Gallery by Karen Akers
The high powered Shady Spring boys basketball team comes at opponents in waves.
Tuesday night the waves hit like a tsunami.
Welcoming Class AA No. 2 Bluefield to the Tiger Den, the Class AAA No. 1 Tigers started fast and never trailed in a decisive 96-65 win.
Shady Spring head coach Ronnie Olson had expressed concerns before the game, but those thoughts were quickly washed away by his team’s early explosion.
“I didn’t like the way we practiced yesterday. That was a true indicator of how bad we might play tonight, but it wasn’t,” Olson admitted. “With this environment here, if you can’t play in this environment, you shouldn’t be playing basketball. There was no hangover and from the opening gate it was never in doubt.”
While the coach had some concerns, senior Cole Chapman was convinced the Tigers would be ready to roar after a big win over then AAA No. 1 Fairmont Senior Saturday.
“It’s just our team. We don’t have any hangovers with any game,” Chapman said. “We know what is at stake and we know every game is going to be hard. We can’t afford to come out slow.”
Playing the Beavers in front of another packed house, Shady Spring took the initial lead on a 3-pointer from Braden Chapman. The Tigers then pushed the lead to 10 points on a baseline jumper from twin brother Cole Chapman at the 4:29 mark of the first quarter.
Key to building the quick advantage was a pair of triples from smooth shooting Cam Manns.
Accustomed to baffling batters on the diamond with the old No. 2, Manns hurt the visitors with five No. 3’s and 20 points on the night.
“Cam makes it look effortless. He has been working hard on getting his feet set and not shooting off balance. He is probably one of the highest percentage shooters when his feet are set,” Olson said. “Every time it leaves his hand you feel like it is going to go in. We feed off him. We have Braden, Ammar (Maxwell) and Cole going downhill, so he is going to get a ton of open looks. We are tougher to guard when he is shooting like that.”
Will Looney kept the Beavers within shouting distance with 16 first half points, but Bluefield still trailed 45-28 at the break.
“The defense was great tonight and we made it really hard on them. Cole did a great job scoring, but I thought his defense on the ball was insane along with Braden,” Olson said. “They were just dogging them and they really couldn’t run their sets.”
Bluefield cut the lead back to 14 on two occasions early in the second half before an 11-2 run by the Tigers separated the game for good.
“We have been a balanced team, but I want to be even more balanced,” Olson said. “As hard as I game plan for other teams, I want other coaches to feel that when we play them as well. You have to pick your poison with us.”
“There are no ball-hogs on our team,” Olson went on to say. “I have to tell them to shoot the ball. That is them as a whole. They care so much about each other and the joy they play the game with is second to none.”
The only drama of the final eight minutes had to do with Cole Chapman.
The player most noted for his unselfish play entered the game needing 28 points to reach 1,000 points for his career.
Chapman did that one point better.
A 22-point fourth quarter output sent the home crowd into a frenzy before Chapman was mobbed by his teammates.
“This means everything. I love my teammates. If it wasn’t for my teammates, the way they helped, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Chapman said. “This was a little different tonight, especially with me usually passing it to (my teammates), but it felt good.”
Cole Chapman hit five 3-pointers in the final quarter and crossed the historic mark with a pair of free-throws.
“I had no clue that he would be able to get his 1,000th point tonight. He dictated the tempo at the beginning of that game and to reward him with 1,000 points, we owe that to him. It wasn’t about running it up,” Olson said. “For four years he has busted his butt and never complained. He has done everything that he has been asked. For him to get that tonight in front of this crowd and in front of his mom and dad was special. I think that is important. I am proud of him. He is just a special kid.”
Braden Chapman ended with 22, while Jaedan Holstein scored 14 and Maxwell added 11. Looney led the Beavers with 20 points. Kam’Ron Gore scored 17 and Caleb Fuller netted 16 points.
Shady Spring will battle AAAA Cabell Midland Friday in the Battle for the Springhouse at The Greenbrier at 4 p.m.
Bluefield plays Beckley Thursday inside the Brushfork Armory.
B: 13 15 17 20 – 65
SS: 27 18 21 30 – 96
Bluefield
Kam’Ron Gore 17, Will Looney 20, Caleb Fuller 16, R.J. Hairston 7, Glen Keene 1, Garrett Hicks 4. 27 4-11 65.
Shady Spring
Braden Chapman 22, Ammar Maxwell 11, Cole Chapman 29, Jaedan Holstein 14, Cam Manns 20. Totals: 38 4-7 96.
3-pointers – B: 7 (Gore 2, Looney 2, Fuller 3); SS: 16 (B. Chapman 4, C. Chapman 6, Maxwell, Manns 5).
