Defending State Champion Shady Spring Defeats Robert C. Byrd in Class AAA Quarterfinals, 60-43
By Chris Johnson on March 19, 2025
Class AAA No. 2 and defending state champion Shady Spring (20-4) defeated No. 7 Robert C. Byrd (15-7) 60-43 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament Wednesday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
Jalon Bailey torched the nets for 26 points to lead the Tigers. Jack Williams added 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Logan Boyce had 19 points for the Eagles and Rylee Dickerson added 12 points..jpg)
The Eagles forced 18 Shady Spring turnovers, 12 of them being steals. However, the Tigers took control of the game with a 16-3 run in the third quarter.
“I’m really proud of this group,” RCB coach Basil Lucas said. “I give Shady a lot of credit. We were in the type of game we wanted but Shady went on a run and made some shots.”
Earlier in the day in the Class AA quarterfinals, No. 3 Nitro (18-6) avoided the first upset of the tournament as the Wildcats rallied to defeat No. 6 Ripley, 48-45, and set up a semifinal clash with Shady Spring.
The Vikings (19-6) led for the majority of the second half until Nitro’s Caylem Thomas hit two free throws with 2:14 left to put the Wildcats up 46-45.
Collin Crouch led Nitro with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats are the only team to defeat top-seeded Bridgeport this season, a 52-44 win on Dec. 21.
Brandon Sias led Ripley with 15 points and Matt Stellato added 11.
The four Class AAAA quarterfinal games took place on Wednesday.
Noah Lewis was dominant in leading No. 3 George Washington (20-4) past No. 6 University (18-6). Lewis was 9-of-13 from the floor with 24 points to go along with 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
Luke Byrer led the Hawks with 14 points and Glenn Brown added 11.
No. 2 Morgantown (20-2) closed out its games with No. 7 Parkersburg South (15-9) on an 11-2 run, breaking a 48-all tie with 3:17 remaining en route to a 59-50 victory.
Waylon Colistra led four Mohigans in double digits with 16 points. Max Frey added 12 points, while Demarcus Bandy and Marty Johnson each had 11. Brady Savage just missed double digits in points, finishing with nine but added 14 rebounds and five assists.
To kick off the first game of Day 2’s second session, Class AAAA No. 1 Spring Mills (21-1) defeated No. 8 Martinsburg (12-8).
In the final game of Day 2, No. 4 Spring Valley (20-2) defeated No. 5 Woodrow Wilson (18-4), 61-44, to advance to Friday where it will face Spring Mills.
Akwasi Opoku-Achampong led the Cardinals with 22 points. Caleb Thomas added 16 points eight reobunds and five blocked shots. Zion Agyeman-Duah had 14 points to lead the Bulldogs.
Harrison Riggs led a balanced attack for the Timberwolves with 18 points and seven rebounds. Clay Robertson and Colton Caldwell each finished with 15 points for Spring Valley, which closed the game on a 17-3 run. Caldwell also pulled down nine rebounds. Robertson had five rebounds and six assists.
Zyon Hawthorne led Woodrow Wilson with 16 points. Preston Clary chipped in with 12 points.
Editor's Note: Photo shows RCB's Logan Boyce putting up a shot during Wednesday's game against Shady Spring. Photo by Teran Malone for WV MetroNews/The WVSSAC. Check out more of his photos from the tournament HERE
