Indians Defeat Fairmont Senior for Third Time This Season to Advance to Class AAA Title Game
By Chris Johnson on March 21, 2025
For the first time since 2001, the Bridgeport boys basketball team will play for state championship on Saturday following Friday’s 46-30 win against Fairmont Senior in the Class AAA semifinals at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
With the win, the Indians, who are the No. 1 seed, improved to 25-1 and extended their win streak to 23 games.
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They will face Nitro at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday for the title. It’s the first championship game in school history for the Wildcats, who are the only team to defeat Bridgeport this season, knocking them off 52-44 on Dec. 21.
Friday’s win was the third time the Indians have defeated the Polar Bears this year.
“It played out like a rivalry game, fortunately defensively we were tough and gritty enough to make things happen,” BHS coach Dave Marshall said. “We did a good job on the glass (Bridgeport outrebounded Senior 46-21). Anytime you play a Dave Retton team and the athletes they’ve got, you are just grinding every possession.
“I’m proud of the job we did defensively.”
Anderson McDougal scored Bridgeport’s first seven points on the way to finishing with a game-high 16. He also had four assists.
“When it came to me, I was confident and ready for that shot,” McDougal said.
Landon Sanders finished in double figures with 11 points including all of Bridgeport’s points in the second quarter.
Carter Zuliani had eight points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. Phoenix Sickles also pulled down double-digit rebounds will 11 to go along with four points.
Yet it was the defense that set the tone once again for Bridgeport. The Indians held Senior to nine points in the first, three in the second and five in the third – improving their mark to quarters this season where they have held an opponent to 10 points or less 64 times.
It also marked the seventh time this season the Indians have held an opponent to 30 points or less.
The Polar Bears, who finish the season at 18-6, only had three turnovers in the game but through the first three quarters made just 4-of-29 shots from the floor.
We had great opportunities but we just didn’t cash in on them,” Retton said. “They are just so good defensively, they limit the amount of opportunities you get anyway. Their five guys do a great job of getting back and staying connected defensively.”
Senior had 0 fastbreak points and was outscored in the paint, 34-10.
Limiting the Polar Bears from getting to the basket in transition was a point of emphasis for Marshall to his team and the huge rebounding advantage helped execute that portion of the game plan.
“A lot of those rebounds were on the offensive end and that was crucial in slowing them down,” Marshall said.”
Trea Cumberledge and Julz Butler each had 10 points for the Polar Bears. Cumberledge came in averaging around 22 points per game.
“We ran three or four different guys at Cumberledge but went with Phoenix as much as possible because of his length,” Marshall said.”
Class AAA No. 3 Nitro defeated defending state champion and second-seeded Shady Spring, 63-49, on Friday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center to advance to the state championship game.
Ty Stephens scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Wildcats (19-6).
Timmy Lovejoy and Collin Crouch each added 10 for Nitro, which led the entire way save for a 2-0 lead by Shady Spring.
The Tigers also had three players reach double digits. Jalon Bailey led with 16 points and seven rebounds. Khi Olson and Eli Sexton added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
“We have to do a better job on them than the first time that’s for sure,” Marshall said of the rematch with Nitro. “He’s got big guys to cover our big guys. Or maybe I should say it the other way around, we have big guys to cover their big guys.
He’s got guys that can score. The first time we played, they just took it to us. We are a better team than we were on December 21, but they are a better team as well. It’s going to come down to who executes better.”
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Anderson looking to get past Senior's Darrell Claybrook. In second photo, Sickles (11) and Donovan Williams box out in an effort to get a rebound and in bottom photo, Sanders defends Senior's Brock Martin. Photos by Joe LaRocca.
