The West Greene boys used lock-down defense and balanced scoring on Tuesday night to pick up a 56-32 win on the road at Chuckey-Doak.
“Our defensive intensity was a lot better tonight. We jumped to the ball and got into gaps, and our defense created a lot of our offense,” West Greene coach Allen Tolliver said. “I’m proud of the effort and intensity and if we can keep that up we can be a dangerous team in the postseason.”
Eight of West Greene’s nine players scored on Tuesday and the Buffs put three players in double figures. Conner Campbell and Ayden Lamons each had 12 points, and Sam Wisecarver put in 11.
“I felt like we shared the ball well tonight,” Tolliver said. “We scored well early and then hit a lull in the third quarter. But they found that composure in the fourth quarter to pull away again. If you can put three guys in double digits you are going to have a god shot at winning.”
In the first quarter the Buffaloes took control and held a 14-5 lead by the end of the period. Wisecarver knocked down a triple from the right wing and scored five points in the period while Campbell scored three points the hard way on a put back before dropping in a runner.
In the second quarter the Buffaloes went inside to extend their lead with Braden McCamey and Lamons scoring on put backs. In the same stretch Campbell scored on a pair of layups as the lead grew to 22-8.
Over the final three minutes of the quarter Chuckey-Doak found some answers with Ryland Grindstaff pulling up for a jumper from the short corner and Gavin Crum taking a steal the other way. The half ended with West Greene leading 28-14.
Wisecarver got the second half started with a triple for West Greene. Lamons scored on a tip-in after Elijah Williams drove the length of the floor, and then Campbell laid one off the glass for a 37-17 lead at the 3:46 mark.
Chuckey-Doak then got going with Grindstaff and Crum sinking a pair of triples before Grindstaff turned a steal into three points the old-fashioned way to close the gap to 37-26.
The Black Knights would not get any closer and the quarter closed with West Greene leading 42-26.
After Chuckey-Doak cut the lead down to 11 points West Greene’s defense did not give up a field goal for over eight minutes.
West Greene’s lead reached 50-28 by the midway point in the fourth quarter after Williams and McCamey each connected from behind the arc. From there Tolliver cleared his bench on the way to a 56-32 win.
Crum led Chuckey-Doak on Tuesday with 15 points while Grindstaff put in 11 points.
