BECKLEY- Class AAA’s number 5 ranked team, the Greenbrier East Spartans, lived up to that billing in their first and only game in Beckley at the New River CTC Invitational on Tuesday evening, January 6.
The Spartans came out red hot and never let up en route to a convincing 67-42 victory over the Nicholas County Grizzlies.
It was evident that things were most likely going to go the Spartans’ way right after the opening tip when Nathan Dixon opened things up with a right wing 3. Then, after a give-and-go from Braylen Godfrey to Brody Hamric, and a couple most buckets from Dixon, Greenbrier East had catapulted out to a quick 10-2 lead.
The lead ballooned to 18-5 late in the first quarter following two consecutive Sam Hawver baskets and the lead was 20-8 at the end of the first after a floater from Darius Burns.
Nicholas’ Channing Sarver scored the first two points of the second quarter, but then an 11-0 Spartan run fueled by a Hamric 3 and a steal and dunk from Dixon extended the lead to 31-10 with 4:30 to play in the half. The Grizzlies’ Brady Lilly played pretty well in the period, but Godfrey and reserve Gabe Neal also stepped up for the Spartans and proved to be too much.
In the second half, the 5th ranked Spartans continued to apply the same pressure that took the Grizzlies completely out of anything they wanted to do.
East coach Jared Patton was able to almost fully empty the bench in the fourth quarter to provide quality varsity minutes to the whole roster.
Dhani Terry scored a couple buckets, as did Eloi Castillo and Dubya Vickers, and the Spartans sprinted to what was an easy finish line to cross.
The Spartans shot 54 percent from the field and held Nicholas County to just 35 percent, including 1-of-11 from 3-point land. East also outrebounded Nicholas 31-15.
Dixon led East (5-2) with 18 points and Hamric netted 14. Godfrey added 10 to round out the double-figure scoring.
East will face Giles (VA) this Saturday night at Spartan Gym.
