SOUTH CHARLESTON — The opportunity was there.

South Charleston had defeated Woodrow Wilson last month in the first regular season contest, and in effect, knocked the Flying Eagles from the No. 1 position in the Class AAA poll.

Woodrow had a chance to return the favor Saturday night.

But No. 1-ranked South Charleston came from behind to defeat No. 4 Woodrow Wilson 71-68 in the boys championship game of the Mountain State Athletic Conference Night of Champions event.

Woodrow drops to 16-5, while South Charleston improves to 18-3.

Down by three, Woodrow Wilson senior Cameron Shannon hit a short driving jumper, and hit the bonus free throw to tie it at 67-67 with 21 seconds left.

But South Charleston senior Ot Elmore banked in a 15-footer to put the Black Eagles back up with nine ticks left.

Shannon again drove to the basket on the ensuing possession, drawing a foul.

But he was only able to nail the first of two free throw attempts.

South Charleston sophomore Kevin Williams added two successful foul shots in the last seconds to seal it away.

With the victory, the Black Eagles finish a tough slate of MSAC games with an unblemished mark in league play.

“We’re 16-0 in the MSAC,” said South Charleston coach Vic Herbert. “This was a tough win in the toughest league in the state. We play a lot of good teams, so we’re really happy with this win.”

For a while, Woodrow Wilson was in full control.

The Flying Eagles held a 14-point lead with 4:45 remaining in the third quarter after going on a 10-2 run to open the second half.

But the Black Eagles weren’t dead yet. South Charleston shot a scorching 17-of-24 in the second half, mounting a 12-3 burst of its own to close the third, heading into the final period down 52-48.

“We never quit,” said Herbert. “It was a true team effort, to be down 14 and come back and win.”

Trevond Reese put the South Charleston offense on his back in the second half, scoring 16 of his game high 20 points after halftime.

“We have to learn to put people away when we’ve got them down,” said Woodrow Wilson coach Ron Kidd. “We didn’t step up to the challenge. They started pounding it inside to Reese and he got them going. We have to contest that better.”

South Charleston got 14 points from freshman Adrian Cunningham, 12 from senior Ot Elmore and 12 from sophomore Jon Elmore, who had 33 in the previous matchup with the Flying Eagles.

“We took it as a challenge this time on him,” Kidd said. “We fronted him better.”

“We’re not intimidated by them,” Kidd added. “We think we’re just as good as they are.”

Cam Shannon led Woodrow Wilson with 17 points, 15 coming in the second half.

Larry Terry connected for 14 points, including four 3s while Matt Potter chipped in with 13 points.

Potter contributed 11 points in the first half.

Woodrow Wilson hosts Robert C. Byrd Saturday at the Beckley-Raleigh Convention Center for its regular season finale.



South Charleston 71, Woodrow 68

WW    15    22    15    16    —    68

SC    18    13    17    23    —    71

Woodrow Wilson (16-5)

Ayers 4, Johnson 9, Shannon 17, Potter 13, Day 8, Nabors 1, Lewis 2, Terry 14.

South Charleston (18-3)

J. Elmore 10, Kincade 5, Reese 20, Williams 8, O. Elmore 12, Cunningham 14, Moles 2.

Three-point goals — WW: 7 (Terry 4, Johnson, Potter, Shannon); SC: 3 (O. Elmore 2, J. Elmore). Fouled out — WW: Johnson.