CHARMCO – Montcalm’s Generals had no match for Greenbrier West’s floor general Thursday night in a 73-29 Cavalier win at Charmco. Braydon McClung stole the show with a 27-point effort, but it was more than just a scoring exhibition. McClung rattled the Generals with 8 steals, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in Greenbrier West’s fifth victory of the season.
For a few minutes at the outset, it looked as if Montcalm came ready to play and the stigma of Tuesday night’s buzzer-beater loss to Midland Trail had given the Cavaliers a bit of a hangover. The Generals snuck out to a 6-3 lead three minutes into the game. Haggard play by Greenbrier West helped the Montcalm cause, but a pair of made free throws from McClung sparked the home squad. The Cavaliers went on a 13-0 run to open a 16-6 lead and give the home team and the anxious crowd a little room to breathe. Tanner Hagy nailed a pair of three-pointers and West never looked back. McClung registered 13 points in the opening quarter as Greenbrier West built a 22-11 advantage.
It wasn’t as if Montcalm suffered from cold shooting. The Generals shot 80% from the floor but their undoing was a lack of shots. McClung, Tanner Hagy, and Isaac Agee pressured inbound pass after inbound pass to force Montcalm into numerous turnovers. The takeaways became easy buckets for Coach Jared Robertson’s squad. Montcalm only fired up five shots in the opening frame.
McClung’s torrid pace continued in the second quarter. The senior guard added ten points to stretch West’s lead to 19 points by halftime. Agee, Chris Davis, and freshman Isaac Crane each added a bucket to outdistance Montcalm 38-19. Senior big man Justin Pacitto paced the Generals with eleven first-half points. Teammate Donovan Reed chipped in with eight points as the two post players accounted for all but one of Montcalm’s first-half output.
The third quarter proved to be the Generals’ Waterloo. Greenbrier West got scoring contributions from six players on their way to outscoring Montcalm 19-2. McClung, Hagy, and Chris Davis netted four points each, while Agee and Colton Dunbar both added a basket. Kamden Sams connected on a three-pointer for West’s most balanced effort of the night. So stifling was West’s ball pressure, the Generals only managed to get off six shots. Hagy blocked two General shots at the rim to keep the Charmco crowd buzzing. Montcalm’s only points came via two Pacitto free throws with 29.3 seconds left in the quarter.
With a 57-21 lead after three quarters, the Cavaliers were able to stretch their depth and go deep down their bench. Senior Levi Ramsey provided solid play with a basket and five rebounds. Aiden Crane and Landon McClung each drained three-point baskets, and Shane Plogger knocked down a pair of shots for 4 points. Logan Berry and Randy Keener each notched a basket for the Cavaliers.
Landin Clower and Tyler Hagerman came off the bench for the Generals to score five and two points, respectively. Reed added a pair of baskets to lead Montcalm with 12 points. Pacitto finished the night with 11 for the Generals.
Greenbrier West improves to 5-4 on the season and heads to Dunmore tonight for a matchup with the Pocahontas County Warriors. Montcalm, 5-6, hosts Greater Beckley tonight. Greenbrier West and Montcalm are scheduled to meet again on February 16 at Montcalm. The Cavaliers are now 14-0 all-time when facing the Generals.
Braydon McClung was Rock 95’s McDonald’s of Rainelle Player of the Game. After a week off due to weather, be on the lookout for the WV Daily News Greenbrier West Player of the Week online poll this Sunday.
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