Nicholas County has not been to the W.Va. Boys State Basketball Tournament in nearly 60 years. Grizzlies head coach Brian Phipps is hoping his team sees a reversal of fortune this year.
The historical quest for the young men from Summersville begins Wednesday when Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 play tips off.
The opening round opponent for No. 2 seed Nicholas County will be No. 3 seed Sissonville, while No. 4 Midland Trail will battle top-seeded Herbert Hoover that night.
Both games will be played at the highest seed, as will the championship game Friday.
Midway through the season, garnering the No. 2 seed seemed to be a long shot for the Grizzlies after a 1-9 start.
However, as the calendar approached February, the entire basketball landscape changed in Summersville.
“This team has really bought into what we are trying to go here. Our daily mantra is, “what it takes.” We have to make sure we do what it takes every day and trust the process,” Phipps said. “We just try to win that day, whether it is practice, an off-day or a game day. We don’t look forward or behind, we just focus on the day. This group has really done a great job of that. I am excited about this team.”
A home win at Westside was followed by five more victories which included a 15-point win over Hoover.
A thrilling double-overtime win at Braxton County last week gave Nicholas County nine wins over a 10-game stretch to get back to 10-10 on the season.
“Even through that stretch when we were 1-9, they still did the things that we talked about when we first started practice back in November,” Phipps said. “Then we won one, and another one and another one. They started to realize that coach was right and it was paying off for them.”
At a time when the water was choppy and the boat was rocking, Phipps gave credit to his senior leadership for keeping the ship afloat.
“I have to give kudos to my three seniors because they were the ones that really trusted it,” Phipps said. “We have Colby (Pishner), Bryson (Phipps) and Travis Smith. They made sure they were there every day working their tail off and made sure everyone else was working. Without those three, we don’t have the season that we have had.”
Pishner exploded onto the scene this year scoring 25.4 points per game to go along with nearly seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals per game.
“What he has done is he has grown up maturity-wise. There again, there is times he forces some things to happen, but as a coach with what he does otherwise, I live with that,” Phipps said. “There are times he might take a bad shot or two, but there is also times he will get to the rim and no one else can.”
Pishner has really heated up over last part of the season pouring in 44 against Westside and 39 in the win over Hoover. The senior standout also had 37 in the win at Braxton County.
“Colby is doing a great job leading the team. He has put in the extra work before and after practice. They all have.” Phipps said. “It has been a good thing for him because he has worked so hard.”
Nicholas County (10-12) split the season series with the Indians. Sissonville (5-15) won the first matchup at home in December by eight points before the Grizzlies grabbed a 13-point win in Summersville two weeks ago powered by 32 from Pishner.
Phipps warns that the record is very deceiving in regards to Wednesday’s foe.
“They play in that tough Cardinal Conference where there are tough teams all over the place,” Phipps said. “They are very athletic and quick. They shoot the 3-ball really well and have some kids that can jump out of the gym.”
“We have to make sure that we do our things well against them. We can’t fall into the trap of playing their type of game. We have to play great half-court defense and push the tempo if we can. If we don’t get a great shot early, we have to work offensively to get a great shot. It will be tough.”
What started as a promising season for Midland Trail became a struggle when the new year approached thanks to Covid issues and injuries.
“We started 4-1 and we were rolling before Covid hit,” Midland Trail head coach Curtis Miller said. “We had players with Covid and we got quarantined. We got back finally, but then we had five or six injuries.”
Although the Patriots have not played together consistently as a unit, as they head to the postseason, the majority of the components from that early season success will be in place.
“I still have one player out, but the other night against Sherman, that was the first time that I had everyone else healthy since January 3,” Miller said.
In the final regular season game against the Tide, Midland Trail won 71-50.
“That was one of the better games we have played all year,” Miller said. “If you look at our box-scores every night there are different names in there. It has been frustrating because I thought we had a chance to be really good this year. In another way it has been a blessing because it has made other players step up.”
The boys from Hico have squared off twice this year with Herbert Hoover and both games have ended in double-digit losses.
While Midland Trail (8-12) will be a heavy underdog on the road against the Huskies (16-6), the Patriots have the weapons to pull off the shocker.
“They are good, don’t get me wrong, and probably the best team we have played all season on our schedule,” Miller said. “Both times we played them I didn’t have a healthy roster.”
Junior Matt Light is the leading scorer for Trail at 17 points per game, while John Paul Morrison is scoring 14 points and grabbing nearly seven rebounds. Junior Cody Harrell and sophomore Eli Campbell add seven points per game.
“They shoot the ball well at all five positions and they are a hard guard for us. We don’t matchup well with them,” Miller admitted. “Both times we tried to start out man on them and they jumped out 20 points on us. When we played them zone though, we played them even. Hopefully our zone works and they don’t shoot lights out. I’m sure no one expects us to win, so the pressure is on them.”
