Princeton adds Lay-up to line-up; takeaways from top matchup

<div dir="ltr">Dave Morrison</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Princeton’s Delathon “Lay-Lay” Wilborn has been one of the state’s top surprises early in the season.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">He has led the Tigers to a 4-0 start and has emerged a a scoring threat, averaging 23.3 points per game.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Wilborn, a 5-10 senior showed that in his 36-point effort against rival Bluefield Friday.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">He was 10 of 16 shooting and 4 of 4 on 3s.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">It was Wilborn’s third straight game with at least 23 points after averaging seven points last year, with a previous career high of 16, also against Bluefield.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">He added seven rebounds, four steals and seemed to be everywhere on both ends of the floor. He showed a great court awareness.</div> <div dir="ltr">Coach Robb Williams said that Wilborn worked hard in the summer, through the Covid pandemic, to improve his game.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">It’s showing.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Another scorer who has been on a tear, no surprise, is Shady Spring’s [player_tooltip player_id="977630" first="Braden" last="Chapman"].</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">In his last two games Chapman has scored 32 (vs. Poca) and 33 (vs. Wyoming East), both of those new career highs.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Chapman has 16 3s in his last four games and is averaging 26.5 in those four games.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Like Wilborn he is certainly not a one-trick pony. Against Wyoming East he had seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Chapman is scoring at a 23.2 ppg clip this season.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">His twin brother Cole, one of the top defenders in the region, is averaging 15 points per game.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Here are my takeaways from James Monroe’s 69-64 victory over Greenbrier West Monday, a Class A No. vs. No. 5 battle.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">There is a sense that both teams got something from the game.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Greenbrier West seeing it could compete, come back from a big deficit and nearly topple a ranked team without [player_tooltip player_id="977544" first="Kaiden" last="Pack"].</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Pack, an athletic dual position player for the Cavaliers, fouled out with six minutes left Monday with his team trailing by 15.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">The team stormed back, with Chase McClung and Brandon Oscar nailing 3s to key a 10-2 run that made the score 67-64. The Cavs twice had possessions to get closer or tie the score and couldn’t convert in the end, but coach Jared Robertson knows he found something.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">In a win last week over (Class AA) No. 2 Williamstown, and again against James Monroe, West showed it has some depth.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">“I think that showed our team and all our kids can score and all our kids can contribute and he doesn’t have to score 30 points for us to win games,” Robertson said.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">The Cavaliers have an interesting lineup.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Both McClung and Oscar, a transfer from Greenbrier East, are point guards who can score as well as facilitate and the 6-3 Pack, one of the areas best athletes, can also play point.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">And Logan Shrewsbury filled in for Pack after the Cavs star fouled out and has some big shots in the game, with a run-starting 14-3 run over the final four minutes that made it a one-possession game.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">A late runout by [player_tooltip player_id="977605" first="Shad" last="Sauvage"] made the final 69-64.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">“We’ve got eight kids I know can play and beyond that we have some sophomores who didn’t play tonight but I need to get in games because they are kids who can play too and to build for the future.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Ty Nickell, Michael Kanode and Kadin Parker are sophomores for the Cavaliers.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">James Monroe was looking for a test after starting the season outscoring opponents 72.8 to 41.2.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">They got it, although midway through the fourth it looked like the Mavs were on their way to another 20-plus point blowout.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">The difference in the game came on the inside.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Judd Lankford and Cam Thomas give James Monroe a tough 1-2 post presence.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">In Monday’s game Thomas, starter last year as a freshman, gave the Mavs 14 points and nine rebounds.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">He is a physical presence who reminds of the old-school Region 3 style of rugged play.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">At 6-foot-4 he was dominate inside and was also 6 of 9 at the free throw, key for a big.</div> <div dir="ltr">He backs up senior Judd Lankford nine points and four rebounds.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Add that to the shooter in Sauvage (19 3s in six games) and stat page stuffing guard [player_tooltip player_id="1051586" first="Eli" last="Allen"] (14 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals vs. Greenbrier West) and there are the makings for the Mavs first and only state tournament appearance in 1995-96.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Some milestones around the state:</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Woodrow Wilson’s [player_tooltip player_id="977514" first="Ben" last="Gilliam"] became the third player in the school’s storied basketball history to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">The other two were Anthony Scruggs and Shea Fleenor, two of the best big men in the state during their playing days.</div> <div dir="ltr">Point Pleasant’s Hunter Bush became the school’s all-time scorer with 1,269 points. He passed Wade Martin, who had 1,265 in his career.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr">Robert C. Bryd’s [player_tooltip player_id="977545" first="Gavin" last="Kennedy"] and Cabell-Midland’s [player_tooltip player_id="977577" first="Chandler" last="Schmidt"] both topped the 1,000 point mark for their career last week.</div> <div dir="ltr"> </div>