The Charleston Tigers have advanced to this week’s 3A state tournament that is being hosted by Lamar High School by virtue of their 54-45 victory over West Fork in last week’s regional tournament. At press time for this story, the Tigers were preparing to play Booneville in the semifinals of the regional tournament. A victory over Booneville would have given Charleston no worse than a number two seed in the state tournament, and a victory in the regional championship would give Charleston a number one seed. RNN Sports will provide updates this week on its online platform and in social media.
After losing a district semifinal game two weeks ago against Cossatot River, Charleston, the regular season 3A-4 champions, dropped to a number three seed in the regionals. The loss forced a match-up for Charleston with the West Fork Tigers who were the regional tournament number two seed. To advance to the state tournament, Charleston would have to defeat West Fork on their home court and in front of a hostile crowd. In true Charleston fashion, the Tigers went to West Fork and defeated the Tigers.
After the game, Charleston head basketball coach B J Ross could not have been prouder of his Tigers. Coach Ross commented, “I was so proud of the way we played with relentless effort. Coach Haynes and I never have to ask them to play hard and that makes it so fun to coach. I thought we played a tough, physical defensive game. Brandon Scott and Reece Merechka led us offensively. Sebastian Gaona and Brevyn Ketter did an awesome job defensively on their two best players. Drake Dodson and Bryton Ketter came up with some huge buckets and rebounds late in the game.”
RNN Sports will bring you updates on the Tigers’ march through the state tournament. Watch for stories on the RNN Sports website at residentnewsnetwork.com and on social media.
Congratulations to the Charleston Tigers, and good luck in the state tournament!
