Tyler Consolidated’s Gage Huffman cuts down the net after the Silver Knights’ regional co-final win versus Cameron last week in Kidwell. Photo Provided

KIDWELL — Teams earn the top seed at the state tournament for a reason.

Tyler Consolidated head coach Rick Leach knows that all too well, but the No. 8-seeded Silver Knights don’t plan to back down when they take on Class A state tournament favorite Wheeling Central at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals at the Charleston Civic Center.

TCHS is coming off a regional co-final triumph against Cameron and sports a 17-8 record.

Wheeling Central head coach Mel Stephens’ squad enters the fray at 22-3 and is led by the dynamic senior duo of Owen Gainer (20.0 ppg) and Brent Price (19.5 ppg).

“The Gainer kid, I think he has 90 3s on the year and he can shoot the outside shot, obviously, and the Price kid can do it all, shoot the 3 and dunk on you if you give him the lane,” said Leach, whose squad boasts nine seniors on the roster as well as junior leading-scorer Griffin Phillips (16.1 ppg).

“Central has quickness too,” said Leach. “They run a diamond press, we call it a 30 press, the whole game. They are a zone-trapping press and drop back to man in the halfcourt. They rely on getting easy buckets. That’s our key. We got to try and take care of the basketball and don’t give them easy baskets.”

While the Maroon Knights have been a mainstay at the state tournament, Tyler Consolidated is making its fifth trip and first since 2002.

“I think I had four guys out of 15 who are dressing who have been to the state tournament,” Leach said. “We are going down (today) to just get a feel of the atmosphere. We’ve got a practice scheduled in the afternoon at West Virginia State, which is a similar background to what the civic center has.

“We’ll attend the morning session, get some shooting practice in, eat, check into the hotel and watch the evening session. That’s a full day for them and they get to enjoy it. Most of the kids don’t even know what it’s like. I want to get them the feeling.”

Despite being the obvious underdog, Leach is hoping his team can force Wheeling Central’s other players to beat them and not allow Gainer and Price to control the game. Central also features the likes of Anthony Robbins (7.7 ppg), Cedric Williams (7.5) and Bray Price (6.7).

“We have to slow them down and make them run a halfcourt offense,” stated Leach, who along with Phillips likely will start Tyler West (10.0 ppg), Dylan Roberts (9.5 ppg), Nate Lancaster (5.8 ppg) and Kyle Mason, the team leader in assists.

“Wheeling Central made 17 3s in the regional final against St. Marys. We need to get back (on defense), don’t give them open lanes to the basket and other than Gainer, make those other guys beat you from the outside.”

The past three seasons, the Silver Knights won five games each year. This winter, they’ve tied the school record of 17 triumphs set back in 1995.

“All year we’ve run a 2-2-1 press,” stated Leach, who will have Mark Rucker, Steven Ross, Luke Daughtery and Mark Wilson among others to call upon off the bench. “It’s more of a tempo press to slow people down and if they try to speed dribble up the sideline, we can trap that.

“We’ve got to slow them down and run our matchup zone. We have to try to make them beat us from the outside and try to contest every outside shot.”

Nearly 300 t-shirts have been made and coach Leach said they are expected to have a pair of fan buses make the trek to Charleston in support of the Silver Knights.

“There are a lot of kids driving down and not riding the buses,” added the coach. “It’s a good feeling to have for our kids and it’s good for our school. It was great for our program to have that opportunity to win another sectional and another regional.

“Everybody is walking around a little bit lighter. Everyone is happier, except for me. I’m grumpy and I’m not sleeping. Everybody else is walking around with smiles on their face and everything.”

While preparing for Central would make any coach lose sleep, Leach is appreciative of everyone’s efforts this season, including senior Colby Buchanan, who couldn’t play basketball after suffering a knee injury in football and has been the team’s statistician.

“The key is to take care of the ball on our press,” Leach added. “You turn the ball over in the press and they’re going to get layups and they can make layups.”