Clay-Battelle falls to East Hardy 51-34 in Class A quarterfinals
Mar. 20—CHARLESTON — The Clay-Battelle boys' basketball team saw its season come to a close on Thursday morning in the Class A state basketball tournament quarterfinals inside the Charleston Coliseum with a 51-34 defeat to East Hardy.
The sixth-seeded Cee-Bees jumped out to an early 11-5 advantage in the opening quarter, but the Cougars offense exploded for an extended run between the two quarters in the first half.
East Hardy guard duo Evan Hamilton (20) and Jordan Teets (14) combined for 34 of their team's 51 points, including all eight of their three-point makes (four each). Eight of the Cougars' 18 makes came from three.
Clay-Battelle was led by Preston Luzader, who scored 11 points and eight rebounds in his final game of an impressive career in Blacksville.
"The story of the game goes back to the first half, " C-B head coach Josh Kisner said. "I feel like they couldn't miss it, and we knew they were outside shooters. We did our best to contest shots when we could. I'm very proud of these men on our team. They did everything we asked them to this season ; this game doesn't define their season. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys."
Kisner's group got out on the front foot early in the game, building a six-point advantage through the opening six minutes.
However, Hamilton brought his team right back into the game with a personal 8-0 run to end the quarter with a layup and two of his four triples to give his team a 13-11 lead into the second, one they wouldn't give up for the rest of the contest.
The Cougars carried the scoring run into the second quarter as Teets nailed consecutive threes on as many trips down the floor. Joseph Price added a conventional three-point play for East Hardy, and Teets capped the 23-0 run with two more from long-range, extending the lead to 28-11 after trailing 11-5 in the first quarter.
"We were finishing well to start the game, we're above 50 % inside for the year, but they packed it in and made it hard inside for us, " Kisner said. We just couldn't make shots in that second quarter."
East Hardy's 6-foot-6 sophomore Gideon Goode finished with 11 blocks in the game.
The Cee-Bees cut the deficit to ten, 32-22, midway through the third quarter, but East Hardy eventually slowed the pace of the game down to limit possessions.
Despite only being outscored by three in the second half, Clay-Battelle's 17-5 deficit in the second quarter proved too much to overcome.
The Cee-Bees end their season 18-7.
Luzader will say farewell to Blacksville after a storied career that included becoming the all-time leading scorer in C-B history this season. He averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds in the regular season.
"It's been great playing here, and I've had some great teammates around me, " he said. "It's sad that it's over, but I'm just happy for what we accomplished and the time we had."
Preston has been a four-year starter for us and really has become the face of Clay-Battelle basketball in recent years, " Kisner said. "His dedication both on and off the court is second-to-none, he's worked with the younger kids in the community to be an example of what chasing your dreams can look like. He's a great player and an even better person."
BOX SCORE East Hardy 51, Clay-Battelle 34 C-B 11 5 8 10 — 34 EH 13 17 11 10 — 51 Clay-Battelle — Luzader 5 1-1 11 Ponceroff 4 0-4 8 White 1 3-4 5 Payton 2 0-2 5 Morgan 1 0-0 3 D. Ponceroff 1 0-0 2 East Hardy — E. Hamilton 7 2-2 20 Teets 5 0-0 14 Price 4 1-1 9 M. Hamilton 0 4-4 4 Good 1 0-0 2 McCullough 1 0-0 2 3pt goals made: Clay-Battelle 2 (Payton 1 Morgan 1); East Hardy 8 (E. Hamilton 4 Teets 4)
Topics
-
East Hardy into Final 4 after 51-34 win over Clay-Battelle
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — No. 3 East Hardy booked its second straight Final Four berth Thursday, routing sixth-seeded Clay-Battelle, 51-34, in the Class A state quarterfinals at the Charleston Coliseum ...Yahoo Sports - 20h -
Morgantown, University, Clay-Battelle set for quarterfinals of boys state basketball tournament
Mar. 18—CHARLESTON — Monongalia County will be well-represented this week in Charleston as all three public high schools have qualified for the 2025 WVSSAC boys' basketball tournament. Rivals ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Live updates from Thursday's quarterfinals
The Tennessee high school boys basketball state tournament moves into Thursday's Class 3A and 4A quarterfinal games. Follow along with our live updates.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Morgantown falls short in Class AAAA state championship with 62-45 loss to Spring Valley
Mar. 15—CHARLESTON — The Morgantown girls' basketball team fell 62-45 to top-seeded Spring Valley in the Class AAAA state championship on Saturday in Charleston. The Timberwolves took an 11-8 lead ...Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Byron ends its season with dismantling of DeLaSalle
Mar. 20—BYRON — The Byron boys basketball team ended its season on a high note, easily dispatching No. 5 seed DeLaSalle 80-66 in the state Class 3A tournament fifth-place game Thursday at Concordia ...Yahoo Sports - 19h -
Morgantown set to battle George Washington in Class AAAA state semifinals
Mar. 13—CHARLESTON — The Morgantown High girls' basketball team will meet a familiar state tournament foe as the Mohigans will square off with George Washington on Friday evening in the Class AAAA ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
Top-seeded Lincoln boys find another gear to vanquish Spearfish in Class AA quarterfinals
Mar. 20—RAPID CITY — For a half and then some, eighth-seeded Spearfish gave the top-seeded Sioux Falls Lincoln boys basketball team all it could handle. The Patriots then brought the full freight ...Yahoo Sports - 19h -
TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Live updates from Wednesday's quarterfinals
The Tennessee high school boys basketball state tournament is here. Follow our live updates from Class 1A and 2A quarterfinal games in Murfreesboro.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Class A State Basketball Tournament in Billings
Mar. 14—Action from Northwest A teams at the Class A State Basketball Tournament in Billings March 13-15. Bigfork's Braeden Gunlock (21) drives to the basket in the first half against Lewistown at ...Yahoo Sports - 6d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Ohio State women's basketball vs Montana State in NCAA Tournament first round
It's Ohio State women's basketball vs Montana State in the first round of March Madness. Follow for scores, NCAA Tournament updates from the game.Yahoo Sports - 37m -
Viktor Hovland contending at the Valspar Championship after (another) coaching change
Two weeks ago, Hovland announced a switch back to Grant Waite, insisting he's trying to "get to the bottom" of his slump.Yahoo Sports - 40m -
Auburn basketball vs Creighton: Who has edge in 2025 NCAA Tournament second round?
It’s Auburn Tigers vs. Creighton Blue Jays in the March Madness bracket. Here’s our prediction, pick for the 2025 NCAA Tournament basketball game.Yahoo Sports - 40m -
Georgia Amoore scores 34 points and Kentucky holds off charge by Liberty for 79-78 March Madness win
Georgia Amoore scored 34 points, including three free throws in the final 10 seconds for fourth-seeded Kentucky, which nearly blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead but held on for a 79-78 victory ...Yahoo Sports - 40m -
Mexican club Leon banned from FIFA Club World Cup
Club Leon from Mexico were incensed Friday after they were banned from the June-July Club World Cup in the United States for violating rules on multi-ownership, FIFA announced Friday. A FIFA ...Yahoo Sports - 44m
More in Sports
-
Ohio State women's basketball vs Montana State in NCAA Tournament first round
It's Ohio State women's basketball vs Montana State in the first round of March Madness. Follow for scores, NCAA Tournament updates from the game.Yahoo Sports - 37m -
Poch after loss: Wearing U.S. shirt 'not enough'
Mauricio Pochettino was left visibly frustrated after the USMNT's shock 1-0 defeat to Panama in the Concacaf Nations League, bluntly telling his players it was not enough to just simply show up in ...ESPN - 38m -
Skenes' 1-of-1 rookie card fetches record $1.11M
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes' 2024 Topps Chrome Update MLB debut patch autograph card sold for a stunning $1.11 million, including buyer's premium.ESPN - 38m -
Bronny has season-high 17 points in Lakers' loss
Bronny James scored a season-high 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting and added five assists, three rebounds and a block in 30 minutes of playing time against the Bucks.ESPN - 38m -
Wood carded for signing autographs in NZ win
Chris Wood picked up a yellow card for signing autographs and taking pictures with fans during New Zealand's win over Fiji in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.ESPN - 38m