had. We are playing together and being together.”
Standing in the way of a return trip to the state tournament was a team they had lost to both times in the regular season.
George Washington had won five straight against Beckley and four of the six regional meetings since 2009.
There was also still the question of how the Flying Eagles would respond in a tight game after the frustrations during the season.
Beckley laid both issues to rest with a 61-59 win over George Washington, erasing a fourth quarter deficit to advance to the “Elite Eight” at the boys state tournament.
George Washington head coach Rick Greene made it clear who made the difference in the game.
“Redfern was the difference,” Greene said. “He was dumping off, so we tried to take that away, then he hits shots. Redfern broke everything down tonight and we didn’t finish. Even though we didn’t do some things well, (Beckley) beat us, especially down the stretch. They made more good plays than we have made.”
While the win was the ultimate prize of the night, the fact that Beckley faced adversity late and rallied to win the game was encouraging for its veteran coach.
“That was (from) when Elijah was out. The other four guys knew they could play and they just kept playing,” Kidd said. “When Elijah was out, our other four guys got better. We knew how to handle it when we went down by six during that time. Sometimes things work out for the best.”
With his team down in the final period after holding a 10-point lead at the break, Redfern stepped in to take the lead.
“I gathered the team and I said are we going to fold, or are we going to fight,” Redfern said. We chose to fight.”
Overall, the Flying Eagles are 15-9 on the year, however, with Redfern on the floor, Beckley is 12-4.
“I feel like he is one of the top players in the whole state,” Kidd said about Redfern. “He has some young guys around him and he has led us in this five game winning streak. Leading us the way he should lead us.”
The senior leader averages 19.2 points per game to go along with seven assists, while the sophomore duo of Coby Dillon and Zyon Hawthorne combine to score 27 a night.
Junior Jaylon Walton and sophomore Preston Clary average about seven points a contest, but have stepped it up down the stretch as well.
Now Beckley stares down its toughest test so far this season when it faces top-seed Spring Mills (23-1).
The only loss for the Cardinals is to Frederick High School who is ranked No. 10 overall in Maryland. The Cadets are also playing for the 2024 MPSSAA Boys Basketball State Championship Tuesday.
Springs Mills brings an impressive team to Charleston after winning its first ever sectional game, first ever sectional title game and first ever regional co-final clash.
Back in mid-January the Cardinals hammered Musselman 98-27 making 38-of-57 field goals, while going 18-of-29 from behind the arc.
Among their wins are triumphs over AAAA foes, No. 2 seed Morgantown, No. 4 seed Jefferson twice, No. 6 seed Spring Valley and No. 7 seed Wheeling Park.
Beckley and Spring Mills will square off at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday evening on day one of the tournament.
The winner will advance to play the winner of No. 4 Jefferson (17-7) and No. 5 South Charleston (18-7) on Friday at 1 p.m.
