By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
The search for that elusive first win of the season continued for Coach Jeff Stricklett and his West Union Dragons after their latest defeat, a 58-45 loss at Ripley on January 10. The loss dropped the Dragons to 0-10 on the season, their next opportunity for a victory will be on Saturday morning in the Coach Young Classic at North Adams.
West Union got the first bucket in Tuesday’s game on a Billy Flaugher three-pointer , but that was their only lead of the game as the Blue Jays answered with a 10-0 run to take a lead that they never relinquished.
The Jays led 15-10 after one quarter and extended that with a 6-0 run to begin the second stanza and led 32-19 at the half. After three quarters, it was the Jays on top 46-19, and although the Dragons won the final quarter 16-12, they lost in the final score by the 13-point margin.
“We had some wide open shots and I think we made one free throw all night,” said Coach Stricklett. “We have to learn how to win. I’m a big believer that it’s mental and we’ve had some chances this year but we just can’t seem to get over that hump. We’ve got some games coming up that I think we can compete in. The big thing is just to keep the boys focused and working hard. I’m proud of their effort.”
The winning Blue Jays (6-5) got a big night from junior guard Chayston Shields who led all scorers with 17 points, including four three-point goals. Ansh Singh also hit double figures for the winners with 14.
West Union was led by 12 points from freshman Billy Flaugher, all of them coming from behind the three-point arc. Tegan Knox added 9 and Gavin Jarvis 7 for the Dragons.
The Dragons will face Portsmouth Clay at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 14 in the annual Coach Young Classic and then jump back into Southern Hills Athletic Conference action on Tuesday, January 17 when they will host the Manchester Greyhounds.
The Blue Jays faced a tough SHAC road game at North Adams on Friday, January 13 and then they will also be part of the Coach Young Classic the next day, facing Eastern Pike in an 11:45 a.m. tip off.