All hands on deck as Woodrow girls defeat Greenbrier East

Jan. 13—Brian Nabors saw things he liked and things he didn't. One of the positives was the number of players who contributed.

"We've had some tough luck with some injuries and we've got to have some people step up," the Woodrow Wilson girls basketball coach said. "We've really been expressing that the past couple of months since we got started, because we're not a one-man team like some people think.

"We have kids that can play. All 15 kids can play. We just expect all of them to think like a starter."

That happened Friday night, which led to another thing Nabors liked — a 56-42 win over rival Greenbrier East in Beckley.

Abby Dillon scored a game-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers that all seemed to come at critical times, and Josie Cross continued her ascent and finished with 16 points.

They, of course, are the usual suspects. Also impactful were their fellow starters, Madison Belcher, Donya Burton and Mya Wooton.

Belcher's only field goal came inside the first two minutes, but it was a 3-pointer that put the Class AAAA No. 10 Flying Eagles (6-5) ahead for good at 4-3. Burton was aggressive getting to and playing under the basket, and Wooton made some key passes throughout the evening.

"I thought the ones who filled in positions today stepped up and played great for us," Nabors said. "I'm very, very proud of the overall team effort."

Separation came in the second quarter, when the Spartans (8-4) didn't hit their first field goal until Caroline Dotson connected at the 1:06 mark. It was their first made shot since Alizabeth Wooding's putback with :49.8 to play in the first.

That allowed Woodrow to start the second with an 8-1 run after scoring the final two of the first for a 26-11 lead with 4:52 left before the half.

After Cadence Stewart's 3 in the last 41 seconds of the quarter, Lataja Creasey hit her only field goal, a corner 3 with 1.8 on the clock to send the Flying Eagles to halftime with a 31-18 lead.

Greenbrier East coach and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice admitted his team did not handle the pressure of the game well.

"You're starting three freshmen and one sophomore, and Cadence (Stewart, the lone starting senior) was giving it everything she's got. All our kids were," he said.

"But, literally, you shoot 15 out of 23 shots in the first half, (most) 3s and some of them barely inside halfcourt. Our kids tried and battled. Hanna (Fuller, freshman center) was scared totally to death. In the third quarter she started getting in a rhythm a little bit. But it was a tough night on us. (Woodrow) did a good job."

The Spartans did come out fast in the third, Dotson rattling in a 3 and Cadence Stewart hitting another to get their team to 31-24. But a deep 3 by Dillon got the lead back to double digits, and later a small 7-0 run, capped by another 3 from Dillon, put Woodrow ahead 42-28 with 1:58 to go.

That was another positive for Nabors.

"I thought we were poised," he said. "I thought we stuck to the game plan. We took everything that they threw at us. Those Stewarts can play, man. I'm just very impressed with (Kennedy Stewart). I've watched her the last three years in our summer league and she handles herself well. and Cadence has been a thorn in our side the last three and a half years. She's a really good player.

"I thought our team grew up tonight. When they made a run and cut it to seven and I called a timeout, I thought they took that punch and came right back at them."

As for what Nabors didn't like — Woodrow went long stretches without field goals and was 14-of-28 at the free throw line.

"Missed some free throws and missed some easy chippies (around the basket)," Nabors said. "That's something we've just got to get better."

Cadence Stewart and Caroline Dotson both had 13 for East, which will host Oak Hill on Wednesday. Kennedy Stewart finished with 10.

Woodrow will visit Princeton on Wednesday.

Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gfauber5

Greenbrier East

Kennedy Stewart 10, Cadence Stewart 13, Caroline Dotson 13, Alizabeth Wooding 4, Hanna Fuller 2.

Woodrow Wilson

Abby Dillon 18, Josie Cross 16, Lataja Creasey 3, Leiloni Manns 4, Madison Belcher 3, Taylor Gunter 1, Donya Burton 5, Mya Wooton 6.

GE 10 8 13 11 — 42

WW

Three-point goals — GE: 7 (K. Stewart 3, C. Stewart 3, Dotson); WW: 6 (Dillon 4, Creasey, Belcher). Fouled out — GE: Makenna McClure.

Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gfauber5