CHARCMO – Greenbrier West made quick work of the Meadow Bridge Wildcats Wednesday night to open the Class A Region III Section II boys basketball tournament. West used a stifling defense and an opportunistic offense to jump out to a 25-14 first quarter lead on their way to a 102-60 victory.
Cavalier scoring leader Braydon McClung was seemingly the beneficiary of every first quarter Wildcat turnover as he poured in 11 points on layup after layup. Most of McClung’s scoring opportunities came after his teammates swarmed the Meadow Bridge frontcourt, swatting passes and batting balls away from the Wildcat ballhandlers. Tanner Hagy added five points while Isac Agee tossed in three points while commanding the boards with five rebounds. Colton Dunbar had a three-point, three-rebound quarter while fellow big man Chris Davis added a basket.
As has been the case all season, senior Brycen Sawyers led the Wildcats with a seven-point first quarter, but fellow senior Blake Bennett added four points and showed a lot of poise in handling the Cavalier pressure.
The Cavaliers slammed the door on Meadow Bridge in the second quarter, leaving no room for a Wildcat comeback. Dunbar ruled the paint with his finest quarter of the season. Scoring eight points and snagging eight rebounds, Dunbar was a beast inside for Coach Jared Robertson’s squad. McClung supplemented Dunbar’s effort with nine points of his own while Hagy pitched in with four. A handful of Cavaliers each added a bucket to help run West’s lead to 54-24.
The third quarter was much of the same for the Cavaliers as McClung got hot from the right corner and nailed a pair of threes. Dunbar didn’t disappoint with four points and three more rebounds, giving him a career-high 15 points on the night and 14 rebounds, 1 shy of his career-best mark.
Agee continued to have one of his best nights of the season with five points in the quarter, including a nifty, reverse-spin layup from the left side that gave him a 10-point night. Agee also pulled down seven rebounds and led the Cavaliers with four steals.
Davis also had an eventful third quarter with five points. Davis’ output included his second made three-pointer in the last two games, giving him three for the season. Davis had an efficient, nine-point, four rebound evening.
Aiden Crane came off the bench to knock down a three-pointer, and senior Levi Ramsey scored on a quick-thinking, turnaround jumper.
Sawyers tried to keep pace with eleven points for the visitors. Freshman teammate Trent Roles connected on a pair of three-pointers, but the Wildcats trailed 83-42 after three quarters of play.
Coach Robertson was pleased that he could use some of his bench depth in the fourth quarter to gain the experience of playing on the postseason stage. Aiden Crane showed his precision sharpshooting ability with two more arcing three-pointers. Randy Keener added four points to give him seven in the game along with four rebounds. Ramsey knocked down another bucket for four.
Sawyers quietly added seven more points for the Wildcats to close his high school career with a 28-point effort. Meadow Bridge finishes their season with a 4-19 record.
Braydon McClung led West with 28 points, followed by Dunbar’s 15, and Agee’s 10. Hagy and Davis each contributed with 9 points, Keener 7, Kamden Sams 5, and Dixon and Ramsey with 4 each. Landon McClung added two.
With the win, Greenbrier West advances to the sectional championship game this Friday at Webster County. Tip time is 7 PM. Local radio coverage can be found on Rock 95 at 6:45.
