West Stokes senior forward Austin Fleming runs the fast break during the second half of the Wildcats’ 54-41 victory over Salisbury during the second round of the 2A state basketball playoffs in King on Wednesday. With the win, West Stokes advances to the sectional finals for the first time in school history.
West Stokes made school history Wednesday night, advancing to the third round of the state 2A basketball playoffs for the first time with a 54-41 victory over Salisbury.
Late in the third quarter of the second round playoff contest, senior forward Demarion Jones made a steal, and went coast-to-coast before dishing the ball to Wildcat point guard Josh Spainhour for an easy layup. The bucket gave West Stokes its first lead of the game at 30-28.
The Wildcats weathered a first half barrage of three point baskets by Salisbury and were suddenly poised to seize control of the contest. In the early going, Salisbury was red hot from the field as guard Tion McCain knocked down 4 three-point baskets in the first quarter to help give the Hornets a 16-10 lead. West Stokes’ matchup zone slowed Salisbury’s offense in the second quarter as the Wildcats pulled to within 26-24 at the break.
As the clock ticked down the final seconds of the third quarter, Salisbury found itself trailing by 2 points. Inexplicably, the Hornets held the ball with a four corners style of offense and held for the final shot of the quarter. BJ Woods’ 3-point attempt was way off the mark, and West held a 34-32 advantage heading into the final stanza.
Spainhour, who led all scorers with 17 points, took control in the final period. The talented guard knocked down a huge 3-pointer with just under 6 minutes in regulation to push West’s lead to 40-32, and the West Stokes defense did the rest. McCain, who had lit up West’s defense for 12 points in the first quarter, only scored three points the rest of the way. Senior forward Austin Fleming drew several charges during the game, which helped shift momentum in the Wildcats favor. Fleming and his teammates crashed the boards with reckless abandon from the opening tip and outrebounded a big, athletic Salisbury squad. West Stokes’ hustle on defense and relentless offensive attack proved to be the difference down the stretch.
Fleming scored 7 points in the contest while Reid Goodson contributed 14 points and Alston Furr scored 10 points. Demarion Jones and Zach Hartle rounded out the Wildcats’ scoring with 3 points apiece.
West Stokes girls fall to Salisbury
The West Stokes girls basketball team ended their season with a 47-40 loss to Salisbury during the second round of the 2A state playoffs on Wednesday. Sophomore forward Makala Bozman led the Lady Wildcats with 10 points, while junior guard Abby Harris scored 9 points. Senior point guard Alex Francois and Anna Lankford contributed 8 points apiece, while Brianna Bratcher chipped in 5 points. The West Stokes girls (16-10) set a school record for most wins in a season with 16.
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