McCormick Ilderton (20) dribbles around a Sissonville player during Friday nights win over the Indians. Ilderton was one of four players in double figures Thursday night as Logan won its fifth straight contest sweeping Mingo Central 55-45 on Miner Mountain (Photo by Boothe Davis/Captured by the Moment Photography).
Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
NEWTOWN Class AAA No. 7 Logan overcame a slow first quarter start to win its fifth straight game defeated Mingo Central 55-45 Thursday night on Miner Mountain.
With the win, Logan finishes the regular season 13-9 and will host fourth seed Lincoln County Tuesday night in the opening round of the Class AAA Region 4 Section 2 tournament. The Wildcats are the top seed and with a win would host either second seed Wayne or third seed Scott in next Friday's sectional championship.
Mingo Central finished the regular season 6-16. The Miners will be the second seed in the Class AA Region 3 Section 2 tournament and will host third seed Liberty (Raleigh) Tuesday night on Miner Mountain. The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to next Friday's sectional championship at top seed Chapmanville, who received the bye in the three-team section.
Logan got off to a slow start, leading 7-4 after one quarter of play before Mingo Central scored back-to-back baskets in the second quarter to take an 8-7 lead on Ethan Thomason's putback of a Chris Ross miss with 7:24 to play.
Thomason's basket would be the only lead of the game for the Miners as the Wildcats closed the quarter on a 15-8 run and led 22-16 at halftime.
Logan stretched its lead to 11 with five straight points to start the third quarter before settling for a 37-28 lead after three quarters of play.
In the fourth, Logan's lead reached 16 points, 50-34, on an energetic two hand slam from Zayden Sherod with 1:36 remaining.
Sherod was whistled for a technical foul after slapping the backboard as Mingo Central went on an 11-2 run to trim the deficit to seven, 52-45, on Caden Porter's 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining.
McCormick Ilderton led four Wildcat players in double figures with 13 points. Cole Blankenship scored 11 points and Sherod and Matt Hatfield each had 10 points.
Thomason led all scorers with 21 points, Porter finished with nine and Kenden Trent had eight for Mingo Central.
Logan 55, Mingo Central 45
Logan Wildcats (13-9)
Ilderton 13, Blankenship 11, Hatfield 10, Sherod 10, Clancy 7, Maynard 2, Miller 2.
Mingo Central Miners (6-16)
Thomason 21, Porter 9, Trent 8, Dotson 5, Bradford 2.
Logan 7 15 15 18- 55
Mingo 4 12 12 17- 45