Tigers rout Miners 78-35 for ninth straight sectional championship

Chapmanville won its ninth consecutive sectional championship in domination fashion as the Tigers defeated the Mingo Central Miners 78-35 in the Class AA Region III Section 2 championship Friday night at the Danny Godby Gymnasium (Holly Eldridge/Holly Eldridge Photography).

Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports

CHAPMANVILLE   Defending Class AA champion Chapmanville is one win away from a state tournament berth after the Tigers dominated Mingo Central from start to finish Friday night defeating the Miners 78-35 in the Class AA Region III Section 2 tournament at the Danny Godby Gymnasium.

Joey Gollihue scored 22 points to lead three players in double figures and fifth-ranked Chapmanville won its ninth straight sectional championship.

The win, which was the seventh straight improved Chapmanville to 17-6, advances the Tigers to Wednesday's Class AA Region III championship where they host sixth-ranked Wyoming East (16-7) at 7 p.m. at Danny Godby Gymnasium.

The Tigers and Warriors met once during the regular season back on February 7 in New Richmond with Chapmanville winning 43-42. The Tigers defeated the Warriors 58-33 in last year's Region III championship.

Cam Blevins scored 15 points and Zion Blevins had 14 for Chapmanville, who raced out to an 13-0 lead just three and half minutes into the game. Cam Blevins scored 11 of his 15 points in the first quarter as the Tigers led 17-5 after one quarter.

Gollihue scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second quarter as the Tigers outscored the Miners 28-7 in the second quarter and led 45-12 at halftime.

Zion Blevins and Gollihue each scored eight points in the third quarter as Chapmanville extended its lead to 45 points, 65-20, after three.

The Tigers lead reached as many as 47 points, 71-24, in the fourth quarter before the Miners closed the game on an 11-7 run.

Ethan Thomason had 12 points and Caden Porter scored 11 to lead Mingo Central (7-17), who has lost seven of its last nine games and will travel to top-ranked Bluefield in the other Region III championship Wednesday night.

The Beavers swept a pair of games from the Miners during the season. Bluefield won 73-53 at Bluefield on January 13 and won 74-52 on February 10 atop Miner Mountain.

Chapmanville, which swept a pair of games from Mingo Central earlier this season, picked up its third win over the Miners in a span of one month.

The Tigers made 31 field goals, 12 of them 3-pointers, while hold the Miners to just nine field goals.

Class AA Region III Section 2 Tournament (Danny Godby Gymnasium-Chapmanville, WV)

Chapmanville 78, Mingo Central 35

Mingo Central Miners (7-17)

Ross 0 0-0 0, Dotson, B. 0 0-0 0, Hatfield 1 0-0 2, Porter 1 8-11 3, Thomason 4 2-4 12,

Bradford 0 0-0 0, Trent 0 0-0 0, Barker 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Brewer 0 0-0 0,

Slater 0 0-0 0, Messer 0 0-0 0, Dotson, D. 1 0-0 3, Salmons 0 0-0 0. Totals: 9 13-19 35.

Chapmanville Tigers (17-6)

Whitt 0 0-0 0, Gosien 0 0-0 0, Blevins, Z. 6 2-3 14, Blevins 6 0-0 15, Workman 0 0-0 0,

Watts 1 0-0 2, Gollihue 8 0-0 22, Adkins, A. 1 0-0 3, Baisden 1 0-0 2, Berry 3 1-2 8,

Strange 0 0-0 0, Adkins, B. 3 0-0 6, Hensley 1 0-0 3, Corbett 0 0-0 0, Adkins, T. 1 1-2 3.

Totals: 31 4-7 78.

Mingo Central 5 7 8 15- 35

Chapmanville 17 28 20 13- 78

3-point field goals_Mingo Central 4 (Thomason 2, Dotson, D., Porter), Chapmanville 12 (Gollihue 6, Blevins, C. 3, Adkins, A., Berry, Hensley).