HS Boys Basketball: Beckley holds on to beat Graham

Five Flying Eagles score in double figures to secure the win over the G-men

Early season losses for the Beckley boys basketball team were highlighted by a lack of balance and struggles closing out games.

Saturday night when Graham (VA) came to the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center, the Flying Eagles proved what they had learned in those tough lessons.

Fending off a late challenge from the G-men and placing five players in double figures, Beckley knocked off Graham 73-65.

This visitors from the Commonwealth state came out hot scoring 19 points in the first quarter, but the Flying Eagles were able to remain within three points of the lead.

Beckley then slowed the scoring barrage in the second quarter by the G-men and thanks to a 19-point quarter of its own, led 35-29 at halftime.

The third period also belonged to the Flying Eagles who routinely threaded the G-men pressure for easy looks at the basket.

Six points each in the quarter from Jahden Robinson and Izaiah Jones sparked Beckley to a 53-41 lead with eight minutes to play.

A defensive adjustment by Graham, however, restored the effectiveness of its pressure and the G-men stormed back to within three points late in the game.

In the exact situation where they had struggled early in the season, leading to losses, the home town kids shined.

Weathering the storm of pressure and physicality, the Flying Eagles pulled away and sealed the win going seven-for-eight from the foul line.

Robinson led Beckley with 17 points, including four shots from downtown.

Jones, just a freshman, followed closely with 16 points, while Preston Clary scored 12.

Gage Burdette and A.J. Thomas each had 10 points and Kingston Clark added eight.

Burdette flirted with a triple-double grabbing seven rebounds and handing out seven assists.

Clary also narrowly missed the triple-double mark with nine assists and seven rebounds.

Channing Dissibbio led all scorers for the G-men with 30 points. Cambel Fix scored 15 points, while Ty Martin had 12 and Gage Palmer eight.

Beckley will travel to Graham on Feb. 7.

Prior to that rematch, Beckley (5-5) will have home dates with Martinsburg and AAAA No. 1 George Washington ahead of road trips to Shady Spring and Capital.

Beckley head coach Ron Kidd talked about the win and the ebb and flow of the game down the stretch.