BLACKSVILLE — Gunner Brummage and Seth Casino were Batman and Robin on Jan. 4, with Statler-Wilson Gymnasium in Blacksville taking the place of Gotham City. The two put forth a heroic effort, combining for 55 points as the Cee-Bees rolled South Harrison, 67-51.
“Gunner and Seth had a good game together, they’re just a good combination inside and out,” Clay-Battelle head coach Josh Kisner said. “Both kids are very coachable young men, and they’ll do anything you ask of them.”
Brummage, a senior, dominated the floor in the first half of play, exploding for 16 of the Cee-Bees’ 20 second-quarter points en route to a 21-point first half. He played tough on the boards and consistently finished strong in the paint through all four quarters.
“We knew coming in it was going to be tough one, but we came in, boxed out and got rebounds, hit shots and played as a team,” Brummage said. “I wanted to win, and I can’t thank my teammates enough. They were giving me good passes all night.”
“Gunner took care of things inside,” Kisner said. “He’s very athletic, and he finished well around the rim today.”
Brummage was the Cee-Bees’ leading scorer with 29 total on the night, but just as impressive was the offensive output of Casino.
The sophomore shot the lights out of the gym, hitting six treys as he poured 26 points onto the South Harrison defense. By the end of the evening, cries of “Don’t let him shoot” arose from the visitor bleachers every time he pulled up for a shot. He reigned in the offense from the point all evening, and helped seal the game with a 13-point effort in the final eight minutes.
“Seth runs the show on offense from point guard,” Kisner said of the performance.
“It just kind of clicked when I got out there,” Casino said. “I was warming up and nothing would fall, but once I got out on the floor, it all clicked from the get-go.”
Brummage and Casino attributed their performance to the mentality Kisner instilled in them and their teammates,.
“I call it the Kisner mentality,” Brummage said. “He makes us work out in practice, so I make sure I give him 100 percent in the game.”
“He makes us shoot about 200 shots at practice, and it’s all mental,” Casino said. “It’s all teamwork, we just work together as a team.”
The Cee-Bees’ impressive outing comes after a slow start (1-3) to the season. Kisner noted his team’s inexperience as a probable cause for the opening slump, and said he watches his team improve with every practice.
“We’re a young team,” Kisner said. “We’ve had three weeks of practice since our last game, and we’re getting better every day.”
The Cee-Bees (2-3) will return to action Tuesday, as they host Madonna. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS
Trinity 8s 64, Bruceton 37: Jude Wiseman-Raven netted 13 points and Zach Workman scored 11 for the Warriors. Kevin Wilson topped Bruceton with 12 points and Hunter Conner added 11.
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS
Mountaineer 8s 52, Robert Bland 20: Lauren Dean netted 13 points, Eden Gibson tallied 11 and Ella Simpson had 10 for the Mounties (7-0).
Mountaineers 7s 23, Robert Bland 11: Ashlyn Weaver netted 11 points to lead the Mounties (7-0).
Clay-Battelle 8s 52, Suncrest 21: Alivia Ammons tallied 24 points to pace the Cee-Bees (5-2). Sofia Pancoast led the Seals with 12.
Suncrest 7s 21, Clay-Battelle 19: McKenna Berkheimer scored 12 points to lead the Seals. Presley Shriver and Kenly Statler had four points each for the Cee-Bees.
