After a 13-day layoff due to COVID-19 protocols and winter weather, the Greenbrier East Spartans got back on the court this past weekend, Friday, January 21 and Saturday the 22nd when they played two road contests against the Washington Patriots and the third-ranked Jefferson Cougars.
East made easy work of the Patriots as Adam Seams scored 18 points in the Spartans dominating 82-27 victory. East played everyone on the roster and emptied its bench midway through the second half.
It was not as easy against the Cougars as East dropped a 70-57 decision. Jefferson stayed undefeated at 8-0 and proved why they have a shot to win a state title.
Coach Jared Patton admitted that going two weeks without playing had its challenges, but also that his team was thankful for the opportunity to get back to playing.
“Players were excited to get back on the court. We played with a lot of energy and took care of the game (against Washington) early on,” Patton said.
As much as Patton and the Spartans would have loved a big upset over the Cougars, he understood that Jefferson was a phenomenal team and that his team was not going to be back in rhythm just yet.
“Jefferson is a solid team. They are currently ranked third in the state in AAAA. We enjoy playing against teams like that. They execute well and have a lot of intensity,” Patton said.
“We knew going in that was going to be a tough game for us. They are really good and with us being rusty from not playing, that’s a tough combo. Our defense was solid against them, we just didn’t shoot the ball well,” he continued.
The Spartans hope to bounce back this week with a couple more really tough games coming up with Shady Spring on Monday, January 24 and Huntington this Saturday.
“Our team is ready to play and looking forward to the challenge,” Patton concluded.
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