Ramey
Bluefield vs PikeView at Princeton Christmas Tourn
PikeView (49) Vs. Bluefield (61)
By TOM BONE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON — The Bluefield Beavers had to work a little harder, but scrambled their way into the championship game of the Princeton Senior High Christmas Tournament sponsored by Alpha Natural Resources with a 61-49 win over PikeView on Friday night at the PSHS gym.
After overwhelming Graham in their first game, Bluefield (2-0) shot out to an 8-0 lead on Friday. But four straight PikeView baskets trimmed the Beavers’ edge to 13-12 when Will Webster nailed a three-pointer from the right side, forcing a Bluefield timeout.
“We love to press,” said Bluefield head coach Buster Large. “We have some quickness and we try to use that to our advantage.
“They did a good job in the first half of adjusting after we jumped out to that 8-0 lead. After the timeout, our press really didn’t really bother them that much.”
The Beavers led by 17-14 after one period, and held PikeView to eight points in the second quarter to earn a 32-22 margin.
Bluefield senior K.J. Manns said, “We came out with the fire in our eyes to win this game. They came back after (being behind) 8-0, they caught up, so we had to come back out ready to do it again.”
Manns said, “Defense wins it all, defense wins basketball games, so we knew we had to get our defensive intensity and momentum back up. That’s what helped us out — tremendously.”
Large said, “After that there were spurts, us and then them. We were fortunate to get up by 10 at halftime, (and) made some adjustments at halftime ... and it worked to our advantage, not the entire second half, but early on in the second half.”
The Panthers went on a three-minute scoring drought in the third quarter. Bluefield was aided by steals by Manns and guard Lykel Collier, and the Beavers took a 50-35 advantage into the final period.
Large said, “Coming out (of halftime), we got a couple of steals, and a couple of steals in a 10- or 11-point ballgame is critical.”
Collier netted Bluefield’s last field goal with 4:53 left in the game and Manns followed with a pair of foul shots to give the Beavers their largest lead, 59-39. PikeView chipped away after that but could not threaten the final result.
Large said, “I knew it was going to be a tough game. We’re such good, close rivals. Fortunately we were able to come out on the winning side, but we knew this was going to be a battle right up to the end.”
Webster paced the Panthers with 18 points, making six of PikeView’s 19 field goals, while the team was 9-for-18 at the foul line.
Anthony Eades was again Bluefield’s top scorer, with nine field goals and a 4-for-4 night at the foul line for 22 points. Manns tossed in 14 points and Collier added 10.
The championship of the tournament begins tonight at about 7:30, after the consolation game between James Monroe and PikeView that tips at 5:30 p.m.
Large said prior to the James Monroe-Princeton game, “We’re happy to be there (in the championship contest). It’ll be a big challenge for us. Both these teams playing out here are capable of beating anybody.
“We’re just happy to have the opportunity to represent Bluefield and to be in the championship game.”
Manns said about the first-round contest, “It was a challenge, more of a challenge than our first game. It was more physical. We came out with the win, and that’s what was important.”
— Contact Tom Bone at tbone@bdtonline.com

At Princeton Senior High School
PIKEVIEW
Will Webster 6 5-6 18, Zach Van Blaricom 2 0-0 4, JasonWeitzel 2 0-2 4, Cory Peyton 3 0-2 6, Tyler Ruble 0 0-2 0, Brandon Hazelwood 1 0-0 2, Zach Meadows 1 0-0 2, David Keen 3 3-4 10, Willie Sizemore 1 1-2 3. Totals 19 9-18 49.
BLUEFIELD
K.J. Manns 6 2-2 14, Harley Trimble 3 0-0 6, Lykel Collier 4 2-3 10, Michael Yost 0 1-2 1, Anthony Eades 9 4-4 22, Ryan Shorter 2 2-2 6, D.J. Edwards 0 2-4 2. Totals 24 13-17 61.
PikeView.................14 8 13 14 — 49
Bluefield.................17 15 18 10 — 61
Three-point goals: PVHS 2 (Webster 1, Keen 1); BHS, none. Fouled out, none.
Game Scoreboard
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT SCORE
PikeView 14 8 13 14 0 49
Bluefield 17 15 18 11 0 61
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