Gallery by Heather Belcher
PikeView originally thought it would be playing Greenbrier East in the New River CTC Invitational.
Some last minute changes posed the Panthers with a greater challenge with defending Class AAAA state champion Huntington taking East’s place.
Despite PikeView playing the Highlanders tough and trailing by five points in the second half, the visitors from Huntington delivered the knockout blow in the third quarter en route to a 78-50 win Tuesday night at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
After PikeView freshman Riley Meadows tied the game at 6-6 in the first quarter the Highlanders ripped off a 15-0 run to distance themselves but the Panthers had an answer, closing the gap to seven before the first half.
“The girls came determined,” PikeView coach Tracy Raban said. “They knew what the challenge was and they came determined. They knew how good of a ball club Huntington was but I challenged them. I challenged them to show they belong and that they know basketball. Let’s not go out and look silly. I thought we made some silly unforced turnovers but I called the timeout when they went on the run and said ‘Let’s stop the bleeding and stop this run and get back into this ballgame’ and they respond to that.”
Huntington all-stater Dionna Gray was a thorn in the side of the Panthers all evening, scoring 13 of her game-high 36 points in the first quarter to help the visitors on the scoreboard cushion their lead.
Meanwhile PikeView’s own all-state guard – Hannah Perdue – struggled to get free in the opening frame scoring just two points. That left a scoring void that Meadows happily filled. The freshman forward scored seven points in the second quarter while senior Anyah Brown helped power the surge. A jumper and a 3-pointer from Brown made it a nine-point game halfway through the frame to give PikeView hope.
“Riley’s an athlete and we knew that all along,” Raban said. “She battled tonsillitis for two weeks and she’s not really been able to get back into the groove of it. Tonight might’ve been her coming out moment. I know she’s capable of it and that’s why she’s in the position she’s in.”
By the time the halftime horn sounded the Panthers found themselves down only eight points.
Brown’s second trey of the game made it 35-30 game early in the half but Gray was relentless, helping push the lead back to double digits shortly after. By the end of the third quarter Huntington held a 17-point lead, holding PikeView to 33 percent shooting from the field compared to the Highlanders’ 59 percent clip in the frame.
“We had to adjust to the fact we didn’t have two starters with us tonight,” Huntington coach Lonnie Lucas said. “We picked up a few fouls early and I try real hard not to worry because I knew win the second half once we got all the starters back in we’d do well. That’s kind of what we do. We jump on people and they were running plays that broke us down in man to man. A lot of girls hadn’t played that. But I was pleased. We hadn’t practiced since last Tuesday.”
On the evening Gray nailed seven long balls, canning 14 of her 26 shots. She also dished out six assists in the win.
“That was another good night for her,” Lucas said. “We let her play point guard in the first half and moved her to shooting guard in the second half. I think she plays better at point but she can shoot it. She usually hits about five to seven 3s a game. The most she’s ever got is eight in three quarters, but she definitely makes us click.”
PikeView will return to action Wednesday when it plays another Class AAAA foe in Spring Valley. Tipoff is slated for 4:45 p.m. at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on twitter @tjack94
HH: 21 14 24 17 – 78
PV: 8 19 17 6 – 50
Huntington 78
Niko Kaufman 2, Mikayla Smith 10, Imani Hickman 13, Dionna Gray 36, Jada Turner 4, Ell Giles 12
PikeView 50
Hannah Harden 3, Brooke Craft 4, Hannah Perdue 16, Haley Justice 2, Anyah Brown 10, Riley Meadows 15
3-point goals – HH: 8 (Gray 7, Giles 1); PV: 4 (Perdue 2, Brown 2). Fouled Out – None
