BECKLEY —
One of the surest signs of being a winner is playing through pain and adversity. That’s exactly what Woodrow Wilson and captain Andrew Johnson did Friday night.
Johnson, who sat out Wednesday’s game at George Washington after suffering a thigh injury against Shady Spring on Monday, helped the Flying Eagles overcome a 14-11 deficit in the first quarter to run away with an 80-48 victory over the visiting Lewis County Minutemen in a Class AAA boys game of the Big Atlantic Classic.
On a night that saw single-digit temperatures outside, Woodrow’s performance was even colder early in the first quarter, going four minutes without a field goal and allowing the Minutemen to jump out to a commanding 11-1 lead.
Junior guard Chase Hancock, considered by many to be Beckley’s top defender, started warming things up for the Eagles, coming away with two big steals late in the first quarter to help the Flying Eagles (11-4) go on a 10-0 run of their own.
After starting the game on the bench, Johnson came in for Brent Osborne and immediately made his presence felt, hitting a big 3-pointer early in the second quarter to give the Flying Eagles a 22-19 lead. Beckley would go on to outscore Lewis County 30-12 in the second quarter and would not relinquish the lead.
Johnson finished with a game-high 10 assists.
The Flying Eagles were once again led in scoring by junior Donte Nabors with 23 points. Nabors is averaging just over 20 points a game and has scored over 21 points in his last three games.
In an inspirational moment, junior Dai Dai Fortune hit a 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining in the fourth quarter and followed it up with a layup. The scores mark the first points Fortune has scored at home since the 2011-2012 season. Fortune has missed the majority of the season, battling injuries sustained in an accident in December.
Lewis County (9-6) was led by big man John Riley. Riley drew the majority of the pressure from Woodrow’s defense, going to the line 19 times. He finished the game with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Woodrow Wilson will play No. 5 Morgantown tonight at 7:20 p.m. in a Class AAA championship game. Both teams will be looking to move up in the standings following No. 4 Greenbrier East’s defeat at the hands of Point Pleasant in the previous game.
Lewis County (9-6)
Mark Moran 0 0-0 0, Kyle Marsh 2 1-2 6, Skylar Carlton 3 0-0 7, Joe Nichols 3 1-2 9, John Riley 5 9-19 19, Brenden Montgomery 1 0-0 2, Jacob Davisson 0 0-0 0, Jon Jerden 0 0-0 0, Dustin Martin 0 0-0 0, Ben Riley 0 0-0 0, Dylan Gump 1 0-0 2, David Gump 1 1-2 3. TOTAL: 16 12-25 48
Woodrow Wilson (11-4)
Andrew Johnson 3 1-2 9, Nicholas Deems 3 0-0 6, Donte Nabors 10 3-4 23, Chase Hancock 5 1-1 11, Nequan Carrington 6 0-2 12, Corey Acord 1 0-2 2, Austin Wills 0 0-0 0, Dai Dai Fortune 2 0-0 5, Noah Hancock 2 1-1 5, Brent Osborn 3 0-0 7. TOTALS: 35 7-12 80
L 14 12 13 9 — 48
WW 11 30 20 19 — 80
3-point goals: L: 4 (Nichols 2, Marsh, Carlton), WW: 4 (Johnson 2, Fortune, Osborne) Fouled out: WW: Deems, Noah Hancock.
Today's Sports Front
Related Photos
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Woodrow Wilson’s Donte Nabors (24) is fouled by Lewis County’s Joe Nichols during their Class AAA boys game in the Big Atlantic Classic on Friday at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. The Class AAA No. 10 Flying Eagles won the game 80-48. To purchase this picture and to see others visit our photo store at www.register-herald.smugmug.com. Chris Tilley
Minutemen not ready
Woodrow Wilson too much for Lewis County in 80-48 victory
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