HHS girls beat Buckhannon-Upshur, advance to semis

10 Mar 2016 by Bryan Courts

CHARLESTON – On the court, there is nothing that scares Huntington High’s Jordyn Dawson.

She proved that with one of the top performances in Highlander history at the state tournament, scoring 33 points, grabbing eight rebounds and notching eight steals in Huntington High’s 80-59 win over Buckhannon-Upshur on Wednesday morning.
There is one aspect of her success that Dawson really isn’t comfortable with, though.

That would be the interview session that comes following such a performance at the state tournament.

“I just get nervous a lot,” Dawson said to the media with a shy smile. “I’m really nervous.”

“They’re just shy people,” Huntington High coach Lonnie Lucas said in reference to Dawson and teammate Dazha Congleton. “That’s it. They’re not shy on the court, though.”

Indeed, Dawson and Congleton proved nothing really gets them rattled when playing basketball.

After watching a 17-point lead whittled to as few as four, Dawson and Congleton combined for all the points during a 17-0 run over the span of just 1:33 as Huntington High (24-1) seized control of its Class AAA quarterfinal with over the Bucs.

With the win, Huntington High advances to Friday’s 9 p.m. semifinal against the winner of Thursday’s South Charleston-George Washington matchup.

During the run, Huntington High forced Buckhannon-Upshur into six of 36 turnovers. The Highlanders finished with 26 steals, which tied the single-game record for the Class AAA tournament – a record set by the Highlanders in 2000 against Logan, and the 2014 Parkersburg South team matched against Hampshire.

Huntington High’s defense set the tone from the start, forcing five turnovers in the game’s first two minutes before Buckhannon-Upshur ever got the ball past half-court.

The Highlanders led 24-7 following a Dawson layup, but Buckhannon-Upshur used the aggressive nature of the Highlanders against them to get back in the game.

The Bucs started the second half with momentum, picking up the fourth foul on Huntington High guard Lexie Sheffield and the third on center Ericka Budd, but the Highlanders countered with the big run by Dawson and Congleton.

Huntington High’s 37-point outburst in the third quarter took the game from a two-possession affair to a 31-point game as the teams entered the final period of play.

“We’re heading up, heading up and it’s almost like a switch that they flip,” Buckhannon-Upshur coach Jeremy Maxwell said. “When they decide they want to play, they turn it on. If you can’t handle that mentality, it’s definitely a roller coaster ride. It’s a hard drop-off.”

In addition to Dawson’s 33, Congleton finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and four steals, while Sheffield added 12 points.

HUNTINGTON HIGH 24 6 37 13 – 80: Sheffield 12, Congleton 16, Dawson 33, Budd 8, Harmon 6