As the West Virginia boys basketball season rolls into the postseason, the picture that was beginning to clear has suddenly become cloudier than ever.
The sectionals began on Saturday, only one day after the regular season concluded with Class AAA top 10 teams Washington (Charleston) and Capital (Charleston) losing. The Patriots welcomed the return of leading scorer Dashawn Badger, but fell behind by 12 points after the first quarter and couldn’t recover. It was the second consecutive loss for the top-ranked Patriots, who had won four in a row before a two-point loss to No. 2 Logan and Saturday’s nine-point defeat at unranked Parkersburg South.
Point guard De’quon Miller was GW’s leading scorer with 23 points. The timing of this loss by Parkersburg South was curious, considering it had lost four of its last six games, including a 12-point defeat at Parkersburg and a two-point home loss to Bridgeport. Unranked Winfield knocked off No. 4 Capital 90-83 behind guard Garon Kessler and forward Adam Kline, who combined for 59 points.
The pair of upsets will do nothing to the sectional seedings, which were also established before the games. However, they could play a role in the seedings for the State Tournament, which are determined when 16 teams in each class remain. At the conclusion of the sectionals when four teams remain in each region, the coaches vote for the final 16 (four teams in each of the four regions) but cannot vote for their own team.
Here’s what should happen in the next two weeks.
Class AAA
Region 1, Section 1 – Wheeling Park has lost twice – both to Logan. The Patriots were unable to play regional foe Preston, but have decisive victories over Brooke, John Marshall and Morgantown. Wheeling Park will win this section with Morgantown finishing second and visiting the No. 1 team in Section 2.
Region 1, Section 2 – Preston (Kingwood) was favored in this section after a State Tournament appearance last year, but being swept by Fairmont Senior didn’t help its cause. Preston actually played better at Fairmont than it did at home against the Polar Bears. Still, Preston and Fairmont should finish first and second here.
Final word – Wheeling Park and Fairmont Senior are the State Tournament qualifiers. The second-place team in Section 2 has a long trip to Wheeling, which should provide motivation in the sectionals.
Region 2, Section 1 – Hedgesville is the state’s darkhorse, losing only to Martinsburg (by one point) before avenging that defeat with a 20-point victory on Feb. 19. Hedgesville is the best team in this section with Martinsburg finishing second.
Region 2, Section 2 – Bridgeport will likely host the regional co-final and will be hard-pressed to defeat Martinsburg.
Final word – Two eastern panhandle teams, Hedgesville and Martinsburg, should earn tournament berths.
Region 3, Section 1 – This is, undoubtedly, the toughest Class AAA section. George Washington is the top seed, but Parkersburg South, Capital (Charleston) and Ripley pose challenges. Still, this should finish with GW and Capital surviving.
Region 3, Section 2 – Greenbrier East (Lewisburg) opened the second with seven consecutive losses and is the No. 1 seed here, which speaks volumes about this region.
Final word – There’s no reason why the two tournament representatives should not come from Section 1 – GW and Capital.
Region 4, Section 1 – South Charleston and Winfield will advance here.
Region 4, Section 2 – The top-ranked Logan Wildcats should roll here with second place up for grabs between Cabell Midland and Spring Valley.
Final word – South Charleston and Logan have the edge on State Tournament spots.
State Tournament seeds
1. Logan, 2. George Washington, 3. Wheeling Park, 4. Capital, 5. South Charleston, 6. Hedgesville, 7. Martinsburg, 8. Fairmont Senior
