By Taylor Kennedy | Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON — The modernization of technology has changed how people enter sporting events, including the WVSSAC state basketball tournaments in Charleston.
The George Washington Patriots became one of eight Class AAAA teams to scan their metaphorical ticket to next week’s state tournament by taking down Oak Hill, 72-43, Wednesday night on the Hill.
GW led by 18 points, 35-17, at halftime before outscoring the Red Devils 37-26 in the second half to take the 29-point victory.
It marks the third consecutive season that the Patriots have qualified for the tournament. George Washington earned the No. 1 seed in the Class AAAA and will face eighth-seeded Washington on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Nine Patriots got a piece of the scoring on Wednesday, with junior Jeriyah Pryor leading all scorers with 20 points.
Mariah Johnson and Zi’Keryah Myers each totaled 11 points in the victory.
“This is great for the kids,” GW coach Jamie LaMaster said. “We’ve been through a number of things this year. We’ve been dealt with injuries, sickness, injuries, you name it. We’ve been through it. To get to this, it’s huge for us, especially for these younger players, especially the freshmen that have been playing tremendous for us. Then, the veterans have been big and were so this evening with their leadership.”
George Washington got 22 of its 37 second-half points in the third quarter, including a stretch of eight consecutive points.
Pryor made sure her presence was felt to end the third by doing what she does best. It started with her going downhill and getting a bucket with four seconds left, then immediately swiping away the inbounds pass and getting another two.
Her four straight points in the waning seconds of the third gave GW a 57-29 advantage after three quarters.
“I liked our energy and [we] played faster,” LaMaster said. “We told them we have to play faster. We couldn’t let Oak Hill come down and get a wing entry into the post. They outsized us and [we] weren’t putting enough pressure on the ball. We talked at halftime about just playing faster. We had to speed the tempo up. That’s what we were able to do in the third quarter.”
Oak Hill’s season comes to a close at 10-11.
The Red Devils turned the ball over 17 times and shot 14 of 57 (25%) from the floor.
“This was my first season as the Oak Hill head coach and as a high school coach,” Oak Hill coach Jade Legg said. “My motto here is to build this program up. I do believe that from the beginning of the season, with these girls, they were a whole different team. They’ve had to learn different things with a new coach coming in. I believe we were a better team from the beginning to the end.”
In the Red Devils’ Natalie Craddock’s final game of the season, she scored a team-high 19 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and swatted three shots.
“Natalie dominated this season,” Legg said. “She is a very coachable kid. She has that winning mentality. She’s a great all-around player. She said in the locker room, ‘I really want this next year and want to get to states.’ She’s determined. She’s got that grit. This game is definitely going to motivate her to do whatever it takes.”
Two free throws by Alexandrea Williams cut Oak Hill’s deficit to four, 10-6. Yet, George Washington closed the opening quarter on a 10-3 run, holding Oak Hill to one field goal in the final six minutes of the first frame that came with 26 seconds left.
GW led 20-9 after one.
Patriots freshman Kollins Berry-Bruce scored all eight of her points in the first quarter, drilling two 3-pointers on Wednesday.
“Kollins is a really good on-ball defender,” LaMaster said. “She’s huge with confidence. She puts a lot of extra time in. She’s got great energy and she brought that. She’s one of the kids that brought that energy tonight when we needed it.”
A stretch of seven consecutive points in the second quarter propelled the Patriots to a 35-15 lead late into the second quarter. GW went on to lead by 18 points, 35-17, at the half.
George Washington used a 10-point spurt to begin the third quarter and was off and running. The Patriots outscored Oak Hill 22-12 in the third quarter, then were one point better in the fourth, 15-14.
GEORGE WASHINGTON 20 15 22 15 — 72: Pryor 7-14 6-6 20, Johnson 4-7 2-4 11, Myers 3-9 4-4 11, Berry-Bruce 3-6 0-0 8, Breckenridge 3-6 0-0 6, Sosebee 2-4 0-0 6, Manchin 1-1 2-2 5, Jackson 1-2 0-0 3, Gumm 1-6 0-0 2.
OAK HILL 9 8 12 14 — 43: Craddock 6-16 7-13 19, Compton 4-12 0-0 9, Parsons 2-10 3-5 8, Williams 1-8 2-2 4, Osborne 1-1 0-0 2, Holly 0-3 1-2 1.
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