The two things that could derail a repeat campaign for defending Class AAA champion Shady Spring are injuries and Covid.
The former has already reared its head.
Last week the Tigers faced their stiffest test of the season when they traveled to Logan and left with two losses. On top of losing the game and falling from the No. 1 spot in Class AAA, they also lost starting point guard Jack Williams early in the game to an injury. Earlier this week Shady coach Ronnie Olson confirmed to Lootpress that Williams was diagnosed with a torn ACL, ending his season.
Williams becomes the second Shady guard to tear his ACL, joining sophomore Brady Green who tore his during football season.
The loss impacts the Tigers depth and will likely force Olson to rely on some younger players when the Tigers need to rotate guards in.
Fortunately for Shady it still has a pair of first-team all-staters in twins Braden and Cole Chapman. The Tigers also have the added bonus of the emergence of center Jaedan Holstein as a threat on offense. The 6-foot-4 junior was mostly a rim-running defender that could rebound but through four games he’s emerged as a weapon that keeps possessions alive.
He’s scored in double figures in every game this season and has recorded a double-double with rebounds in three of them. The emergence is something Olson hoped for, but didn’t bank on. It’s been a pleasant surprise though given the current rash of injuries.
“He’s becoming big time,” Olson said. “That’s an addition offensively that is there and I hoped for but wasn’t for sure we’d have. So we take the good with the bad there.”
Crusaders Rolling
There were concerns how Greater Beckley would fare with the eligibility of Jordan McGinnis and B.J. Mitchell in doubt prior to the season. Neither player retuned this year but the Crusaders look the part of state championship contender early.
While standouts like Sherlock Padmore, Kendrick Wilson and Kaden Smallwood have all played their roles, John Rose has enjoyed a breakout stretch, averaging 17 points per contest over the Crusaders’ last three games against teams like Webster County, Greenbrier East and James Monroe. They’ve opened enough eyes to vault to the top of the Class A Coaches Poll.
In a region that figures to be amongst the toughest in Class A, the Crusaders have already established a presence as the best of the bunch early.
Lady Warriors finding comfort
Wyoming East knew it would field a strong team on the defensive side of the ball this year. The question was how the offense would look when not generating points off turnovers. Four games in the Lady Warriors are finding their groove.
The defense is still there causing havoc as evidenced by the 27 turnovers Summers County committed against them on Wednesday, but the offense is slowly catching up. It’s started with the play of juniors Kayley Bane and Colleen Lookabill. The pair were solid rotational players last year on a team that won a state championship but weren’t tasked with a heavy workload. This year they’ve become more confident in their abilities and played within them. Lookabill, once hesitant to shoot the ball, has started lining up corner 3-pointers and knocking them down.
Bane has become the team’s leading and most effective scorer, averaging 20 points per game over the Lady Warriors’ last three contests. She’s done so by letting the offense work for her, taking open shots. It’s an added benefit of East becoming patient in its sets. The adjustment is also helping relieve the pressure put on sophomore guard Maddie Clark who has been tasked with operating the offense while playing heavy minutes early on.
When sharpshooting senior Hannah Blankenship snaps her cold streak, the Lady Warriors could play the part of a team ready for another deep postseason run.
Beavers are the real deal
When Bluefield made its schedule it was evident the first month would be chocked full of challenges. The Beavers lined up all four Region 3, Section 2 Class AAAA schools and walked away with a 2-2 record. It could’ve easily been a 4-0 sweep for a team that had four starters playing football up until the day after Thanksgiving.
The Beavers beat Princeton and Greenbrier East, lost to Oak Hill on a 3-pointer with under three seconds left and fell 51-47 on the road to Beckley after once holding a 12-point lead. This team doesn’t feature a true star either. Forward R.J. Hairston is averaging a double-double but has yet to cross the 20-point plateau. Junior sharpshooter Caleb Fuller found his stroke in the second half against Princeton and produced 22 points against Beckley.
It’s early for everybody but historically the Beavers have tried to stray away from scheduling some of their tougher challenges earlier in the year due to the success of the football program. If this is how the early returns look as they work into game shape, another deep state tournament run could be in the cards if they continue to grow.
Email: tylerjackosn@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
