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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 ***** (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 ***** nailed consecutive threes on as many trips down the floor. Joseph Price added a conventional three-point play for East Hardy, and ***** 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 ***** 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 ***** 4)
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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 ***** (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 ***** nailed consecutive threes on as many trips down the floor. Joseph Price added a conventional three-point play for East Hardy, and ***** 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 ***** 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 ***** 4)
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