Gallery by Heather Belcher
Fairlea – There was no love lost inside the Spartan Gym Tuesday night and no handshakes were exchanged prior to the tip-off.
In the latest chapter of the Beckley and Greenbrier East rivalry, one team was set to move on in postseason play, while the season would come to a close for its heated rival.
Still feeling the sting of an opening round sectional exit last year, the Spartans came motivated to keep their season alive.
When the final horn sounded, Greenbrier East had dispatched Beckley 70-58 to advance to the Class AAAA Region 3, Section 2 championship game Thursday night at Princeton.
“It was definitely on my mind because I wanted to get over the hump. Last year was awful and I didn’t want to be on that side of it again,” sophomore sharpshooter Kennedy Stewart said. “I am really proud of our team effort tonight.”
Meeting just over a month back in the regular season, the Spartans handed a lopsided loss to the Flying Eagles thanks in large part to a 35-5 margin in the opening quarter.
While the advantage Tuesday night was not that large, it was still enough to put Beckley in scramble mode the remainder of the night.
“Last time we were here we didn’t get off the bus and spotted them 30 points. For the most part we were focused and ready to play tonight. In that first quarter though, we had some relapses and didn’t take care of the basketball,” Beckley head coach Brian Nabors said. “That has been our problem all year. We have improved on that and I saw some good things tonight. (Greenbrier East) was just the better team, but I am proud of the girls and they fought tonight.”
After a basket from Leiloni Manns staked Beckley to the early lead, East separated the game with a 14-3 run. When Stewart nailed a 3-pointer in the waning seconds, the Spartans led 18-7 after the first eight minutes.
A big key to the early lead was the play of sophomore Hannah Fuller who scored six of her eight points in the first quarter. Grabbing eight rebounds on the night, Fuller frustrated the Flying Eagles at key times inside.
“We didn’t block out. Fundamentals. If we wanted to give ourselves a chance to win and compete, we had to block out, make them take tough shots and rebound,” Nabors said. “At times we didn’t do that. Fuller killed us keeping the ball alive and kicking it out to (Jada) Waller and Stewart for a 3-point shot and it burned us.”
Beckley cut the lead to seven points twice in the second quarter, but every burst by the Flying Eagles was answered in kind by the Spartans.
A triple and a hard take to the basket from Waller was followed by a home run ball from Stewart for a 29-14 lead midway through the second quarter.
Back-to-back scores from Josie Cross and a bucket from Donya Burton trimmed the advantage inside double-digits, but 3-pointers from Ava Workman and Mackenna McClure made it a 35-23 game at the break.
“Hats off to them. They can play. Stewart, Waller and Workman all know how to play and they can shoot the basketball. You can’t leave gaps for them,” Nabors said. “Stewart is so good with the basketball. She knows how to find her teammates. Workman is a heck of a player for just a freshman. They are just good basketball players. They play together and do a good job executing their game plan.”
A score inside to open the second half by Somalia Nelson and a 3-pointer from Sarah Hopkins appeared to give Beckley some much needed momentum.
As was the case in the first half, East had the answer.
Stewart ripped another 3-ball to ignite a 6-0 spurt that became a 15-point lead after a layup from McClure and a fade away jumper from Stewart in the lane with 3:49 to play in the quarter.
“She hit some big shots when we thought we were making a little run. We would miss an assignment and she hit an open three. I know five points she made were on tough shots,” Nabors said about Stewart. “She made a really good move and shot the ball in somebody’s face. Then the one when she got in the lane and hit the little 10-footer really hurt. She is a baller. I have been watching her since she was in the sixth or seventh grade. She works on her game and it shows.”
Although East could never run off and leave Beckley, the lead never dipped back inside single digits the remainder of the game.
Stewart led all scorers with 26 points and had six steals. She also credited her teammates who helped set the table for her big night with penetration and kick-outs.
“We watched film a lot and (Beckley) was definitely a lot better. They were helping off some, so I just stayed back and let it fly,” Stewart said. “In the first quarter Hanna really stepped up big and they had to help off more on her. Then it became an outside shooters game.”
Waller cashed in 15 points along with six rebounds, while Workman scored 11 and McClure finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
The Spartans knocked down 10 long balls on 27 attempts to stymie the Flying Eagles.
“We were even the second half. We were down 12 at halftime. Down 12 at the end of the third quarter and we lose by 12,” Nabors said. “I am not sure if we got a little fatigued, but the defensive rotations were a problem. They were putting forth the effort, we just weren’t in the right spots at the right time. That is something we have to learn from.”
Cross led the Flying Eagles with 15 points, seven rebounds and five blocks and Burton added 14 points. Nelson and Hopkins had eight points each and Manns grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Princeton and Greenbrier East split the two regular season meetings with each team winning on its home floor. Game time Thursday is 7:30 p.m.
