By Carl Holcomb, Moorefield Examiner
Home is where the heart is as the Cougars brotherhood stymies Union in the Class A Region II Championship co-final 45-32 to embark on a fourth consecutive roadtrip to Charleston.
Oh, brother where art thou? East Hardy brothers gather the family to feast on Tigers for the third time this year with regular season meals of 68-40 and 80-54.
The table was set once again at home and the Cougars joined the clean plate club and cut down the nets for dessert.
East Hardy seniors delivered a victory delicacy for a fourth straight year and the hunger for more is growling within for the state tournament.
Evan Hamilton guided the Cougars with a game-high 14 points in the title victory and his brother Mason Hamilton pitched in 10 points, followed by Joseph Price with 8 points and brother Levi Price notched five points.
East Hardy junior Gideon Good garnered six points and kept the Tigers in check with huge blocks defensively to complement the defensive havoc provided up front.
The Cougars keep the momentum going with a 15-game win streak for a 20-4 overall record entering the state quarterfinals on St. Patrick’s Day against Parkersburg Catholic to end the state festivities at 9:00 p.m.
“Anytime you qualify for the state tournament, it’s a treat for everybody involved. The parents, grandparents and everybody are just super excited. We had a drought for such a long time and to be able to qualify again makes everybody excited. Our whole community is excited. To cut down these nets at East Hardy is really special. We figured tonight it would be a packed house and that they would bring a pep bus. They haven’t been to a regional final for a long time. We knew we would take their best shot. Union is a pretty good team and you don’t qualify for the regional final, unless you are playing good ball right now. They made some good adjustments on us and made it a battle. You don’t have a team like this without chemistry and having a couple set of brothers is helpful. Those guys intuitively know what each other are going to do, so Evan and Mason, Joseph and Levi together and Shayne [Sisler] might as well be their brother. You get that senior crew and they play so well together, then you add Gideon, and cousin Aubrey and Trevor to the mix. Those guys are great together and have good chemistry and they know their role and it makes my job easier,” East Hardy coach Chris Hahn commented.
Union (11-12) was paced by Braylon Ward with 10 points and Corbin Streets contributed 8 points to finish the year.
The Tigers visited the regional final for the first time in 15 years and fought hard to keep the game closer than the previous battles.
A steal and breakaway layup by East Hardy’s Mason Hamilton created a 15-7 advantage midway through the first period.
Aubrey McCullough made a swipe for the Cougars, but this time couldn’t capitalize.
The Tigers carried the ball, then Ward snatched a defensive board before a pass deflection by McCullough.
A wild save by Streets sent the ball flying into the face of Good and out of play.
McCullough and Levi Price recorded steals over the next minute without adding to the lead.
Ward added a free throw, then grabbed the rebound off the line and nailed the layup to slice the deficit to 15-10 with under two minutes left in the opening stanza.
Erik Linkswiler blocked a shot for the Tigers and the fans from the visiting pep bus roared.
“First time in years that we have done it. I am proud of the boys, they have worked from before the season started and it has paid its dividends. We had too many turnovers and it was just the same spot. It was a lot of pressure on our freshmen, but I am proud of those five freshmen playing hard. I consider this an improvement, because they dominated us by 20-plus points the past two times this year and we had it down to 10 points in the fourth period. We were battling with them and still hanging around. We may have had as many fans here as they had. Late in the season as we were stringing together wins, our home games were packed and we’ve had started getting a bigger following on the road as you can see. [EHHS] They are a very good team. We play good defense, but they played better. The twins are dawgs on defense and Gideon is a shot changing presence in the paint,” Union coach Walt Ward, Jr. noted.
It was a packed Den as the Cougars faithful left no empty seat and the noise kept going on both sides creating a dynamic atmosphere.
Mason Hamilton stole the ball and dished to Levi Price, who drew the harm and added two markers on the line with 50 seconds to spare and a 17-10 edge.
Mason Hamilton swiped the ball away once more and was fouled, then the Cougars hit the rim twice to end the frame.
East Hardy’s Gideon Good commenced the second period stuffing a shot as the Cougars fans shook the Den with a raucous and the cheering continued to resonate as Trevor Roof swatted the ball into the bench with a catch by Mason Wilkins.
Ward knocked down a jumper and Linkswiler blocked an attempt as the Tigers kept clawing.
Good drilled a jumper in the paint as the Cougars took a 19-12 lead at 7:05.
During the ensuing minute, the Tigers lost the ball and hit the rim twice each, but got a block.
A steal by the Cougars led to a free throw by Roof.
Good smashed another Union shot and the Cougars fans went nuts.
After a Tigers walk, East Hardy’s Joseph Price hopped into the paint to buy a basket at 5:51, 22-12.
Roof intercepted a pass prior to an offensive foul.
A flying Tigers elbow caused a foul, then Good connected with Joseph Price to extend the lead.
“This means so much to me going to state, because this is my fourth year going there. We pray every game, the Lord’s Prayer and I pray for our safety during the national anthem. I am glad this game is over, because it was getting stressful towards the end. I am glad my brother is back and coming down with me,” East Hardy senior Joseph Price stated.
The Cougars’ Levi Price forced a pair of turnovers, but iron was met twice.
“It means a lot to me to go back to Charleston with my brother and my freshman year I went with both of them. It has been awhile to bond with that again. It was pretty loud and fun to win at home. I wish I could do it again. [Faith] It helps us bond as a team and helps our connections together,” East Hardy senior Levi Price said.
Ward added two markers on the charity stripe with 3:39 remaining in the first half.
Finishing off the second period, both teams had two errant attempts and a turnover.
Joseph Price created two free throws with five seconds to go as the Cougars carried a 26-19 advantage into the locker rooms.
East Hardy’s Evan Hamilton snatched the ball en route to creating an old-fashioned three point play putting East Hardy ahead 29-19 at the 7:04 mark of the third frame.
Good made a steal before the Tigers forced a jump ball tying up Hamilton.
Good obliterated the next Union shot.
A steal by Evan Hamilton led to a putback from Good to make it 31-19 at 6:20.
Streets broke the Tigers silence with a layup at 5:45.
The Cougars missed two shots and Good tripped over a teammate losing the ball.
East Hardy was back in business on a steal by Evan Hamilton leading to his own bucket.
Hamilton grabbed the nugget again, but the Cougars came up empty despite a rebound by Good as an offensive foul was assessed.
Streets drew contact and notched two free throws as Union chipped away at the margin, 33-23 at 4:45.
Good blocked a shot and Evan Hamilton found Levi Price to fire a perimeter bucket at the midway point.
Both times heard the clank of the rim, then Evan Hamilton listened for the sound of the net on a 3-pointer to push ahead 39-23 at 3:30.
Over the next two and a half minutes, the Tigers would add four free throws including three by Linkswiler for a 39-27 score with one minute to go in the third frame.
Good and Linkswiler both recorded blocks during that stretch and the Cougars burned time off the clock.
“This is what we play the whole season for. East Hardy has only been to state a few times before and to be a part of this school history is remarkable and a blessing. We aren’t just there to play one game. We want to play on Saturday and get the win. It’s the world to us and this is why we play basketball. Our fans have shown support all season and really showed up tonight packing it and a bunch of my family was here, so it was extra special. [Faith] That’s everything to me, my faith in God. I pray before every game. I got baptized this year and take it very seriously. Without Him, I am nothing and I definitely give all the credit and glory to Jesus Christ,” East Hardy junior Gideon Good explained.
Mason Hamilton stole the ball and added two free throws with 14 seconds left for a 41-27 edge.
The Cougars defense forced a mid-court crossover turnover, then Ward snatched the ball back and launched an errant buzzer shot.
The Cougars relaxed in the final stanza and just played keep away.
Union missed six shots and the Cougars hit the rim twice in the first four minutes of the last period.
Jackson Harvey netted a layup for the Tigers at 3:50 to end the drought.
There was a plethora of free throw chances down the stretch for both sides as the score increased slightly.
East Hardy’s Mason Hamilton and Trevor Roof both garnered steals in the final minute of the championship and added one free throw apiece to seal the 45-32 title victory.
Mason Hamilton notched one last steal and the Cougars ate the clock to the final whistle and the crowd erupted as the celebration commenced.
“It’s pretty exciting, I am not going to lie. I was hoping we would win this, so I could say I went to state four years in a row. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Having to play without my brother most of the time, it is a blessing to have him back to go to Charleston together,” East Hardy senior Evan Hamilton stated.
“I knew when we came out and saw the crowd, it was going to be loud. It was great and they were loud in clutch situations. It was a fun winning the championship at home. I didn’t want to miss this chance to be at state again. We know we have work to do and don’t want to relive what happened last year,” East Hardy senior Mason Hamilton added.
The Cougars chewed up the nets and set their eyes on the next meal in Charleston with a pan for a huge family buffet.
Fellow Potomac Valley Conference rival Tucker County will accompany the Cougars after claiming the other Class A Region II Championship co-final over Pendleton County.
The Mountain Lions edged East Hardy in last year’s state semifinals in the waning seconds, but a potential rematch could only occur this time if both reach the state championship.
East Hardy is ready to do the Charleston dance for a fourth straight year.
