By CAM HUFFMAN
for the Daily Telegraph
NEW RICHMOND — Johnathan Sims hit five 3-pointers and poured in 27 points to lead Wyoming East to a 66-61 victory over visiting Bluefield on Tuesday night.
East started quickly and seemed poised to run away with the game early. Sims hit a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game, R.J. Foldon hit one on the second, and the Warriors went on to score the first 13 points of the game.
Bluefield weathered the initial storm to climb back into the game. The Beavers were able to cut the deficit to 20-14 by the end of the quarter, and after Jeremy Thompson hit a 3-pointer just ahead of the halftime buzzer, they had cut the deficit to just a single point at 34-33.
“Bluefield, they’re a tough bunch, man,” Wyoming East coach Rory Chapman said. “They get after you defensively. They rebound. They scrap. They can run the ball up and down the floor really fast.
“Even when we got off to a hot start, I knew Bluefield was going to make a run at us. I was just hoping we would sustain the run.”
The Bluefield run extended into the second half. Jaray Williams nailed a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second half to give the Beavers their first lead of the game, and they would hold that lead for the rest of the quarter, taking a 54-52 lead into the final period.
The play of sophomore guard Mookie Collier sparked Bluefield. He scored 16 of his team-high 24 points in the second and third quarters as the Beavers were making their run.
“When Mookie goes up, it’s like he jumps off a trampoline,” Chapman said. “He is really athletic. He’s a quick guard, and he can really leap.”
The early part of the fourth quarter was back-and-forth as the teams traded leads. Midway through the period, East seized control of the game and would not trail again. Sims scored 10 points in the final quarter, hitting shots at some of the game’s most crucial points.
“I told somebody the other day how proud of him (Sims) I am this year because he’s bought in defensively,” Chapman said. “And he had nine assists the other night. He’s really sharing the ball.
“I told somebody that he could get 30. He’s that kind of streaky shooter. This is his style of game. He came out tonight firing, and you’ve got to give him the green light.”
With the win, Wyoming East concluded regular season play with a record of 17-3. The Warriors have won nine games in a row and 17 of their last 18. East also finished undefeated in regional play and claimed the top seed in its section.
“We just want to keep getting better,” Chapman said. “We want to get back to practice and fix a few things that we’ve seen the last three or four games…We’ll fix those things, and we’ll get rolling for tournament time.”
Wyoming East will open sectional play on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center against the winner of Summers County and Liberty.

BLUEFIELD (12-6)
Donte Hopkins 3 0-0 6, Jeremy Thompson 5 2-3 15, Mookie Collier 11 0-0 24, Dumeck Taxley 2 0-2 5, Jaray Williams 5 0-0 11. Totals: 26 2-5 61.
WYOMING EAST (17-3)
Johnathan Sims 11 0-0 27, RJ Folden 3 2-3 9, Alec Lusk 1 1-2 3, Logan Blankenship 3 4-7 10, Dylan Brehm 1 4-6 6, David Carte 2 7-8 11. Totals: 21 18-26 66.
Bluefield..........................14 19 21 7 — 61
Wyoming East...............20 14 18 14 — 66
3-point goals: BF: 7 (Thompson 3, Collier 2, Taxley, Williams); WE: 6 (Sims 5, Folden). Fouled out: Williams (BF).