WALDRON -- Elkins coach Jared Porter took his starters out of the game with about three minutes left to play to a roar from the visiting crowd Saturday night at Waldron Activity Center.
It was well earned.
Elkins made shots early and often, making 62 percent from the field in the game, to blitz Waldron with its offense for a 79-48 victory in the 3A-1West Conference Tournament championship game.
"I thought we were clicking on all cylinders," Porter said. "We were sharing the basketball and got hot from behind the arc. That's something we can do. I'm proud of the guys staying focused and in rhythm."
Elkins' balanced offense was led by a game-high 23 points from Kain Johnson. Paxton Barnett added 18 points, Caden Vaught finished with 14 and Carson Perrenoud chipped in 12.
Gada Wagner led the way for Waldron with 21 points. Payton Brown also added 16 points for the Bulldogs.
Waldron (24-6) was able to keep up with Elkins after the initial quarter of the game. The Bulldogs held a 21-20 edge after making five shots from behind the arc in the first quarter.
Elkins (26-3) then outscored Waldron 25-4 in the second quarter to take a 45-25 advantage heading into halftime and didn't look back after that. The Elks were able to make 10 of 19 shots in the second quarter while the Bulldogs were limited to two of 10 shooting in the key frame.
Elkins didn't slow down after the second quarter, either. The Elks made 13 of 19 shots in the second half and finished 32 of 52 from the field in the game. That includes making 11 shots from behind the arc.
"They shot the ball well," Waldron coach Joshua Brown said. "But we didn't make it tough on them, though. They got some open looks and we were three or four feet off them. We have to do a better job of that. Elkins is a good team and can make shots."
Elkins was able to take a 62-42 advantage entering the fourth quarter and pushed that edge out to 75-44 by outscoring Waldron 13-2 early in the frame.
"I thought we came out with the right frame of mind," Porter said. "We respect Waldron. But we know we have talent as well. We have the ability of playing with anybody anywhere."
Elkins shared the ball early and often, as it finished with four players scoring 10 more more points. Porter said it was key to have multiple guys having a good shooting night to hand Waldron its first home loss of the season.
"We have multiple guys that can score the basketball," Porter said. "That's a big advantage for us because it forces defenses to guard everybody. We are comfortable with everybody shooting the ball. When we share the ball, we can be really dynamic."
Elkins will carry a 10-game winning streak into regional play next week at Waldron with the momentum of a conference tournament championship secured.
"We are really excited that we are playing our best basketball in the early part of postseason play," Porter said. "That's always our goal. The kids have been here with experience. We are excited about the opportunity moving forward."
Elkins 79, Waldron 48
Elkins^20^25^17^17^--^79
Waldron^21^4^17^6^--^48
Elkins (26-3): Johnson 23, Barnett 18, Vaught 14, Perrenoud 12, Andrews 4, Underdown 4, Allan 2, Holland 2.
Waldron (24-6): Wagner 21, Brown 16, Avila 9, Hutchens 2.
GIRLS
CHARLESTON 33, ELKINS 17
Charleston used a strong defensive effort in the second half to bust open a close game and pull away as 3A-1West Conference Tournament championships.
The Lady Tigers were led by sophomore Rylee Ross coming off the bench to score a game-high 11 points. Raegan Oldridge and Paytron Rucker also added nine points each for Charleston.
Elkins was led by Kingslee Kestner scoring a eight points.
Elkins took a 15-11 edge into halftime with the help of some hot shooting in the second quarter. The Lady Elks were able to make five of their 10 shots from the field in the frame.
That's when Charleston's defense took over. Elkins (21-7) was limited to just two points in the second half, including a scoreless fourth quarter. The Lady Elks made just one of 14 second-half shots.
Charleston (25-2) was able to take a 19-17 lead into the fourth quarter then outscored Elkins 14-0 in the final frame to pull away.
"Normally, we are pretty good on defense and it keeps us in games when we are not scoring," Charleston coach Jason Rucker said. "But I never thought in my life that we'd hold them to two points in a half. We then made enough shots to pull away."
Charleston, now on a 19-game winning streak, held a 5-4 lead after a quarter of play. The game was scoreless for the majority of the first quarter until the Lady Tigers got a 3-pointer from Oldridge with one minute, 45 seconds left in the quarter.
Both teams combined to miss 14 shots from the field, two free throws and had nine turnovers before any team could find the scoreboard to open the game.
Charleston 33, Elkins 17
Elkins^4^11^2^0^--^17
Charleston^5^6^8^14^--^33
Elkins (21-7): Kestner 8, Jackson 6, Shirley 3.
Charleston (25-2): Ross 11, Oldridge 9, Rucker 9, King 2, Groen 2.
Preps Sports on 02/23/2020