CHARMCO – There were a lot of reasons to celebrate in Charmco on Thursday night. Greenbrier West celebrated its senior members before the tipoff to their regular season finale. Isaac Agee, Asher Barclay, Aiden Crane, Randy Keener, and Dakota McKinney were called before the crowd assembled in John C. Estep Gymnasium one-by-one. As the public address announcer called the player’s, parent’s, and guardian’s names, the West faithful showed their appreciation with a rumbling applause. The ladies in attendance of their players were gifted roses while the players received a gift bag full of goodies.
With the ceremonies complete, Greenbrier West was anxious to hit the floor and get to work cleaning up a three-game losing skid. After a win over Webster County on February 14, the Cavaliers had dropped a nip-and-tuck decision at Summers County before two lopsided losses to Class AAA Pikeview and Class AA #3 James Monroe. Although the Cavaliers had defeated Pocahontas County back on January 30, the starting lineup was a little depleted this time around. Barclay started to serve a two-game suspension for an ejection after what game officials deemed was excessive force foul in the James Monroe contest. Carter Vandall was out of the lineup with a “boxer’s fracture” on his shooting hand, and Randy Keener’s status was questionable with a swollen right ankle. This would seriously test the Cavaliers’ depth.
As the game got underway, Pocahontas County’s Dillon Dunz picked up where he left off in the first matchup, leading all scorers with 19 points. Dunz started hot, scoring the game’s first basket on a running hook shot, drilling two three-pointers, and scoring nine points in the quarter. Dakota McKinney, getting a rare start for Greenbrier West, helped the Cavaliers remain close with a three-pointer of his own and five points in the quarter. The game saw an early flurry of ties and lead changes, but the Warriors stretched their advantage to six, leading 15-9 at the end of the first quarter.
In the early moments of the second quarter, both teams took turns knocking down baskets until the Warrior lead increased to 19-12. The Cavaliers began to steadily chip away at the Pocahontas County lead, and a majority of the work was done at the free throw line. Colton Dunbar got Greenbrier West off to a sizzling start from the line, knocking down five straight. Isaac Crane added four more consecutive fouls shots, and big brother Aiden added a tenth straight for the resurgent Cavaliers. The key play of the period was a breakaway attempt by Shane Plogger. Dunz recovered on the play to block Plogger’s shot. A follow up attempt by Kamden Sams was off the mark and secured by the Warriors’ Cash Beers. Plogger dislodged the ball from Beers’ grip and into the waiting arms of Aiden. Aiden scooped a pass over to Sams who set his feet and fired a three. The shot reclaimed the lead for the Cavaliers.
Trenton Brock tied the game again at 29 all with only 1:25 remaining, but Plogger took the ball right back into the lane and put West ahead with a layup. Plogger rebounded a Warrior miss on the next possession and somehow looped a pass around three defenders to Keener. Keener elevated and scored giving West a four-point advantage. Brock would add a Warrior free throw, but West held a 33-30 halftime lead.
A surprise ceremony sprung up during the halftime break when Patricia Parker, a 1974 graduate of Greenbrier West, emceed a presentation of a large plaque that depicted the original Greenbrier West Cavalier logo to the school in memory of the late Jon Skaggs. Skaggs was a coach at Greenbrier West in the school’s infancy and meticulously painted the logo in the center circle of the original basketball court design. Skaggs passed away in July 2024, and his former students wanted to honor his legacy.
The third quarter opened up for Greenbrier West, with six Cavaliers getting in the scoring column. Aiden Crane ignited the crowd with a three-pointer from the left wing. Dunbar filled the lane and got a stick back on a missed Isaac Crane layup. West’s lead was 13 for over a two-minute stretch in which they played stifling defense. Dunbar cleaned the glass on missed shot opportunities, collecting six rebounds in the frame. The lead swelled to 14 on a Plogger free throw before Beers got the Warriors going with a pair of foul shots. Jesse Walkup kept the Cavalier momentum with a pair of baskets, and McKinney added eight points as Greenbrier West outscored Pocahontas County 20-8 to take a 53-38 advantage into the final quarter. McKinney scored a season-high 13 points.
Much as he’s done the past two games, Dunbar dominated the fourth quarter. Scoring eight points and pulling down two more rebounds, Dunbar was one point away from his career-high on the night. The junior forward tallied 23 points and yanked down 12 rebounds. Luke Taylor came off the Warrior bench and netted six points. Trenton Brock added four to his total of 12, but the damage had been done by Dunbar and crew. Playing solid defense, rebounding with resolve, and focusing on the little things like free throws made the win a building block for the postseason.
The win was the 700th victory in program history. Greenbrier West won its first-ever game 48-46 over Nicholas County on December 3, 1968. Mike Bennett led the way with 14 points. Jim Simms added 11 and Burton Ripley contributed 8 points in the inaugural win. John Estep coached the Cavaliers to 380 more wins, followed by Gary Sawyers and Bud Whitlow with 55, Joey Fitzwater 191, and Jared Robertson with 73.
Greenbrier West concluded the regular season with a 7-13 record. In the new regional basketball format, the Cavaliers drew the fifth seed and will play Mount View on Friday, March 7 at 7 P.M. The location is yet to be determined, but West will be the visiting team and will travel. The two teams last met on March 5, 2020, in Charmco in the Class A Region III, Section II tournament, the only time the two schools have met on the hardwood.
