Tigers top Flying Eagles in overtime

Mar. 6—Todd Duncan is used to nailing shots from 300 yards away as a state champion golfer.

But his ability to hit from distance isn't limited to the tee box or the fairway.

As the elder statesman on the Shady Spring basketball team, he showed his range Friday night. The senior nailed six 3-pointers, including the go-ahead shot with 1:50 left as the Class AAA No. 3 Tigers squeaked out a 63-59 overtime win over Class AAAA No. 4 Woodrow Wilson to open the season.

"Let's just talk about the guys like Cam (Manns) and Todd," Shady head coach Ronnie Olson said. "Cam's been hurt the last two years and I get on him and he's been down and he's been up. I get on him all the time and here he comes out and he's just a gamer. Everything he did today is what we've expected. Not just hitting shots but switching screens and talking.

"And Todd, my motto for Todd is, 'If they don't know you, they're going to know you soon.' Everyone that's coached against him, I've told them you can't leave him open. You can't leave him open from 25 feet because I've seen him bury it. And people may think it's a bad shot, but after you prove to me for two or three years that you can knock that down in JV games and practice against the No. 1 team in the state every day, it's easy out here. That's why we go so hard."

Olson anticipated there would be a slow start for his young team, but that wasn't the case.

Behind a 3 from Duncan, Shady jumped out to an 8-2 lead early before an 8-0 run from the hosts gave them the advantage. Treys from Manns and Duncan helped the Tigers build a 16-12 lead heading into the second quarter, one that ballooned to 20-12 early in the period.

Part of what helped the Tigers limit Beckley's output on offense was the defense of center Jaedan Holstein, who helped collapse on Beckley all-stater Ben Gilliam.

"Before we talk about anybody, Jaedan was the defensive MVP," Olson said. "I told him he made me look good. Length bothered (Gilliam) and he stayed on his feet. He's long and you can't teach length. He was all over the place. If he wasn't blocking shots he was making it hard on him."

While Gilliam was struggling to find a rhythm on offense his teammates helped pick up the slack.

The Flying Eagles, led by three treys from Westside transfer Jace Colucci, answered with an 18-5 run before the half, taking a 30-27 advantage into the break.

While they bent, the Tigers didn't break and steadied the storm in the third quarter. Two 3s from Manns twice brought the Tigers back to within a possession and a 3-pointer from Duncan gave them a 42-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

"We just told them, we feel like we're going to do what we do," Olson said. "Play good defense and they won't continue to score on us. They made us feel uncomfortable at the end of the first half. Good job on them and their coaching staff who made an adjustment. We told them top get back to who we are and start driving, kicking and playing defense. They sat down and got back to what we do."

The Flying Eagles didn't give in, instead delivering a counter punch as Gilliam emerged to score 13 of his 17 points in the second half, delivering on defense as well where he blocked and altered shots at the rim.

His two free throws gave the Flying Eagles a 48-47 advantage halfway through the fourth quarter but Shady kept pounding, taking a 52-48 lead when Duncan nailed a trey with 1:32 left in the quarter.

A hard drive in the final minute from Dewayne Richardson helped tie the game, but two missed free throws in the quarter haunted Beckley. On the final possession of the fourth, the Flying Eagles had an open look at a corner 3 that fell short, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Manns and Duncan shined. Manns answered a Colucci 3-pointer with 1:50 left in the game and Shady trailing by two, and Duncan banked in his sixth 3-pointer of the game to give the Tigers a 58-57 advantage that held.

Haunting Beckley in the extra period was its performance at the free throw line where it missed all four of its attempts.

"Give all the credit to Shady," Beckley head coach Ron Kidd said. "They came out and played with a lot of effort and did a good job."

Duncan led all scorers with 24 points while Manns scored 14. Brothers Cole and Braden Chapman scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Colucci led Beckley with 18 points and Richardson added 13.

Email: tjackson@register-herald.com and follow on Twitter @TjackRH

Shady Spring (1-0)

Todd Duncan 24, Cole Chapman 12, Braden Chapman 10, Jaedan Holstein 2, Sam Jordan 1, Cameron Manns 14

Beckley (0-1)

Ben Gilliam 17, Jace Colucci 18, Keynan Cook 5, Maddex McMillen 6, Dewayne Richardson 13,

SS: 16 11 15 10 11 — 63

B: 12 18 11 11 7 — 59

3-point goals — SS: 12 (Duncan 6, C. Chapman 2, Manns 4); B: 8 (Gilliam, Colucci 6, Cook). Fouled out — SS: Holstein; B: Richardson.