CHARMCO – Greenbrier West shook the rust off from a 28-day layoff to dispatch a young Richwood squad Tuesday night by a final margin of 84-36. Utilizing defensive pressure and a relentless wave of fresh players, the Cavaliers wore down the Lumberjacks’ inexperienced lineup for an 18th consecutive victory over their longtime rivals.
Senior forward Asher Barclay set a career-high for points with 20 in Greenbrier West’s season-opening win over Meadow Bridge, but also suffered an ankle injury late in that game that looked like it might sideline him for upwards of a month or more. Little did anyone in Charmco know that a 28-day layoff due to weather issues would turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Barclay ended up missing only two games thanks to the break in action, and his return to the lineup helped bolster the Cavaliers.
Barclay and junior point guard Kamden Sams paced Greenbrier West in the first quarter with four and five points, respectively. The Cavaliers also got scoring contributions from four more players, three of those coming off the bench, in a balanced effort that saw West build a 17-7 edge at the end of the first quarter. Richwood hadn’t seen the court since December 31 and the kinks in their execution were evident. The Lumberjacks turned the ball over eight times and stumbled into an early deficit they’d never overcome.
The Cavaliers got a pair of three-pointers from promising freshman Carter Vandall in the second quarter. Sophomore forward Ben McDaniel made his presence felt with a blocked shot and a pair of layups. Sams added a three-pointer as well to go along with a pair of baskets from Barclay and fellow big man Colton Dunbar as West opened a 38-17 halftime advantage. Richwood got a five-point quarter from freshman Christian Griffith and Ian Crowder drilled a three, but the homestanding Cavaliers outpaced the Lumberjacks 21-10 in the quarter.
Richwood kept things as close as they could in the third quarter, but the onslaught of fresh players by Greenbrier West held the Lumberjacks at bay. West got scoring contributions from six players on its way to a 16-13 quarter, extending their lead to 54-30. Barclay added a pair of buckets and Dunbar dropped three points to go along with a three by Sams. Randy Keener, Dakota McKinney, and Jesse Walkup each added to the Cavalier cause. Brock Ward led the way for Richwood with four points.
The Cavaliers ran away from the Lumberjacks in the fourth quarter. Barclay added 11 points to his game-high total of 21. McKinney added six points, including a buzzer-beating toss to end the game. Sams nailed a fourth three-point shot, giving the guard a three in every quarter. Crowder was the only Richwood starter to collect a bucket with reserves Cole King and Parker Giles each knocking down a basket.
Greenbrier West evened its record at 2-2 and faces Independence Wednesday night in Charmco. Richwood dropped to 1-6 and will host Pocahontas County Thursday night. The two teams meet again January 28 at Richwood.
Points by quarter:
R: 7 17 13 6 – 36
GW: 17 21 16 30 – 84
Scoring – (R) Brock Ward 13, Christian Griffith 8, Christian Neal 5, Ian Crowder 4, Grady Hall 4, Parker Giles 2
(GW) Barclay 21, Sams 16, McKinney 10, Vandall 8, Isaac Crane 6, Walkup 6, Dunbar 5, McDaniel 4, Aiden Crane 3, Keener 3, Plogger 2
