As it did on the girls side, Class AA Region 3, Section 1 will get sectional play on the boys side rolling in what figures to be a competitive section with none of the three teams sporting a perfect record in sectional play with one team not playing a single sectional game.
Bluefield (18-4)
There was some question as to whether or not the Beavers would get the top seed after they split with Wyoming East, as the loss coming on a neutral court at The Greenbrier.
That didn’t happen because Bluefield’s resume outside of the section is one of the best of any Class AA team in the state. The Beavers went an astounding 8-2 against Class AAAA teams with the two losses coming by a combined five points. In fact only six of Bluefield’s 22 games came against teams that were Class AA or smaller. The tough schedule has sharpened them and prepared them for what they hope is a deep state tournament run.
It will start on Tuesday when they host the winner of Friday’s Summers County-Wyoming East game. East will go into that game as the favorite and if the Warriors survive and advance to Brushfork it will be the first time they’ve played there this season. The earlier matchup between the two teams that was supposed to be played at the Brushfork Armory was moved to Bluefield High School. The Beavers won that game 52-39
Fast forward a week and the two teams played again with Bluefield taking a 15-point lead in the second quarter. East scrapped back to win that one in overtime.
Wyoming East (10-11)
The Warriors open sectional play on Friday when they host Summers County, a game they should win. The question becomes which team shows up moving forward. The Warriors have stellar signature wins against Bluefield, Beckley, Charleston Catholic and Chapmanville.
They also have head-scratching losses against Elkins, Princeton and Chapmanville (an 18-point loss four days after beating the Tiger the first time). So much of the issue has been stringing together a full 32 minutes. In the signature win against Beckley they led by double digits before winning by two; they trailed by 15 before rallying against Bluefield and led Chapmanville by double digits before surrendering the lead and ultimately winning in overtime.
Forget night-to-night, often it’s a matter of which team shows up from minute-to-minute. But the peaks are high enough to provide hope for a state tournament run.
Provided East wins Friday, it already has at least one win against every other team in the region (Mingo Central, Bluefield, Liberty and Chapmanville), posting a 6-2 record in regional play. They also played a pair of teams that will likely be playing on the final Saturday of the season in Man and Shady Spring, so they’re tested.
Summers County (9-12)
Summers is the strange team that somehow played 21 games without one of them coming against a sectional opponent.
In fact they played just one regional opponent – Liberty – and lost both times. That makes it difficult to judge the Bobcats’ prospects when they open sectional play on Friday at Wyoming East. Based on mutual opponents it would seem they face an uphill battle. Both of Summers’ Liberty losses were by double digits. The Bobcats also lost to Independence, a team East beat by 19.
If the Bobcats are to pull off a win, they’ll need to take advantage of the fact East hasn’t seen them in person.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
Class AA, Region 3, Section 1 Schedule
Game 1: Summers County at Wyoming East, Friday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
Sectional Championship: Winner of Game 1 at No. 1 Bluefield, Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
