Gallery by Heather Belcher
The scene inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center Tuesday night was a familiar one when Beckley hosted defending AAA state champion Shady Spring.
What was unfamiliar in the third meeting between the budding Raleigh County rivals this season was the name in the spotlight.
Coming off the bench in front of a raucous crowd, sophomore Jahden Robinson inserted his name into the Beckley-Shady lore by knocking down four critical 3-pointers.
With Flying Eagles starter Zyon Hawthorne out due to illness, Robinson’s production was the main difference in a 54-52 win for the home team.
For Beckley head coach Ron Kidd, there was to be no excuses Tuesday night, it was just an expectation for the next man up to get the job done.
“It is an expectation for our program, but (assistant head) coach (James) Lewis does a good job telling them to be ready each and every day. When they went in, they were ready to play,” Kidd explained. “We know (Jahden) can shoot like that. Even Lucas Raney hit a 3. They both helped us with Zy’s points tonight.”
The game was a tight slugfest as expected with neither team grabbing a strong footing in the opening half.
Trailing by two points to open what was a low-scoring third quarter, Raney canned a 3-ball and A.J. Thomas followed with a bucket, giving Beckley a three point lead that was a four point advantage with eight minutes to play.
When Robinson hit his third triple of the night ahead of Preston Clary knocking in two charity tosses with 5:37 to play, the lead for the home team was eight points.
“That was unexpected and something we thought we were going to make them do. It boiled down to was those guys going to make shots,” Shady Spring head coach Ronnie Olson said about Robinson and Raney’s production. “The one (late in the game) that (Robinson) hit, Khi (Olson) had a hand up. He shot a contested 3 and that was probably the shot of the game. They were ready and they stepped up. That was the difference in the game.”
Down 48-40, but not out, the Tigers came storming back with eight straight points over the next minute-and-a-half of action.
Long balls from Eli Sexton and Jack Williams, along with a bucket from Jalon Bailey evened the score with four minutes to play.
Robinson’s final long strike came at the most critical time in the contest. Without hesitation at the biggest moment, the young sophomore drilled a corner 3 when the Flying Eagles needed it most.
“I thought every shot he took was a big shot. With him being a shooter like that, they had to worry about him,” Kidd said. “He was giving us great offense.”
After a free throw from Williams, Bailey worked his magic with a bucket to tie the game at 51-51 with 1:40 to play.
With every possession now at a premium, Beckley went to their big man, Jaylon Walton. When a drive in the lane pulled the defender, Thomas was ready to hand out the key assist for the eventual game winning basket.
“I think Jaylon Walton is one of the best big men in the whole state. When he doesn’t play well, it is because of Jaylon. When Jaylon comes to play he is tough,” Kidd said. “That was a great play right there and Jaylon took it up strong. That was a great pass by A.J. at the right time.”
Clinging to a 53-51 lead, Beckley weathered two Shady Spring possessions that netted only one point with Thomas collecting a crucial steal with just over three seconds to play.
“It is a tough one because you lose a close game. Those are games that you build your season on. It means a lot because it is (Beckley),” Olson said. “When you build your program on hard work, dedication and execution and then don’t do it, it is tough and it stings when you have the ball multiple times. We played hard enough, but we just didn’t execute.”
“I felt like if we got the ball back we were going to win the game because I have confidence in my guys, myself and (assistant head) coach (Shawn) Radford. I have to do a better job of putting us in better spots to win at the end of the game. They did a good job of defending, but I take responsibility.”
Battling Shady Spring to the wire, which has become commonplace this year, was no surprise for the Beckley coach.
“I thought it was going to be close like that. Shady had some good players and kids that have been through the wars,” Kidd said. “They have been to the state tournament championship game the last four years. We knew it was going to be a battle. I am just happy with the way our kids responded against their kids tonight.”
SS: 12 16 7 17 – 52
B: 9 17 13 15 – 54
Shady Spring
Jack Williams 9, Khi Olson 6, Jalon Bailey 22, Braedy Johnston 4, Eli Sexton 6, Gabe Short 5. Totals: 18 8-11 52.
Beckley
Coby Dillon 10, Preston Clary 9, A.J. Thomas 3, Jaylon Walton 17, Lucas Raney 3, Jahdan Robinson 12.
