West grabs share of SOC III title with 46-36 win over SW — and more

SOUTH WEBSTER — In 1985, the top musical single on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Chart was "Careless Whisper" by George Michael.

It was also the last season where the West Senators' boys basketball program won a SOC Championship of any kind.

Friday evening's performance against the homestanding South Webster Jeeps' was, however, most certainly not a whisper or a whimper.

Down by four at the end of the first quarter (15-11), three at halftime (24-21) and two at the end of the third frame (33-31), Caleb McClanahan's group took charge with a 15-3 fourth-quarter performance where West played championship-level basketball over the final eight minutes of action.

The result led the Senators to a 46-36 win over South Webster, and its first SOC Championship in the sport of boys basketball since 1985, as a result of its 10-point road win in a contest that was held at South Webster High School.

For McClanahan, the credit goes entirely to his players for their buy-in from top to bottom.

"We were down after the first quarter, down at halftime, and down after the third quarter going into the fourth quarter," McClanahan said. "I told our kids, 'We have eight minutes here. You need to go on this run and start making these plays, and sit down and start getting stops.' They wanted it so bad. I'm just so proud of them and their efforts. The buy-in of wanting to be a team and do this thing together — it's special when it all comes together. It truly is. I've had great mentors since I've been here. My biggest mentor is coaching at Clay right now — Larry Howell — and I wouldn't be coaching today if it wasn't for Larry. He inspired me to become a head coach, being an assistant with him. Some of the relationships I've built over the years have been great, and some of the mentors, such as Travis Bradford, Steven Ater and Josh Shoemaker, have been big for me. They've helped me. It means so much. We've brought excitement for the game I love to West."

Despite a trying week, to say the least, for South Webster following the loss of Bloom-Vernon Local Schools Superintendent Marc Kreischer, the Jeeps put together a tremendous effort from start to finish and looked every bit the part of a serious postseason contender in a brilliant effort.

That showing was led by a terrific opening quarter by South Webster senior Brycin McClintic. No. 22 was again on point, scoring each of the Jeeps' first seven points, nabbing a steal, and finding Caleb Johnson for a three-point field goal just before the first quarter horn.

"They attack our zone differently than other people do," McClanahan said of South Webster. "They are patient and pepper the ball around. They almost get you to lose interest in guarding because they are really good at running their sets and exercising patience while waiting for a crease or an open opportunity to come. We prepped our kids for that. We told them that they're going to have to be patient and they're going to have to stay interested if they want to get stops. The second that you don't, they're going to make a skip pass and hit on something. (Brycin) McClintic and (Hunter) Barnard are phenomenal players. They've been good athletes at South Webster for some time. Good athletes and good shooters."

McClintic scored 10 of South Webster's 15 points in the opening frame to give the Jeeps a 15-11 lead after the opening quarter. The floor general ultimately led Norm Persin's group with 15 tallies in the contest.

Down by a 18-14 margin in the second quarter, Logan McIntire's second three-pointer of the game, along with a rebound and putback by Will Kegley, put West ahead by a 19-18 margin.

However, South Webster answered with a 6-0 run as Hunter Barnard got free twice for conversions at the rim, and found Easton Large at the basket for another finish at the rack as the Jeeps claimed a 24-19 advantage.

Barnard led South Webster with five assists in the contest.

Kegley, however, came up large with a big putback just before the halftime buzzer, a critical bucket as West closed South Webster's lead to a 24-21 gap at the break.

But down by a 26-21 gap at the start of the third quarter following a Barnard pass to McClintic, the duo of Kegley and McIntire helped West rally.

McIntire got a key rebound that helped lead to an opportunity where the senior found Corbin Miller at the low block, who then, in turn, found Braden Adkins for a layup inside. Then, a steal by McIntire allowed the senior to find Kegley for a bucket. Kegley then hit two free throws, and following its 8-0 run, West surged back out in front by a 29-26 margin.

Kegley ultimately finished with game-highs of 21 points and 10 rebounds, while McIntire collected eight points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals in two massive efforts.

"It's what they do," McClanahan said when asked about Kegley and McIntire. "It's who they are. They've put in the work. They deserve big moments like this because they've done the work. They're coachable. Everybody on their team seems like they're really starting to star in their role and do the little things."

Counterpunching in a big manner, Caden Johnson responded with his third three-pointer of the game off of a McClintic pass, while McClintic added in a free throw and Brayden Barnard three straight points, the latter coming off of a steal, as South Webster answered with a 7-0 run to take a 33-29 lead before McIntire answered with a 10-foot jumper to pull West back within two, 33-31, at the end of the quarter.

"Those kids are gritty," McClanahan said of South Webster. "They are the best man-to-man defensive team. They make you earn every single bucket, and if you are going to beat them, you have to earn it. I'm just proud of the kids for coming in here and getting the job done."

West, however, answered with a gritty effort of its own in the fourth quarter.

The Senators, in fact, held South Webster without a field goal in the fourth quarter, and on two separate occasions, Kegley was able to score off of McIntire passes, including a brilliant rifle pass from McIntire on the right wing to Kegley on the left block, giving West a 34-33 lead.

McClintic hit two of three free throw attempts to pull South Webster within 36-35, but West countered around that as Kegley and Braxton Kammer scored off of offensive putbacks while Kegley knocked down a three-pointer, giving the Senators a 41-36 lead.

"Our kids didn't lose faith in what we're about and our strategy," McClanahan said. "A lot of people are saying, 'Get out of the zone. Get out of the zone. Our kids know what we're about and our strategy. They don't lose faith. They just figure it out and keep playing hard."

Kammer, along with Corbin Miller, Braden Adkins, Cristian Quirasco and Harrison and Owen Richards, were massive themselves. Along with the six individuals making one hustle play after another, Adkins, Miller and Quirasco combined to go 5-of-6 from the free throw line to seal West's first SOC Championship in boys basketball in 41 years.

"Every one of those guys stepped up," McClanahan said. "You never hear about them complaining about playing time or playing over one another. They're just always ready. When I walk down the bench, I don't know how many times I'd walk by them, and they're there, saying, "I'm ready, Coach. I'm ready.' It's not a, 'Oh, you're not playing me enough.' They just want to be out there and just have the opportunity to help their team win. That's so huge. We got great chemistry and these kids have been playing together since sixth or seventh grade. As a coaching staff then, we knew that these kids had something special. This has been six years of hard work and dedication out of our coaching staff, our players and everybody involved in the program. Everybody's really bought in."

With the win, West finished the regular season with a 15-6 overall record and clinched a share of the SOC III Championship alongside Wheelersburg (13-6, 7-3 SOC II).

Valley, who sits 14-5 overall and 6-3 in the SOC III, can join the pair if they defeat South Webster (12-7, 4-5 SOC III) on Tuesday.

"I'm grateful to the West community for taking my family in," McClanahan said. "They've been so good to me and my wife (Jasmine) and my little boy, Jett. I just always want to make them proud. They were the first school to take a chance on me as a head coach, and I want to make the diehards proud — the Charlie Coopers that take our book and run our clock and the JR Halls that announces our games. I want to make these people proud. I think we've done that over the years. We haven't won championships, but they can see our efforts and what we've done. The assistant coaches on the staff, Mikey Adkins, David Michael, Isaiah Norman and Jesse Dixon, have played a big role in our success and I'm thankful to have them as we've built this culture. I couldn't do it with them."

Beyond simply winning a share of the SOC III title, however, McClanahan also hurt for South Webster — and made him reflect on how thankful he is to be a part of his own.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kreischer family and everybody that's in the community," McClanahan said. "We knew that it was going to be an emotional night. The legacy that Marc Kreischer has left at South Webster is incredible."

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