Blue Devils look to give Hawks their first loss
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GLENVILLE -- East meets West. An undefeated juggernaut takes on a team near the top of Class AA throughout the entire year, as St. Marys attempts to give South Harrison its first blemish of the season in grand fashion at the Night of Champions. When the ball is tipped during tonight's Little Kanawha Conference Championship at 8 p.m. at Glenville State's WACO Center, the Blue Devils (17-2) of head coach Mark Barnhart look for a massive win that could give them a big boost in momentum with the Class AA State Tournament around the corner.
Of course, that won't be easy.
However, St. Marys has the firepower to knock off its counterpart from the East. Led by senior Grant Barnhart, his production is just one piece of a larger puzzle that completes and compliments the whole team. Heading into this championship struggle, Barnhart is averaging 23.8 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game. The biggest change in his game is how much he's needed to facilitate, according to coach Barnhart.
Perhaps his biggest assignment will be containing the Hawks' speedster of a guard, Corey Boulden.
The 20-0 team is reliant on Boulden's contributions, since he's been good for 25.7 points per game and 9 rebounds per, as well.
"He's an offensive threat as soon as he passes halfcourt," Barnhart said of Boulden. "He can shoot from deep, and he's very good. I think he might have had one game where he made ten 3s. He likes to get to the rim, too. He's 6-foot-4, and he handles the ball very well."
Another noteworthy point of attack for SMHS is the lengthy Luke Powell. The junior averages 10.9 points per game and he showcases a wide range of defensive skills. His 20 total blocks and 8.6 rebounds per game give him a big opportunity to not only play his usual brand of defense, but to slow down a South Harrison team averaging 74.6 points per game. His development of a mid-range jumper also makes him a dual-threat and a more complete player than he was a year prior. Brandon Lawhon's 7.8 points per game and Waylon Moore's 5.1 rpg provide St. Marys with solid options to spread the ball around. Lawhon is also coming off a recent 10-assist game, as well.
Aside from Boulden, the Hawks have others who can make an immediate impact. They're just another reason why SHHS sports an unbeaten record.
Lucas Elliott averages 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and is the key second option coach Barnhart wants his team to contain. In losses against Charleston Catholic and Scott, St. Marys has tested itself, but Barnhart says the offensive styling of South Harrison makes for the biggest test of the season.
"We had a weekend where we played Charleston Catholic, we played at Fort Frye and we played at home against Scott," Barnhart recalled. "Those are three pretty solid teams. It was a case of it being good for us to see (teams like that). Charleston Catholic may not have had a record that was so impressive, but they had a team that was pretty darn impressive. It goes to show you that they played a very good schedule during the year. We had to play someone who our people weren't so sure about."
Barnhart added that you can't always judge a team by its record and that the tough loss gave his team room to improve. The hard schedule was indeed by design. Wins over some of the LKC's best also gave SMHS the boost it needed to make it here. That includes a season sweep of rival Williamstown and a 66-62 win on the road against Ravenswood. The only other team to deal Ravenswood a loss at The Pit was Class AA power, Poca.
As for how the Blue Devils have approached practices leading up to the big game, Barnhart says the team is trying hard to prepare but that the Hawks are tough to emulate in those practice settings.
"We're still looking at (our defensive approach), and we haven't come to any surefire decisions at this point, and we may not know until we get there," Barnhart said. "They average 70-something points a game, so a key to victory for us is to not give them 70-something points, but I'm not sure how that happens. They're very good offensively."
Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com