HS Boys Basketball: Little General Battle for the Armory starts Monday

Shady Spring is the defending Burger King Division Champion

Shady Spring and Beckley have historically controlled the championship battles in the Little General Battle for the Armory contested annually inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

While the Tigers and the Flying Eagles will once again be strong contenders for the Burger King Division title, a pair of Class AA powers could throw a new wrinkle into the championship finale.

In the opening round Burger King Division match-ups Monday night, Shady Spring will battle AA No. 5 James Monroe at 6 p.m., while Beckley will tussle with AA No. 2 Wyoming East at 8 p.m.

Prior to the Burger King Division action, two games will be played in the Pepsi Division.

Oak Hill battles Charleston Catholic at 2 p.m. and Princeton will mix it up with Winfield at 4 p.m.

The Tigers are the defending Burger King Division champions and come to Beckley with a 2-2 record following a lopsided win over West Logan Christian.

Coby Dillon poured in 40 points against the Warriors, along with nine steals and seven assists. Cutter Boggs added 34 points and had 17 rebounds, while Gabe Short scored 23.

Shady Spring opened the season with a road win at Herbert Hoover before dropping games to AAAA foes Morgantown and University.

James Monroe on the other hand has opened the season by running roughshod over its three opponents, Narrows (VA), Princeton and Summers County.

The average margin of victory has been just over 26 points per game.

Balance has been a big key for the Mavs who have totaled 245 points in their three wins.

Kadyn Hines leads the way averaging 21 points per game, while Jayden Miller and Ryan Mann chip in 13 points per contest. Wyatt Mann adds 11 points per game and Lane Taylor averages 10 points.

The Flying Eagles are also 2-2 with all four games being decided late in the fourth quarter.

Beckley has AAAA regional wins over Oak Hill and Buckhannon-Upshur, while dropping one-possession games to AAA No. 10 Greenbrier East and AAA No. 2 Capital.

Senior Preston Clary has done the heavy-lifting for the Flying Eagles scoring 23 points per game, including a career high 32 against Capital.

Jahden Robinson added 23 points in the win over Oak Hill Tuesday.

Wyoming East is no stranger to tight games, owning one-point road wins over Summitt Christian Academy and Class A No. 1 Tug Valley.

The Warriors (3-0) are coming off of a dominant 74-37 home win over Midland Trail.

Wyoming East made the AA state tournament semifinals back in March and appear to be more lethal this year.

Keegan Davidson, Talan Muscari, Broc Johnson, Braxton Morgan and Konnor Fox are all double-digit scoring threats.

The Warriors will be primed to knock of the Flying Eagles.

Oak Hill has had an odd start to the season so far.

Game one against Princeton was moved due to the football playoffs before two games were postponed because of the weather.

The Fayette County boys had a strong effort against Beckley in a narrow setback Tuesday and will play East Fairmont Saturday at the Winter Classic in Summersville.

The Red Devils will have their hands full with the Irish (1-2).

Catholic knocked off Notre Dame to open the season before falling to AA No. 3 Doddridge County and AAA No. 7 South Charleston.

Princeton is 2-2 on the season, owning wins over AAA regional foes Ripley and Herbert Hoover. The Tigers fell to James Monroe to open the season and most recently to AA No. 4 Bluefield.

Jayce Gumm and Zayden Neely have scored in double figures in the wins for Princeton.

Winfield (2-0) is undefeated with wins over Point Pleasant and Summit Christian Academy.

In the win over the Falcons at WV State University, Owen Taylor paced the Generals with 17 points, while Owen Jones and Brody Iderton had 14 points apiece. Iderton had 14 rebounds and Jones collected five steals.