Clay-Battelle boys upset Class A No. 7 Trinity in 82-81 thriller

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BLACKSVILLE, W.Va. – Unranked Clay-Battelle welcomed No. 7 Trinity Christian Tuesday night, upsetting it’s in-county rival 82-81 on a late fourth-quarter push. 

“Our boys have some experience,” ninth-year coach Josh Kisner said. “Not having a senior on the team last year, they all have had playing time. They wanted this game and wanted to win, so when we tied it up and got ahead I felt the game was ours.” 

Although Fletcher Hartsock was working the paint early for the Warriors (0-1), it was Johnathan Moore, Seth Goins and Carter Anderson that lit up Clay-Battelle (1-0) early, combining for six treys and 22 total points in the first period. C-B big man Coltin Barr tried to chip away at the deficit, putting up 11 points, but the Warriors outmuscled and outshot the Cee-Bees to take a 30-20 lead at the end of the first period. 

The Cee-Bee’s sloppy press was on full display at the top of the second, and even though Levi Carrico pulled away a highlight-worthy steal on a long pass, he couldn’t convert on the fast break amid a swarming low-post defense. 

Seth Casino and Barr began to find some luck from the perimeter, but foul trouble kept putting Moore back at the line for free throws that kept Trinity’s lead intact. Mojo Chisler was fouled in the final two minutes of the first half, and his one good free shot was good to put the Cee-Bees within a six-point striking range. A follow-up foul on Moore, however, gave him two more freebies to put the Warriors up 47-39 at the break. 

The Cee-Bees came off their halftime break with fury, putting fire behind their shots to chip away at the deficit with a cleaner defensive attack. Casino and Barr were more effective down low, but Hartsock was the deciding factor in the third for Trinity to keep the lead alive at 64-58. 

The final stanza saw Goins and Moore break out of post-play to their preferred shooting zones, but not for long. After throwing up multiple 3-point attempts instead of passing into the post, driving the lanes or making clean passes, Clay-Battelle picked up a line of boards and converted them into points.

A bad pass that bounced off Hartsock’s head gave Barr a breakaway chance, coming up good for the tying layup. Trinity tied it back up at 78 on a lay-in, but a foul by Moore on Casino gave him a chance to take back the lead. After sinking his two free throws, the referees called a backcourt violation on Trinity that would have sealed the game but it was quickly reversed. The follow-up toss went for naught, and Barr was fouled in the process of rebounding. He dropped the final two daggers – the final buckets of his 22 point game – putting the Cee-Bees up 82-78. A final trey at the buzzer by Goins was good, but without a foul called it ultimately wasn’t worth it. 

The second-half push saw the Cee-Bees outscore the Warriors 43-34. Carrico ended the night with 20 points, and Casino tossed in 15 more. Moore paced the Warriors with 22 points, while Goins (20) and Anderson (19) combined for 39.

‘Target on our backs’

After losing 13 seniors after another semifinal playoff run, the Warriors looked as if they’d be facing a rebuilding year. That still may be true, as the Warriors – coming into the season ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press preseason poll – lack a defensive mindset that if not corrected early will end the long single-A playoff streak Fowkes has built with the program. 

“We were up by 13 in the second half, and then decided to chuck 3-pointers, miss wide-open layups, pass behind the back in transition, and then they’d go down and put in a layup,” Fowkes said. “Credit to them, they’re hungry with three seniors and two juniors. That’s what it came down to tonight. 

“Our young guys don’t understand that we have a target on our back – No. 7 in the state, back-to-back state semifinals, private school, everything. Then you come out here and play a veteran team [that was] tired of losing to us.”

Foul trouble

Clay-Battelle’s press is scary, but there’s a lot to work on through the rest of the season. 

 “I believe some of it was first-game jitters, but we were just after it,” Kisner said. “We have to learn to adjust to how they’re calling the game and go from there.” 

The Cee-Bee’s adjusted in the second half for just four fouls, while their first-half performance ended with 10. 

“We’re an aggressive team,” Casino said. “I’ve been doing this [since freshman year]. We go over defense every day, so coach [Kisner] has gotten us ready for being aggressive.” 

Trinity’s defense was also off-kilter in Tuesday’s matchup, and that’s something Fowkes is understandably not happy about. 

“I’m sure tomorrow is going to be a long practice,” he said. “They need to learn how to play defense. Until we learn to guard someone and take accountability for our actions on the court, we’re not going to be any good. You can’t give up 80 points, that’s not our staple. Our last 13 games of the year we gave up. 37 points a game. Our young guys have not bought into playing defense, and you saw that tonight.” 

Although the perimeter defense was exposed at points, Fowkes noted that’s the strongest side of his defense. He sums it up to his players being “defiant,” not rebounding and a lack of transition defense. 

“They take plays off,” Fowkes said. “That’s not how we coach. Until they figure that out, it could be a long year. Or it could be a great year. Honestly, it’s up to them if they’re going to guard people and talk on defense.”