Gallery by Tina Laney
The picturesque beauty of the Dave Wills Gymnasium can be a little deceptive during a boys basketball game.
Step inside the lines of the basketball court and the friendly confines quickly turn into a house of horrors.
Prior to Wednesday night, the Tigers had laid waste to 50 straight opponents. In their Class AAA region 3 co-final clash against Shady, Lewis County became victim No. 51.
Although the Minutemen eventually fell 64-36, they were able to throw a scare of their own into the hometown crowd.
With the win, Shady Spring earned the overall No. 2 seed. The Tigers will match up with No. 7 seed North Marion Tuesday, March 12 at 1 p.m. inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
“I am sure the game surprised all 1,500-2,000 people in this gym tonight,” Shady Spring head coach Ronnie Olson said. “There was a moment where it got to 10 (points) and it started to feel a little weird. That is why we lean on and fall back on the foundation of why you become a defensive team.”
While the game didn’t turn lopsided until late, it fully appeared it would get that way early after Shady Spring took an 11-1 lead just two minutes into the contest.
However, foul trouble with all-stater Ammar Maxwell seemed to halt the Tigers momentum.
Maxwell picked up two early fouls in the first quarter sending him to the bench and was later hit with his third at the 5:40 mark of the second quarter.
“We had looked at film on him and we knew he was out of control when he went to the basket,” Lewis County head coach Charles Simms said. “He is a good ball player, but he gets his head down a lot going to the basket. We made him pay for it.”
Naturally, on the other end of the floor, the Shady Spring coach saw it a little differently.
“You take out one of the best players in the state and it’s going to be close,” Olson said. “I thought there were some questionable calls. I thought he was singled out because of his strength, but fortunately, we were able to play without him.”
Trailing 33-18 at the break, Lewis County started to make its move when Maxwell picked up his fourth foul less than 90 seconds into the second half.
For almost seven minutes, the home team managed only a two-point field goal from Gavin Davis while the Minutemen closed the gap by scoring 10 points.
Over the next 60 seconds, Lewis County had three chances to score, but could not convert during that crucial period.
“I felt like when we got it into single digits that we got out of control. When you get in that situation you have to come down under control. That is on me, I should have called a timeout in that situation,” Simms said. “We missed two or three opportunities right there. I thought the 1-3-1 trap hurt them. They didn’t know how to attack it. We got some possessions there, but we just didn’t take advantage of it.”
Desperately needing a bucket, Jalon Bailey dropped a 3-ball at the 1:06 mark before Jack Williams canned a another to beat the buzzer for a 41-28 lead.
“We had that good set there at the end of the third quarter and we have worked on that specifically for late game situations,” Olson said about Williams’ bucket. “Hold for one and we got the open shot. It makes it even look better when you knock it down. That was a big stretch. I knew shots would start falling.”
Shady Spring slammed the door of opportunity shut in the first minute of the final period.
After a missed 3-ball from Williams, Bailey skied in the lane for the rebound. Bailey kicked the ball out to Williams who made good on his second attempt.
A possession later it was Braedy Johnston who nailed a long ball for 47-28 advantage.
“Lewis County fought and they played hard like their season was on the line, but so did my guys,” Olson said. “To win by 30 when it was a (seven) point game speaks volumes. What helped us was Ammar has been in foul trouble at times and we have been able to sustain it. Not to this length though.”
Olson pointed the staple of his program which carried the Tigers through the rough patches in the game Wednesday.
“We had extended periods where we did not score, but we were able to defend at a high rate,” Olson said. “It is not about surviving and advancing, it is about grinding and winning. That is what we did tonight.”
Shady Spring has played in the last three Class AAA state championship games, winning the championship three years back against Wheeling Central before finishing runner-up to Fairmont Senior the last two seasons.
The Polar Bears and the Tigers are the top-two seeds in the AAA bracket.
LC: 10 8 10 8 – 36
SS: 20 13 8 23 – 64
Lewis County
Manny Robinson 2, Zander Carlton 3, Pason Kelley 2, Tanner Griffith 12, Ben Putnam 17.
Shady Spring
Jack Williams 15, Ammar Maxwell 17, Brody Radford 2, Gavin Davis 12, Rob Lynch 2, Jalon Bailey 10, Braedy Johnston 6
Three pointers – LC 5 (Carlton, Griffith 4); SS: 7 (Williams 3, Bailey 2, Johnston 2). Fouled out: Robinson (LC).
