Valiant defensive effort not enough for Tucker
GBC earns 48-40 win in Class A semifinal play
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Photo courtesy of Stella Gill/West Virginia Press Association
Tucker County's Haden Wamsley battles a pair of Greater Beckley Christian players for possession Thursday afternoon in Class A semifinal action.
CHARLESTON -- A valiant defensive effort wasn't enough for third-seed Tucker County as seventh-seed Greater Beckley Christian held on for a 48-40 victory Thursday afternoon in Class A semifinal play inside the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.
"We battled and played hard," Mountain Lions coach Daniel Helmick said. "We preached all day if we could win the rebounding (battle) and guard like we have all season we had a chance and we did."
Tucker County never led in the game and faced a 25-20 halftime deficit after trailing 11-6 after the opening quarter.
"We missed some shots in the first half and some (3-pointers) we usually make."
The Crusaders quickly took a double-digit lead out of the halftime break on a 3-pointer by Kendrick Wilson and a layup by Sean-David Kadjo.
A trey by the Mountain Lions' Levi Bennett later cut the deficit to 31-25 with 4:24 left in the quarter, and Ashton Lycliter's layup late in the canto brought Tucker to within single digits, at 39-31, entering the final quarter.
Trailing 43-33 with 6:56 left in regulation, three straight baskets by Lycliter cut the GBC advantage to 43-39.
But the Mountain Lions could manage only a free throw by Bennett over the final 2:05 of the contest, and a key putback by Kadjo with 1:29 remaining gave the Crusaders a 47-40 cushion.
"We had a our chances," Helmick said. "We needed a stop and got one, but (Kadjo's basket) was a huge play."
GBC (7-20) was led by Wilson with 14 points and Kaden Smallwood with 13.
Lycliter had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Bennett 11 points for Tucker County, which finished the season 24-3 and loses just one starter to graduation.
The Crusaders are playing shorthanded due to four players being ruled ineligible late in the regular season which led to a forfeit of victories. They will meet top-seed James Monroe at 10 a.m. Saturday in the title game.
The Mavericks (27-0) advanced with a 67-44 win over fourth-seed Huntington St. Joseph's in Thursday's other semifinal.
Greater Beckley Christian (7-20)
Kendrick Wilson 5 3-4 14, Kaden Smallwood 6 0-3 13, Sean-David Kadjo 4 0-0 9, Michael Judy 2 0-0 5, John Rose 3 0-1 7, Braylon Arvon 0 0-0 0. Totals48 3-8 48
Tucker County (24-3)
Levi Bennett 4 1-2 11, Maddox Anderson 3 0-0 6, Ashton Lycliter 7 0-0 14, Trevan Bonner 3 0-2 7, Zach Long 1 0-0 2, Haden Wamsley 0 0-0 0, Owen Knotts 0 0-0 0, Aaron Quattro 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 1-4 40
GBC 11 9 19 9 -- 48
Tucker County 6 9 16 9 -- 40
3-point goals: GBC 5 (Wilson, Smallwood, Kadjo, Judy and Rose), TC 3 (Bennett 2, Bonner)