Pioneers score season high in 82-38 win over J-M
ROGERSVILLE — The West Greene boys basketball welcomed back one of its main scorers in grand fashion with a dominating 82-38 victory over Jefferson-Morgan Friday night in Section 3-A action.
The 82 points are a season-high for the Pioneers (6-6, 3-2), as they scored at least 14 points in all four quarters of the section rout.
West Greene’s Kolton Rush saw the court for the first time since sustaining a head injury against Waynesburg Central on Dec. 8 and tallied a game-high 27 points.
“Having Kolton back is big for us,” West Greene coach Jim Romanus said. “He is a triple threat as a defender, rebounder and scorer. We were clicking on offense, but we did leave some points out there. We have to get those inside buckets and make our foul shots. This was a solid win for us, and every single day we have to get better. We have to continue to work hard to get better.”
Craig Weaver recorded a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Nathan Brudnock added 19.
DL Garrett anchored the Rockets (2-10, 1-4) with 20 points, while Gavin Wood chipped in nine off the bench.
“Give West Greene a lot of credit tonight,” J-M coach Dennis Garrett said. “They played the game like it’s supposed to. We didn’t and that was the end result. They came out with high energy and brought intensity to every single possession on both ends of the court. Right now we are not playing very good offensively and we are way too inconsistent on defense.”
West Greene started the contest with an 8-2 run and finished off the quarter with a 14-5 lead. Weaver collected 10 points in the opening eight minutes and created some foul issues for J-M.
Sandwiched around a basket by Rush, the Rockets trimmed the lead to 16-11 with treys from Garrett and Wood in the early moments of the second quarter.
The Pioneers responded with 10 straight points, capped off by a 3-pointer by Rush.
The squads traded baskets the remainder of the second period, as West Greene held a 41-24 lead at halftime. Rush compiled 12 points in the quarter.
“Kolton is tall, lengthy and quick,” Romanus said. “That’s a recipe for a good defender. So our overall defense was better tonight, especially on guarding the 3-point shot. We are playing with a bigger line-up and that’s key for us. We have to hustle and do the little things to be successful.”
In the third quarter, West Greene’s offense continued to roll with an 8-3 run and held a 17-10 scoring advantage in the frame for a 58-34 lead going into the final eight minutes of play.
Rush had 10 of the Pioneers’ 24 points in the fourth quarter, as West Greene limited J-M to just four points in the final eight minutes of action.
“I liked the way we played on defense,” Romanus said. “Jefferson has a lot of 3-point shooters and we were up tight against them. When they made their threes our defense was already collapsed and we couldn’t contest the shot. We were stronger in the second half on defense.”
Both teams will end the first half of their Section 3-A schedule on Tuesday, as West Greene travels to Avella and J-M hosts Mapletown.
Section 3-A
Jefferson-Morgan 5-19-10-4 — 38
West Greene 14-27-17-24 — 82
Jefferson-Morgan: DL Garrett 20, Gavin Wood 9. West Greene: Kolton Rush 27, Craig Weaver 23, Nathan Brudnock 19. Records: Jefferson-Morgan (2-10, 1-4), West Greene (6-6, 3-2).