The last two seasons, late game shortcomings have led to heartbreaking losses for Beckley.
Thursday night in the Class AAAA Region 3 co-final clash with George Washington, the Flying Eagles stirred up the echos for another classic Beckley comeback.
Trailing 47-41 with seven minutes to play, the Flying Eagles rallied past the Patriots for 61-59 win in front of a raucous crowd inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
Beckley was given the No. 8 seed for the boys state tournament next week and will play No. 1 Spring Mills at 7:15 Tuesday night.
“(Elijah) Redfern was the difference,” George Washington head coach Rick Greene said. “He was dumping off, so we tried to take that away, then he hits shots. Even though we didn’t do some things well, (Beckley) beat us, especially down the stretch. They made more good plays than we have made.”
The Flying Eagles entered the contest having dropped five straight to their Charleston rival which included two regular season setbacks this year.
GW had also won four of the six regional clashes with Beckley dating back to 2009.
“Everybody else was winning on their home floors when they hosted their (regional). I am just grateful that we could do it tonight,” Beckley head coach Ron Kidd said. “They didn’t want to be another Beckley team to lose on your home court. You don’t do that. You don’t lose in your own house.”
The play of the Flying Eagles early matched that mentality building a 10-point lead after the first two quarters.
The next eight minutes were completely different, however, and the visitors came storming back on the shoulders of 6-foot-6 sophomore Noah Lewis.
Scoring 12 points in the stanza, Lewis guided George Washington to a 25-point outburst and a 43-41 lead with eight minutes to play.
Getting the ball inside to Lewis was not an emphasis coming out of the break, but was instead a nice adjustment by the players on the floor.
“What happens with some teams, if you say go to Noah more, then they quit doing everything else,” Greene said. “We just ran some sets and the kids did a good job of finding him. Then Gale Lamb came in and hit some big shots.”
It was the first lead for the the Patriots since the 4:50 mark of the first quarter.
“I thought (Jaylon Walton) was fighting down there with him. (Lewis) is a beast and has great footwork,” Kidd said about the G-Dub big man. “He knows how to get to the basket. Out of the three games this year, this was the only game that he hurt us. I thought he came to play and really stepped up. He played extremely hard and showed what he could do.”
The visitors closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run and pushed the lead to six with back-to-back buckets from Lamb and Chance Hartwell.
Just when Beckley appeared to be reeling and headed for another tough setback, sophomore Coby Dillon rattled in a 3-ball that change the complexion of the game.
“Redfern broke everything down tonight and we didn’t finish. We were up (six) and you can’t lose Dillon,” Greene lamented. “You can’t lose him. I think it was after a made bucket, so it wasn’t even in transition, and we don’t have anyone on him. That was the bucket that I thought changed the whole game. Credit to him for hitting it.”
The smooth shooting sophomore was ready when his moment came calling.
“They were on me all night. I stepped up there, but everyone on the team stepped up tonight. It was awesome,” Dillon said. “Right when it left my hand, it looked good. When it went in it was a sigh of relief.”
Kidd admitted his heart might have skipped a beat in the moment, but was happy to see the ball fall through the net.
“I thought that shot kick-started our play. We need that shot to go,” Kidd said. “It rattled around that rim, but I was so (happy) that it went in. (Coby) didn’t get many looks, but that was a look.”
Hartwell answered with a leaner, but over the next three minutes, the once “Baby Birds” proved they had grown up through the tough times.
Kidd referenced the time during the season where Redfern was sidelined with an injury as a crucial time for his young players.
“That was (from) when Elijah was out. The other four guys knew they could play and they just kept playing,” Kidd said. “When Elijah was out, our other four guys got better. We knew how to handle it when we went down by six during that time. (Sophomore) Zy (Hawthorne) stepped up and hit a big three during that stretch. Sometimes things work out for the best.”
Redfern scored on a blow by prior to Dillon hitting a layup after a steal. Two free-throws from Redfern and a layup from Walton put Beckley back on top 52-49 with 3:42 to play.
The Patriots had no answers for Redfern all night who seemed to get in the lane at will.
“I just let the basketball show me what to do. I beat my man off the dribble and if their big commits to me, I have an easy dump off. If not, I have a layup at the rim. Just reading what the defense gives me has been the biggest part of my success,” Redfern said. “I am not worried about the first defender. My dad and I always talk about the first defender. I am looking past him. When I get past the first defender, I am worried about the four guys after him.”
Walton’s bucket came on an assist from Redfern who had eight on the night, but it seemed like the senior all-stater had so many more.
“I thought he really showed what he could do tonight. I feel like he is one of the top players in the whole state,” Kidd said about Redfern. “He has some young guys around him and he has led us in this five game winning streak. Leading us the way he should lead us.”
Although the home team had the lead, the drama was far from over and the “Baby Birds” still had to pass once more test.
Dawson Lunsford tied the game before Redfern canned a baseline jumper. Another score by Lewis, who muscled his way into the basket, preceded a score from Lunsford to give GW a 56-54 edge with just over 1:30 to play.
Hawthorne’s biggest shot of the night came when Redfern once again found the open man off of penetration. Hawthorne stroked a 3-ball for a one point lead.
Unable to convert, GW was forced to foul Redfern who knocked down both free-throws for a 59-56 advantage with 13 ticks on the clock.
“I was thinking about sending them home. I was thinking about ending the game,” Redfern said about the charity tosses. “I knew they were automatic. I was telling people on the line, good season.”
A defensive stop by Dillon and two free throws from the sophomore guard sealed the game which ended with a desperation 3-pointer from Hartwell to beat the buzzer.
“It means a lot to the school and to the community. It definitely means a lot to me, being I haven’t been there since my freshman year. We just want to go down there and make some noise,” Redfern said about returning to the state tournament.
“I have to give my glory to God. Without him I could not have stepped back on the court. God has blessed me and blessed our team. He has given us the ability to come out here and play ball.”
Redfern finished with 21 points, while Walton added 13 and grabbed 11 rebounds. Hawthorne scored 12 and Dillon added nine.
Lewis led all scorers with 25 points and had 13 rebounds.
GW: 10 9 24 16 – 59
B: 11 18 12 20 – 61
George Washington
Chance Hartwell 14, Noah Lewis 25, Dawson Lunsford 10, Brady Anderson 2, Gale Lamb 8. Totals: 26 3-11 59.
Beckley
Coby Dillon 9, Elijah Redfern 21, Zyon Hawthorne 12, Preston Clary 3, Nazir King 3, Jaylon Walton 13. Totals: 21 14-17 61.
