Regional Boys Basketball: Wyoming East returns to Charleston with emphatic win over Westside

Warriors outscore the Renegades 47-23 in the second half to win the AA Region 3 co-final championship

all photos courtesy of Tina Laney Photography

New Richmond - Wyoming East boys basketball returning to Charleston seemed like a foregone conclusion this year.

However, life in Class AA Region 3 is never quite that simple.

All things considered though, the Warriors indeed made the walk back to the Capitol City look pretty pedestrian.

Thursday night, after waltzing through the region foes undefeated during the regular season, Wyoming East completed the journey back to the big dance with a 75-41 thrashing of county rival Westside inside the War Zone.

The Warriors are the No. 2-seed in the upcoming 2026 Boys Basketball State Tournament and will battle No. 7-seed Logan, Wednesday, March 18 at 7:15 p.m.

Wyoming East head coach Kent McBride discussed the win Thursday night.

Following a 14-point win over the Renegades in the early January game at Clear Fork, the Warriors rolled to a 71-44 win in New Richmond a month later.

Thursday's game was similar to the last meeting between the county rivals.

Westside trailed by 10 points at the break, but was still very much in the game.

That all quickly changed in the third period.

Konnor Fox opened the second half with bucket before Cooper Hatfield cut the deficit for the Renegades back inside double digits with a 3-ball.

The two teams proceeded to dance back and forth between a nine and an eleven point deficit before the Warriors stepped on the gas pedal.

A layup from Braxton Morgan at the 4:20 mark pushed the lead outside of single digits for the final time.

Keegan Davidson then hit a floater before he pitched out an assist in transition to Talan Muscari who buried a triple.

Before Westside could make another bucket, Brock Johnson had scored on a layup, as did Morgan on a coast-to-coast drive to the tin.

A long ball from Johnson and a short jumper from Braedy Johnston was off-set by a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer by Hatfield, but the damage had been done.

Back-to-back triples from Johnston to open the fourth quarter, along with a tip-in from Johnson expanded the lead to 60-34 and the Warriors cruised home with the win.

W: 9 9 16 7 - 41

WE: 14 14 26 23 - 75

Westside

Bradyn Waldron 13, Jacob Mullins 4, Ethan Cline 2, Hendrix Cook 5, Cooper Hatfield 14, Logan McNeely 2

Wyoming East

Keegan Davidson 9, Talan Muscari 15, Broc Johnson 16, Braxton Morgan 4, Konnor Fox 16, Braedy Johnston 8, Ryder Chapman 3, James Wood 2.