Elkins’ duo rules game differently

ELKINS 59, PRESCOTT 43

CHARLESTON — Caden Vaught had the lightning, and Paxton Barnett provided the thunder Wednesday night.

The seniors combined for 44 points and provided the ideal storm for Elkins boys as they advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 3A state tournament with a 59-43 victory over Prescott in the Tiger Center.

Vaught finished with eight three-pointers, including three in the first quarter to spark a 13-5 lead, while Barnett delivered a dunk over a Prescott defender during a 10-0 third-quarter run that helped Elkins (29-3) pull away.

“Caden shot the ball really well, and he’s capable of doing that,” Elkins Coach Jared Porter said. “He’s done that all season long, and Paxton just made plays offensively and defensively. Those guys were huge.”

Elkins never trailed, although Prescott closed the gap to 16-13 on two free throws by Caleb Harris with 4:51 left in the first half. Barnett then delivered his only three-pointer, and Vaught added his fourth and fifth from beyond the arc to push the Elks’ lead to 25-13 with 3:06 before halftime.

Elkins put its lead out of reach in the third quarter with a 10-0 run, which Vaught started with his sixth three-pointer and Barnett followed with his dunk that caused the crowd to rise to its feet.

“I thought our defense was good,” Porter said. “We continued to work and only gave them one shot, and that was it. We did a good job rebounding, and we know we can score points.

“That dunk by Paxton just gave us so much momentum. He’s capable of that with his athleticism, and I thought that gave us so much momentum, as well as our bench and the crowd.”

Vaught finished with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from three-point range, and Barnett added 20 on 7-of-9 shooting for Elkins, which plays Rivercrest in the 8:30 p.m. quarterfinal game today.

Jacobi Nolen was the only Prescott player in double figures with 18 points.

DREW CENTRAL 59, CLINTON 53

Drew Central built a big lead in the second quarter and withstood Clinton’s second-half comeback attempt.

Drew Central (19-12) was led by Stevon Hall’s 18 points. Jaden Golden and Travarus Shead each added 12 points for the Pirates. Golden also had 18 rebounds.

Kragen Bradley scored a game-high 20 points for Clinton (21-10). Reid Hensley chipped in 11 points for the Yellowjackets.

Drew Central held a 14-13 lead after the initial quarter, then extended it out to 30-15 heading into halftime. Clinton was outscored 16-2 in the second quarter when it made just 1 of 10 shots.

Bradley sparked the offense in the third quarter. He finished with 12 of the team’s 20 third-quarter points. That allowed Clinton to cut the Drew Central lead to 43-35 entering the fourth quarter.

Clinton whittled the lead to 56-53 with 55 seconds left in the game, but free throws from Trenton Eubanks and Golden iced the victory for Drew Central.

DUMAS 55, BERGMAN 35

Tamarja Parker had 12 points to lead a trio of Dumas players in double figures as the Bobcats rolled past Bergman.

D.J. Russell added 11 points and Kylin James 10 for Dumas (25-3), which methodically built a 25-14 halftime lead and pulled away by outscoring Bergman 23-15 in the fourth quarter.

Elijah Royce finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for Bergman (32-9).