FAIRLEA- It was not pretty, nor will it make any coaching clinic videos on the side, but a win is a win and the Greenbrier East Lady Spartans picked up one against the Riverside Lady Warriors, 53-30, on Thursday night, Feb. 29.
With the victory, East was crowned co-queens of Region 3 and will advance to next week’s state tournament at the Charleston Coliseum.
There was not a lot of good in the first half, if honesty is still the best policy.
Both offenses struggled to get anything going. Turnovers, air balls, deflected passes, bad passes, and easy missed shots were the norm. The Spartans got four points inside from Hannah Fuller for a 4-0 lead, but the Warriors defense adjusted and began to limit opportunities for Fuller by getting hands on what felt like every entry pass to her the rest of the quarter. Riverside did not score a point until there was 2:44 remaining in the first quarter when Ava Ward hit a driving layup. Jada Waller got an uncontested basket underneath near the latter stages of the period, and the Spartans led just 6-2 after one.
And the funny thing is, the second quarter was not much better. East did get a 3 from Sandy Banton who replaced starting point guard Ava Workman late in the first quarter after Workman went down with an ankle injury. She left the game and did not return. So, with Workman on the bench, the Spartans stayed stagnant for a while. Kennedy Stewart, who came in averaging 26.5 points per game in the two sectional games was being followed around everywhere by Ward and she could not get a clean look. A pick-and-roll from Waller to Fuller made it 11-2 with 3:54 left in the first half. A couple possessions later, Waller snatched an offensive rebound and put it back in. Still, at halftime, East held just a 15-6 lead.
At halftime, the feeling was which coach and team would soak in their locker room speeches and put it to use on the floor.
The answer? The Spartans.
“He (Coach Justice) pretty much told us if we kept playing the way we were playing, we were going to end up losing. So, we came out and went to work,” Fuller explained after the game.
East (21-4) did just that and came out more poised and relaxed, and frankly, more like themselves, in the third quarter. They immediately went inside to Fuller who responded with a quick turnaround shot for two, then she got another bucket underneath off an assist from Waller. Then, Stewart finally got loose. She would hit two 3s and finish the quarter with 10 points after a scoreless first half. Riley Starsick played well for the Warriors (5-20) in the period and scored six herself, but after three quarters of play, East had gained momentum with a 35-18 lead.
Stewart, McClure, Waller, and Fuller all had good showings in the final period. Stewart and McClure each hit a shot from deep and Fuller continued to control the paint. When the clock hit zeroes, East had locked up a 23-point victory and booked a trip to the capital city.
Fuller was the player of the game with a 16-point, 14 rebound effort. Stewart added 15 points and Waller contributed 9 points, 8 rebounds, and five steals in a terrific all-around performance. McClure had a nice game as well with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
“I don’t think it was just me, it was a team effort,” Fuller said of her big game.
“We all have days that work more in our favor than others. Like the other night, I didn’t score at all but contributed in other ways and at the end of the day that’s what matters the most. You play as a team and if it’s your night great, but it’s not just you winning the game. We are a team, and we play together to get it done. That’s what counts,” she added.
Per Workman’s father, the freshman will have an X-ray on Friday morning, but he hopes and expects her to be “good to go” for the state tourney.
The Spartans will play this Tuesday morning, March 5 at 11:15 AM against the 4th-seeded Morgantown Lady Mohigans. East has been dubbed the 5th seed. East will open the tourney as winners in 18-of-their-last 19 games.
“I think we just need to keep playing hard and playing as a team and I think we go quite a way in the tournament, if not win, which would be great,” Fuller exclaimed.
More information will be posted to our website and social media as we receive it.
Scoring by Quarter:
1 2 3 4 Total
R: 2 4 12 12 30
GE: 6 9 20 18 53
GE Individual Scoring: Fuller 16, Stewart 15, McClure 8, Ja. Waller 9, Sa. Banton 3, Jo. Banton 1, Wooding 1
R Indvidual Scoring: Ward 8, Starsick 8, Bare 6, Campbell 3, Roop 3, Johnson 2
