PREP BASKETBALL Barnett powers Elkins over Greenland

ELKINS -- Paxton Barnett only need one half to prove how difficult it is for opposing teams to guard the 6-foot-4 junior, which Greenland learned the hard way.

"He came out and really established himself offensively and defensively," Elkins coach Jared Porter said. "He set the tone for what we wanted to do and how we wanted to play tonight."

Barnett scored a game-high 19 points, including going a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line, to lead his team to a 48-37 win Friday night.

Greenland struggled to stop Barnett in the first half, when he did most of his damage scoring 17 points. Barnett kept Greenland off the boards on both sides of the ball, scoring a few of his baskets on offensive rebounds while taking away the paint from the Pirates, especially in the second quarter.

The Pirates finally seemed to have an answer for him in the third after switching to a zone defense that forced Elkins to play more conservatively on offense and kept the ball out of Barnett's hands.

He only attempted one shot in the quarter.

"With Greenland's defense, they packed it in so much with that 3-2 [zone], I thought their defense played well," Porter said. "It made us have to make some shots and get some transition stuff going to get the offense flowing. I was proud of the effort."

In Barnett's absence, Chad Graham stepped up for the Elks.

"Chad showed such senior leadership by making plays for himself and his teammates," Porter said. "He was huge for us in that third quarter when they tried to take Paxton out."

Graham knocked down a 3-pointer in the third but converted two and-one opportunities in the fourth to push his team to a double-digit lead on both occasions, giving the Elks' some breathing room late in the game. The senior finished second on the team with 13 points.

Elkins opened up the game with a slow start, failing to score until the 3:51 mark in the first quarter. But the Elk's stagnant offense boded well for Greenland, which capitalized on the scoring drought by jumping out to an 8-0 lead.

Porter was pleased with how his team responded after the Pirates' strong start, and Elkins would take its first lead of the night at the beginning of the second quarter after Camren Dunn and Graham hit back-to-back 3-pointers.

Greenland 13 5 16 3 -- 37

Elkins 8 19 10 11 -- 48

Greenland (18-3, 7-1): Barnett 19, Graham 13, Perrenoud 6, Dunn 6, Johnson 4.

Elkins (3-14, 1-7): Cheevers 7, Osburn 7, Goebel 6, White 5, Quinn 5, Redman 4, Wilson 3.

Girls

Greenland 42, Elkins 38

Greenland's Destiny Jackson hit two free throws with less than 20 seconds left in the game to help her team escape a late comeback effort from Elkins.

Jackson's shots put the Lady Pirates up two possessions, which sealed Greenland's 42-38 win over Elkins. The senior knocked in 7-of-11 from the free-throw line to go toward her 13 points on the night.

"She does this every time," Greenland coach Alan Barton said. "She might miss 17 free throws at the beginning of the game, but when it's on the line, she's focused. I guarantee you she's shooting about 95 percent under 30 seconds from the free-throw line."

Jackson was one of the Lady Pirates who had to hold down the ship after star player Fiona Wilson exited the game early in the fourth quarter in foul trouble. Wilson would not return to the game until about halfway through the fourth but finished with a game-high 22 points.

Elkins struggled in the third quarter in Wilson's absence, but the Elks fought back in the fourth, cutting Greenland's lead to two points before both teams began exchanging free throws at the end. Allison Coleman led all Elks scorers with 12 points and Bryn Shirley followed with nine.

Greenland 11 10 11 10 -- 42

Elkins 12 11 3 12 -- 38

Greenland (13-7, 6-2): F. Wilson 22, Jackson 13, Fanning 3, K. Wilson 2, Hill 2.

Elkins (9-10, 3-5): Coleman 12, Shirley 9, Burton 6, Ritchie 6, Jackson 5.

Preps Sports on 01/19/2019

Upcoming Events