There’s no mistaking the importance of hitting free throws, especially late in a tight game.

Woodrow Wilson did just that, nailing 8 of 8 in the final 42 seconds as the Flying Eagles held on and came away with a 69-60 victory over Riverside in a Mountain State Athletic Conference contest played at Park Middle School Saturday afternoon.

Woodrow improved to 7-10 on the season, 6-5 in the MSAC.

Sophomores Cameron Shannon and Larry Terry paced Woodrow with 21 points each.

Shannon netted 12 of his points in the first half with Terry contributing 16 in the second half.

Both stepped up big down the stretch.

Three of Terry’s field goals were direct responses to Riverside buckets as the Warriors attempted a late rally in the fourth quarter.

Terry went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth while Shannon hit 3-of-4 in the final period.

“Larry had a good game,” coach Ron Kidd. “He can score. But we need to get him thinking more defensively. I think he’ll be a tremendous player for Woodrow.

“Cameron comes to play every game,” Kidd added. “When he plays well on offense and defense, we usually play well as a team. I thought he stepped up. His has a strong will to win. That’s the type of kid that he is.”

Riverside is just 1-18 overall, 1-14 in the MSAC, under first year coach David Starr, a former Matewan all-stater and WVIAC star at the University of Charleston.

The Warriors have lost 11 in a row.

“Riverside had everything to gain and nothing to lose,” Kidd said. “That’s how they played. David is a young coach. Give them some time and he’s going to turn that program around.

“Riverside came to play,” Kidd added. “Give them credit for even wanting to come here and play us. They played four games this week: They went to Lincoln County on Monday, Spring Valley on Wednesday — both of those are long trips. They went to Capital on Thursday, then they came here on Saturday. Not many teams want to do that.

“We didn’t contest their shots well enough,” Kidd said. “We needed to get a hand in their faces and not stand around and watch them shoot. We’re getting down to the nitty gritty now. You have to come ready to play each and every game. No excuses. We have to be ready. It’s getting down to do or die now.”

Flying Eagles junior forward Steven Thompson added eight points, including two second half 3s.

Riverside senior guard Chris Knapp caught fire in the fourth, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers while adding two field goals and two free throws to tally 15 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Freshman point guard Marcus Reed chipped in with 16 points for Riverside. His two 3s to close out the third quarter cut the Flying Eagles’ lead to nine points. His trey with 50 seconds remaining trimmed the Woodrow lead to just five points at 61-56.

Woodrow Wilson will travel to Nitro Tuesday, host St. Albans Wednesday and go to Hurricane Friday in the final week of the regular season.

The Flying Eagles are trying to get more previously canceled games in before the post-season begins.

Snowstorms and poor road conditions greatly reduced the schedule this season.

“We’ve only played three home games, not counting the Big Atlantic Classic,” Kidd pointed out. “That’s something that we’re looking at. The weather had a lot to do with it, but I’d like to play at least 10 home games a year. That’s rough on a team, especially one that is going through some growing pains. But you have to give our team credit. They’ve played hard and that’s all that matters.”

The sectional tournament begins March 1. Seedings and schedules are expected to be released Tuesday.

In Class AAA Region 3, Section 2, Woodrow Wilson is joined by Greenbrier East, Nicholas County, Princeton and Riverside.

Region 3, Section 1 participants include No. 1-ranked George Washington, No. 3 Capital, Parkersburg, Parkersburg South and Ripley.

— E-mail:jworkman@

register-herald.com



Woodrow Wilson 69, Riverside 60

Riverside (1-17)

Zach Bowles 0 1-2 1, Jacob Billanti 3 0-0 7, Marcus Reed 5 0-2 16, Thomas Duiguid 3 1-3 7, Chris Knapp 7 3-4 21, Tyler Brown 3 0-0 6, 1 0-2 2, Brian Persinger 1 0-2 2. Totals: 22 5-13 60.

Woodrow Wilson (7-10)

Jay Webb 0 4-4 4, Andrew Johnson 2 1-2 5, Steven Thompson 3 0-0 8, Cameron Shannon 8 3-4 21, Curtis Estep 2 0-0 5, Larry Terry 8 4-4 21, Christian Day 0 3-4 3, Steve Lewis 1 0-2 2. Totals: 25 15-20 69.

R 5 15 16 24 — 60

WW 13 12 23 21 — 69

Three-point goals: R 8: Reed 4, Knapp 3, Billanti; WW 6: Thompson 2, Shannon 2, Estep, Terry; Fouled out: None.