INSTITUTE (WVDN) – Greenbrier West got a signature win Wednesday afternoon in the Par Mar Stores Shootout at West Virginia State University, defeating the defending Class AA state champion Williamstown Yellowjackets 63-55.
Williamstown, currently ranked #4 in Class AA, rolled into Institute with a 14-4 record. With wins over Class AA #5 Ravenswood and Class A #7 Tug Valley, Williamstown wanted to add to their tournament resume. Greenbrier West handed the Yellowjackets their only loss of the 2021 season in the same showcase event, so there would be no chance they would sneak up on Williamstown this time around. They wouldn’t need to.
The Yellowjackets got out to an early 6-2 lead with three-pointers from Alex Irvin and Parker Schramm sandwiched around a Michael Kanode layup, but the lead would not last long. The Cavaliers exploded for an 18-0 run that ran almost three minutes into the second quarter. Chase McClung started the rally with a three-pointer followed by a steal on the subsequent inbound. His short-range jumper was partially blocked toward the baseline but saved by the Yellowjackets’ Gavin Bosgraf. Brayden McClung intercepted the save and scored on a spectacular layup that put the Cavaliers in the lead. Cavalier pressure would force the Yellowjackets into two more turnovers before Ty Nickell muscled his way into the lane for a traditional three-point play. After a couple of failed possessions, Nickell knocked down a fifteen-footer for a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The only thing holding the Cavaliers back was themselves. If not for missed opportunities at the rim, a recurring Cavalier theme at times this season, West may have put up 24 points in the first quarter alone. Greenbrier West’s relentless pressure on the Yellowjacket offense was so stifling that Williamstown did not score from the floor until 5:08 remained in the first half, and that was on a West turnover after Kanode had cleared a defensive rebound and tried to outlet to Brayden. The Yellowjackets could only muster two field goals in the quarter and 13 first-half points. Williamstown was an icy 0-7 from the three-point line in the stanza.
Dale Boone knocked down a corner three for the first West basket of the second quarter. A Chase McClung steal led to a Brayden McClung basket in transition followed by a second Chase steal and another assist to his younger brother, Brayden. Elijah Perkins would hit a fifteen-foot baseline jumper for a 22-8 lead. Kanode dropped in a putback of a Brayden miss for the final Cavalier points of the half. Schramm and Seth Hammer would give Williamstown flickering life with a 4-0 run to end the first half, down 24-13.
The 6’5” Irvin would do his best to give Williamstown a shot. Irvin drilled a three to ignite the Yellowjackets’ scoring efforts followed by a block of a Perkins runner. Brayden McClung, though, received Perkins’ rebound of his own blocked shot and sliced in from the left wing for another scoop-shot layup. Williamstown would continue to battle, and a Gavin Lemley three-point play closed the gap to eight points. Brayden snuck down the baseline for a reverse layup that put the Cavaliers back up by ten, but Schramm answered for the Yellowjackets with a lay-in. Irvin sank another three-pointer off a Schramm miss and the West lead was down to five points with under three minutes to go in the third quarter.
West would answer the Yellowjacket run with an answer of their own. Chase McClung found Nickell alone on the backside of the Williamstown defense for a layup. Brayden McClung then knocked down both ends of a one-and-one. Irvin responded with a steal and drive that resulted in a foul and two free throws for the Yellowjackets. Irvin then took advantage of a Boone bobble in the backcourt to complete a three-point play, and Williamstown had cut the lead to four points with 2:28 remaining in the third.
As they had done once earlier, Greenbrier West stiffened and responded. Kanode scored on a layup from the left side. Payton Bunch’s inbound to Dylan Ashley sailed out of bounds in the corner, and Kanode dished to Brayden down the lane for a left-hander that drew a foul. Brayden knocked it down for a nine-point lead, then followed up with a one-and-one to push the lead to 11. Williamstown was counting on getting hot from behind the arc, but the shots were not falling. Bunch barely broke West’s momentum with a putback off a missed three before Brayden attacked the right side of the lane and completed another three-point play. Irvin used his length to extend for a drive and score, and the Cavaliers held a 43-33 lead after three.
The Yellowjackets had enough left in the tank to make a third run at the Cavalier lead. Irvin knocked down two foul shots and Schramm rebounded a missed Irvin three and laid it back in to cut the Cavalier lead to six. Irvin used his considerable wingspan to cut off a pass intended for Kadin Parker and beat him to the basket, reducing the lead to four. Williamstown appeared to have gotten a stop and a new possession on the next West offensive trip, but Nickell picked off a Yellowjacket pass, and West head coach Jared Robertson signaled for a time-out immediately. Brayden would slash off the left-wing and dice through three Yellowjacket defenders for a layup that increased the West lead to six.
Schramm would hit one of two free throws to cut the deficit to five, but the Cavaliers navigated Williamstown’s pressure and Perkins scooped a layup in for a 47-40 lead. Irvin would miss the front end of a one-and-one, but Schramm would slip inside and get a putback, cutting the lead to five once again. Brayden would have a rare miss on the next West possession, and Seth hammer raced back down the floor to get Williamstown as close as they would get at 47-44. Boone spun to his right and laid a soft jumper off the glass to go back up by five. Irvin would fail to convert on two separate Yellowjacket three-pointers, and Nickell would make them pay by knocking down two free throws. On the next West possession, the Cavaliers ran almost thirty seconds off the clock before Brayden went baseline and found Boone on the backside for a lay-in and a 53-44 lead. Bosgraf answered for Williamstown. The Yellowjackets’ hopes were almost diminished, though, when Brayden got a reprieve after missing two free throws and got fouled on the ensuing scrum for the ball. This time, Brayden knocked down both shots taking the West lead back to nine. Irvin nailed his fourth three of the game and Williamstown head coach Scott Sauro called a quick timeout with 2:53 left in the game.
Nickell hit a layup on a three-on-one fast break then stole the ball from Bosgraf as he hustled back on defense. Parker spotted Kanode under the basket on a baseline inbounds and Kanode slipped the layup in for a ten-point advantage. Lemley answered with a cutter for Williamstown, then Chase beat Irvin off the dribble with a one-handed runner off the glass. Williamstown’s last gasp fell short when Schramm missed a good look at a three-pointer from the right-wing and Chase answered for West with a couple of free throws. Down 63-51, Sauro emptied his bench for the stretch run. Robertson would do the same for the Cavaliers.
Brayden McClung was named the Oldies 93, WKCJ, Rick Allen Nationwide Insurance Player of the Game. McClung finished with a career-high of 24 points and tied his career-high with 8 rebounds. Nickell had his second double-digit scoring effort of the season with 11 points. The Cavaliers have faced Williamstown at West Virginia State University the past four seasons, winning three of the four meetings. Greenbrier West goes on the road Saturday, February 12, to face the loser of Friday night’s South Harrison and East Hardy West Virginia Hometown Invitational game. The WVHIT finals are played at South Harrison High School with the Cavaliers slotted to play for third place in the tournament at 2:30 P.M.
GW (11-6) 12 12 19 20 – 63
W (14-5) 6 7 20 23 – 56
Greenbrier West – Brayden McClung 24, Ty Nickell 11, Chase McClung 8, Michael Kanode 8, Dale Boone 7, Elijah Perkins 5. Totals: 22 (15-20) 63.
Williamstown – Alex Irvin 27, Parker Schramm 11, Gavin Lemley 5, Seth Hammer 4, Payton Bunch 4, Gavin Bosgraf 3, Dylan Ashley 2. Totals: 18 (15-20) 56.
3-pointers – GW: 2 (C. McClung, Boone); W: 5 (Irvin 4, Schramm)
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.