PHOTO | Boothe Davis : Captured by the Moment Photography
Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
SHADY SPRING, WVa Class AAA number two Shady Spring used a 16-4 run over the final 6:23 of the third quarter to break open a close game and defeat Class AAA number one Logan 69-50 in front of a packed house Saturday afternoon at Shady Spring High School.
Shady Spring, who has won 16 consecutive games, led 22-19 at halftime and held a 27-23 lead after Logan’s Garrett Williamson hit on a layup in the lane with 6:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Logan would get no closer than four points as Shady Spring closed the quarter on a 16-4 run to take a 43-27 lead after three quarters.
The lead continued to grow as the Tigers led by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter and went on to avenge an earlier defeat to the Wildcats, 57-49, on Dec. 18, in the King Coal Classic at Willie Akers Arena.
“They beat us down there and people talked about that Logan was going to come in and we were going to beat them,” Shady Spring coach Ronnie Olson said. “They beat us down there and there were no excuses. They beat our butts down there.”
Following his team’s 19-point victory, Olson stated his claim for the top spot in the Associated Press West Virginia Boys High School Basketball poll that will be released Monday afternoon.
“We wanted to be the number one team in the state, and we felt like we were, and we are still defending state champions,” Olson said. “I don’t think it is a question, we are number one and if not then it is a travesty.”
All season long Logan has used the third quarter to put opponents away, but Saturday afternoon Shady Spring reversed the role on the Wildcats holding them to just eight points and 3-of-17 shooting from the field.
“We missed a lot of easy shots, a lot of open shots which ultimately led to runouts and layups for them,” Logan coach Zach Green said. “They took a lot away from us, and defensively they did a heck of a job on our guards and really made things tough on us.”
Shady Spring was red hot in the third quarter connecting on 9 of its 15 attempts from the floor after shooting 8 of 23 from the floor in the first half.
“Third quarter has been big for us all season, and it’s either the first or third quarter,” Olson said. “We talked about it at halftime, and I felt like the offense wasn’t good enough, but the defense was good enough to win the game.”
“I knew that when the shots started falling our defense would win the game,” Olson said. “What a game! This is West Virginia high school sports is all about.”
Rebounding and turnovers were also a factor as the Tigers outrebounded the Wildcats, 41-29, including 20 offensive rebounds, which was more than Logan had on the defensive glass, 18 rebounds, as a team.
Shady Spring turned the ball over seven times while forcing 18 Logan turnovers, which Green said were two important things he addressed with his Wildcats before the game.
“You can’t turn the ball over against them and you have to rebound,” Green said. “You are giving them 10 or 15 extra possessions a game and against a team that good you can’t give away that many possessions.”
“We gave away a bunch of possessions tonight on rebounds and turnovers, and we can’t beat them doing that,” Green said. “We’ve got some things we need to work on, and we were really bad in offensive sets.”
Shady Spring jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first quarter before Logan closed to within one, 10-9, on Jaxon Cogar’s basket with 2:25 to play in the opening quarter.
The Tigers closed the quarter on an 8-2 run and lead 18-11 after one quarter.
Logan held Shady Spring to just four second quarter points but could only manage eight points offensively and trailed 22-19 at halftime.
Junior center Jaedan Holstein had a monster performance for Shady Spring. Holstein posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Holstein was 7 of 8 from the field and was one of four Tigers in double figures.
Cameron Manns led Shady Spring in scoring with 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting and 2 of 3 from 3-point range. Braden Chapman and Cole Chapman each had 10 points.
“We didn’t have that down there and they beat us, it is pretty simple,” Olson said. “Pretty simple math if you don’t have a lot of guys that score you are not going to win.”
“We got a lot of guys that can score, and it is what we have been doing all season,” Olson said. “We can spread the floor, and everybody can score. We don’t want to be a one man team and certain guys stepped up in different spots.”
Tackett led Logan with 18 points and seven rebounds while Scotty Browning had 11.
Shady Spring’s win Saturday evens the score with Logan 1-1 at the Wildcats defeated the Tigers 57-49 back on December 18. A potential third meeting is not out of the question. Both Logan and Shady Spring could meet for the Class AAA championship on March 19 at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
If both teams make their way through the sectional and regional tournament, they are expected to be ranked in the top three.
“We love it, and they are a great team,” Olson said. “We have played them since middle school and these guys have a big healthy rivalry with one another.”
“I think we will see them in Charleston,” Olson said. “I know we will see them in Charleston and there are not many teams as good as they are defensively.”
Green agreed and said a third meeting is what he is hoping for in the state tournament.
“If we both make it, we are probably going to be one and two, so it won’t be until the championship game,” Green said. “I will take that all day. I will take my matchup with them in the state championship all day.”
Shady Spring will close out the regular season Tuesday night on the road at Nicholas County, a team the Tigers defeated 90-38 on January 27 at Shady Spring.
“We want to end the season on a 17-game winning streak and be the unanimous number one seed playing in Charleston,” Olson said. “That was our goal and we put it on the board and talked about it. Let’s win it and go play as the number one seed and play in these white jerseys all the way through the state tournament.”
Logan had its six-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 18-2 with the loss after its tenth game in fourteen days.
“We’ve got some things we need to fix,” Green said. “We’re tired and we’re going to have some time over the next two weeks to break things down.”
The Wildcats will travel to Mingo Central on Monday and close the regular season on Saturday at Lincoln County. Logan defeated Mingo Central 76-66 on January 29 at Willie Akers Arena.
“We played them tight last time. We got out to a big lead, and they came storming back,” Green said. “They made some big shots, and that is something that we are going to have to be focused on.”
Shady Spring 69, Logan 50
Logan (18-2)
Scotty Browning 5-19 0-0 11, Garrett Williamson 4-11 0-0 9, Aiden Slack 2-7 3-4 8, Jaxon Cogar 2-3 0-0 4, Jackson Tackett 6-11 5-6 18, Julius Clancy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 19-54 8-10 50.
Shady Spring (19-1)
Braden Chapman 3-15 4-4 10, Ammar Maxwell 3-7 0-0 7, Cole Chapman 2-9 4-4 10, Jaedan Holstein 7-8 2-5 16, Cameron Manns 7-9 2-3 18, Samuel Jordan 2-3 2-3 6, Gavin Davis 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 25-52 14-19 69.
Logan 11 8 8 23- 50
Shady Spring 18 4 21 26- 69
3-point field goals- Logan 4-20 (Browning 1-7, Williamson 1-6, Slack 1-4, Tackett 1-2, Clancy 0-1), Shady Spring 5-14 (Chapman, B. 0-3, Maxwell 1-4, Chapman, C. 2-4, Manns 2-3). Rebounds- Logan 29 (Tackett 7), Shady Spring 41 (Holstein 15). Assists- Logan 5 (Williamson 2), Shady Spring 11 (Chapman, B. 4, Chapman, C. 4). Total fouls- Logan 17, Shady Spring 16. Fouled out- Holstien, Tackett. Technicals- None.