By CAM HUFFMAN
for the Daily Telegraph
FAIRLEA — Coming off an emotional win against an old rival, Woodrow Wilson, in the Big Atlantic Classic championship game on Saturday and facing a Princeton team that has been playing much better than its deceiving 5-9 record, Greenbrier East was facing the definition of what coaches call a “trap game” at home against the Tigers Tuesday.
But the fourth-ranked team in Class AAA ended up catching Princeton in a trap of its own.
The Spartans’ half-court trap defense forced 21 Princeton turnovers that led to 23 points to overcome foul trouble and a difficult night from 3-point range and claim an 86-71 victory over a sectional foe.
Senior point guard Christian Ortiz battled back from a slow start to lead his team with 26 points and 10 assists and Seth Brown scored 20 points on three 3-pointers, picking up some of the slack after Ortiz attracted almost all the Tigers’ attention early in the game.
“Christian ended the game well, but I kept telling him he had to let the game flow to him and make sure he was involving everybody,” said Justice. “We had some great, great shots from Seth Brown. We set him up, and he knocked them down.
“We have a lot of players on this team that can shoot, and when Christian was struggling, we had other guys step up.”
Tyler Canterbury connected on 3 of his 11 3-point attempts to finish with 11 points, and Ty Walker scored 10 points to go along with a team-high 11 boards for East (14-1), which has won nine in a row after its lone loss of the season, a 73-62 setback against Mingo Central just after Christmas.
Princeton (5-10) put up a good fight, especially early when big man Aaron Ferguson scored nine of the game’s first 12 points. He started with a dunk on the opening possession, showed his range with a long baseline jumper, connected on a turnaround shot from the foul line and then displayed his athleticism with a baseline reverse, drawing contact and getting to the line for a 3-point play that gave his team a 9-3 advantage.
The Tigers — who took Class AAA No. 3 Parkersburg South down to the wire last week at the Big Atlantic Classic, falling just short before getting an overtime win over Shady Spring in a consolation game — were playing with confidence and emotion, but that extra energy got the best of them when Logan McKinney was whistled for a technical foul.
That infraction, and Brown’s ensuing free throws, sparked a 16-0 Spartan run that put the home team ahead 19-9. With the crowd into the game, East never trailed again.
The Spartans led 36-26 at half and extended its advantage to as many as 19 late in the fourth quarter. Justice was able to clear the bench late, getting 15 players getting into the scorebook.
“They have some great shooters, they have an outstanding point guard and right now they’re probably one of the hottest teams in the state,” said Princeton head coach Ernie Gilliard, who said he was proud of the way his team fought. “They were able to forge into the lead with their shooting ability, and from then on it was a game of runs.
“We just had some negative plays, and you can’t do that against a team like them.”
Princeton won the battle in the paint, out-rebounding East 46-35 and scoring 46 points in that lane, compared to 32 for the Spartans. Most of that production came from Ferguson, who had another huge game with 38 points and 21 rebounds.
“He’s exceptional,” said Justice of the Tigers’ 6-foot-9 senior. “He’s like a bull in a china shop.
“Princeton’s a good team. They’re just catching their stride. Ernie does a great job with them, and my hat’s off to them.”
Ashton O’Dell was the only other Tiger in double figures, scoring 11 points.
Princeton will stay within its section this week, hosting Class AAA No. 8 Woodrow Wilson on Thursday.
“We’ve had a lot of moral victories lately, but right now we’re not big on moral victories,” said Gilliard. “We need some actual wins. It’s good to know that we’re moving in the right direction, but we’ve got to actually get some Ws.”
East will travel to Handley, Va., today before hosting Hampshire on Friday.
chuffman@register-herald.com
/ Twitter @CamHuffmanRH

PRINCETON (5-10)
Colton Fix 1 6-7 8, Jacob Whittington 1 0-0 2, Ashton O’Dell 3 5-6 11, Logan McKinney 2 2-2 6, Aaron Ferguson 16 6-14 38, Cole Cochran 3 0-0 6. Totals 26 19-29 71.
GREENBRIER EAST (14-1)
Caleb Ward 2 1-3 5, Ty Walker 4 2-3 10, Seth Brown 4 9-12 20, Christian Ortiz 11 4-4 26, Tyler Canterbury 3 3-3 11, Jasiah Rawls 1 0-0 2, Kyle Beswick 1 2-2 4, Isaiah Godfrey 1 0-1 2, Gavin Smith 0 2-2 2, Victor Adedokun 1 0-0 2, Evan Canterbury 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 22-29 86.
Princeton............14 12 21 24 — 71
Greenbrier East.......24 12 25 25 — 86
3-pointers: P: 0; GE: 6 (Brown 3, Tyler Canterbury 3). Fouled out: GE: Walker, Brown.