Fairlea – Greenbrier East has been known to create nightmares for opposing teams from behind the 3-point line inside Spartan Gym.
Saturday afternoon the visitors from Jefferson County turned the tables on the normally reliable Spartans.
Knocking down five long balls in the second quarter, Class AAAA No. 2 Jefferson (16-0) created the space it needed for a 71-60 win over Greenbrier East.
“This was our fourth game in five days. We played them at our place, so I knew it was going to be a tough game, especially with the travel. They have beat some really good teams like South Charleston who is No. 6,” Jefferson head coach Richard Lewis said. “We had some mistakes at times, but we just gutted it out and found a way to win. That is kinda how we have been doing it all year.”
The first quarter featured six ties before the Cougars began to pull away late in the period.
After some crisp ball movement ended in a lay-up, a steal from Jamari Jenkins set Daion Taylor up for a buzzer-beating 3 and an 18-13 lead.
It was a precursor of what was to come in the second quarter from the Cougars.
After a tip-in from Adam Seams cut into the Jefferson lead, Jenkins and David Haines drilled back-to-back 3-balls.
Seams quelled the mini-run with a no-look pass to Aaron Griffith for a score, but five straight from the Cougars pushed the lead to double digits for the first time with 5:30 to play before halftime.
“We just tried to create some turnovers and get our transition game going more. We really want to keep the other team off balance,” Lewis said. “We are at our best when we are causing turnovers and getting the game going a little faster. It also helps when you make shots. We made a lot of shots.”
Five 3-pointers in the second quarter gave Jefferson a 42-29 advantage at the break.
Greenbrier East assistant head coach Jamel Samuels talked about the decisive second quarter. Lewis was filling in for head coach Jared Patton who had to be out of town Saturday.
“They couldn’t miss in the second quarter,” Samuels said. “Our defense was there, but they just didn’t miss. It was their night. I think everybody that shot a 3 at that point, it just went in for them.”
Still trailing by 13 midway through the third quarter, East made its first run at the Cougars, trimming the advantage back to seven points in less than a minute.
As would be the trend the remainder of the game however, the Spartans made runs at Jefferson, but never could get over the hump.
Another 3 from Jenkins stopped the East surge before a 6-0 spurt later in the quarter helped the Cougars maintain a 57-48 lead heading to the final quarter.
A hard take to the basket by Goose Gabbert and another no-look Seams pass to Griffith quickly made it a five-point game to open the period.
Unfortunately for the home team, that was as close as it could get.
“Digging a hole early makes it really tough. You have to fight so hard to get back in the game, then you get tired and you can’t get shots to fall,” Samuels said. “If we keep the game close the whole way, maybe those shots fall in the fourth quarter because you have fresh legs. It just wasn’t our night with the shots.”
Greenbrier East made just two long balls all game and zero in the final quarter.
“We had some perfect opportunities to knock them down. We had a lot of open shots and we had driving lanes,” Samuels said. “We had paint touches and kick-out 3s, but couldn’t get them to go. Our guys kept fighting, but the shots wouldn’t fall.”
Jenkins led all scorers with 21 points, while Cam Johnson scored 16 and Jaiden Gladney added 14 for the Cougars.
“One of our starters and leading scorers is out right now and banged up,” Lewis explained. “Everybody stepped up today and did a great job.”
Seams and Griffith led the Spartans with 19 points apiece.
J: 13 24 15 14 – 71
GE: 18 11 19 12 – 60
Jefferson
Jaiden Gladney 14, Daion Taylor 9, Cam Johnson 16, Jamari Jenkins 21, David Haines 6, Wyatt Shively 5. Totals 27 10-17 71.
Greenbrier East
Adam Seams 19, Monquelle Davis 9, Goose Gabbert 8, Aaron Griffith 19, Chris Sinclair 3, Bryson Brammer 2. Totals: 24 10-13 60.
3-pointers – J: 7 (Gladney, Taylor, Jenkins 3, Haines 2); GE: 2 (Seams, Davis).
