Regional HS Boys Basketball: Beckley maintains dominance over Oak Hill in the postseason
Flying Eagles pull away in the third quarter to take a 67-51 win
Throughout the years, history has favored Beckley in the postseason showdowns with Oak Hill.
Prior to the 2025-26 season, the Flying Eagles had not lost to the Red Devils in the basketball playoffs since 1987, going 8-0 over that period.
Friday night in the AAAA South Regional clash between the two longtime rivals, it was once again the Flying Eagles coming out victorious.
Using a strong third quarter to break open a tight game, Beckley rolled past the Red Devils, 67-51.
The Flying Eagles will now play at No. 2-seed Parkersburg South Wednesday at 7 p.m. for a berth in the 2026 Boys Basketball State Tournament.
Beckley head coach Ron Kidd discussed the win and took a look ahead to the clash with the Patriots next week.
Leading by two points after the first quarter, Beckley used a 7-0 run to garner a 12-point lead midway through the second period.
Just when the home team looked ready to pull away, Oak Hill answered with five straight points from Caleb Compton to stem the tide.
A nice feed inside to Craven Austin capped the 7-0 run, trimming the deficit back to five before A.J. Thomas knocked in a 3-pointer for the Flying Eagles.
Beckley took the eight point lead into the locker room and once again pushed the advantage to 12 points on a bucket from Kingston Clark, three minutes into the second half.
Similar to the first half, Oak Hill responded with a 7-0 run, cutting the Beckley lead back to five points as the clock ticked under three minutes.
Over the final three minutes of the quarter, however, Beckley applied what was eventually was the knockout blow.
A bucket from A.J. Thomas, a triple from Jahden Robinson, two buckets from J.W. Wynes, plus a dagger 3-ball to beat the buzzer from Lucas Raney, quickly extended the Beckley advantage to 48-33.
Preston Clary led the Flying Eagles with 19 points, followed by Raney with 13 and Gage Burdette with 11.
Seniors Brent Conley and Tom Jones netted 15 points apiece for the Red Devils and Compton scored 11.
Oak Hill head coach Andy Kees discussed the regional battle with Beckley.
OH: 13 11 9 18 - 51
WW: 15 17 16 19 - 67
OH: Ivan Perdue 2, Antoine Hicks 2, Caleb Compton 11, Craven Austin 4, Brent Conley 15, Noah Floyd 2, Tom Jones 15
WW: Gage Burdette 11, Lucas Raney 13, J.W. Wynes 6, A.J. Thomas 5, Preston Clary 19, Kingston Clark 6, Jahden Robinson 5, Izaiah Jones 2
