Top-seeded Greater Beckley jumped out to a 30-9 lead after a quarter, never struggling in a 96-31 victory over No. 8 Meadow Bridge.
The win sends the Crusaders to the Regional co-final where they’ll host Mount View on Wednesday with a spot in the state tournament on the line.
Needing five wins to hoist a state championship trophy, the Crusaders made sure there was no letdown.
“Our message was very clear, if we didn’t have to play this game, they wouldn’t have put it on the regional schedule,” Greater Beckley head coach Justin Arvon said. “There’s a reason they’re coming here to play and that’s so we have a chance to win and move on. And if their focus isn’t every time they take the floor that they wanna beat their opponent, then we’re not going where we wanna go anyway.
“So they’re gonna have to beat this team, they’re gonna have to beat the next one, the next one and the next one, doesn’t matter who it is. If you’re not willing to come out and execute and play your absolute best for your team and your teammates and really, for yourself too, and honor the lord with what we’re doing, then then our goals aren’t gonna be met anyway. So we had to come out and play hard, execute well today, and I think we did it.”
The execution was crisp on both sides of the ball.
The Crusaders scored the first nine points of the game and led 58-17 at the break, connecting on 26-of-36 shots from the field in the opening 16 minutes.
Keegan Davidson got the scoring rolling with a 3 to open the game but the defensive intensity was also apparent from the jump. To avoid a turnover, Meadow Bridge called a timeout on its first possession before advancing to the front court. It did little to build traction.
Davidson nabbed a steal and took it the distance for a layup before Drew Fitzwater connected on a pair of layups to make it 9-0. Trent Roles snapped the Wildcats’ skid with a layup but the Wildcats had no answer to the Crusaders’ size, specifically that of Fitzwater who added two more layups to make it 15-4.
Meanwhile Meadow Bridge’s offense struggled to penetrate Greater Beckley’s defense which committed to staying in front of the ball instead of pressuring.
“We wanted to stay in front of the basketball tonight,” Arvon said. “We’re preparing for where we wanna be, which is Charleston and our goal is March 22. To defend there, you’re not gonna be able to jump out in the passing lanes. Those are good teams, good players and they’ll go blow right past you. So we focused on being solid on the defensive end and trying to be in help. No, we weren’t perfect. I mean, I wasn’t happy with our defensive effort, but I think in terms of habits and principles for the most part, we really played well in that.”
The barrage on both ends continued with the Wildcats effectively out of the game after a quarter.
Davidson led the charge with 22 points while Fitzwater netted 14 for the Crusaders who started several bench players to open the second half.
Trent Roles led the Wildcats with 12 in the loss.
The Crusaders now turn their focus to a Mount View program that’s challenged them in years past. When Greater Beckley made a title game run in 2022, it came with a close call in Welch where the Crusaders rallied from a double-digit deficit to kick off their postseason run.
“If I have to keep them focused right now, again, I don’t think we’re going where we wanna go,” Arvon said. “I want them to be a little loose. I don’t want them so focused that they’re overstepping what they need to do and just anxious and all that. They’ll be focused. We’ll have a day off tomorrow and we’ll get back to gym Monday, start working on it and get to Wednesday and see what happens. But we’re not gonna lose focus here, that’s for sure.”
MB: 9 8 10 4 – 31
GB: 30 28 15 23 – 96
Meadow Bridge
Trent Roles 12, Jakob Bowman 2, Keaton Rozelle 4, Tony Martin 7, Cameron Gibson 6
Greater Beckley
Keegan Davidson 22, Javonte Spencer 3, Drew Fitzwater 14, Kash Hendrix 9, Eli Gunter 13, Isiah Kincaid 11, Averyk Woodson 3, Kellen Heffernan 2, Tayshawn Croner 2, Josh Garlow 3, EJ Page 2, Kaden Bolen 9, Nick Bragg 3
Go Crusaders!