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Wheeling Central too much for St. Marys boys

Photo by Scott McCloskey Wheeling Central’s Owen Gainer shoots over St. Marys’ Chris Riggs (35) while Blue Devil teammate Braden Barnhart (4) looks on during Thursday’s Class A Region I co-final in Wheeling, W.Va.

WHEELING, W.Va. — Charleston has become the second home for Wheeling Central in the month of March.

The Maroon Knights of Mel Stephens punched their ticket to the state tournament for the fifth straight season, disposing of visiting St. Marys, 88-62, Thursday night in a Class A Region I co-final on Skip Prosser Court. The lopsided win was the 23rd in 25 games for the Knights.

Central will be looking to shed the role of state runner-up it has been shouldered with the past two years. The Maroon Knights last won the Class A crown in 2014.

The game, which the hosts led 44-37 at intermission, was hotly contested for one half.

Stephens’ relentless charges used a 9-0 spurt to start the third quarter to build a double-digit margin it methodically built on until the final buzzer. The run was fueled by John Burkhalter’s seven points and a bucket from hot-shooting Owen Gainer.

Burkhalter didn’t start the game, entering in the second quarter as he is nursing a severe ankle injury. The athletically-gifted senior was a major impact in the second half, scoring all his 13 points after intermission.

Gainer, meanwhile, scored the game’s first six points en route to a game-high 28 markers, all coming in the first three periods. He played sparingly in the fourth period as Stephens substituted early and often in the final frame. So much so, 12 Knights reached the scoring column.

St. Marys boasted boundless hustle and quality 3-point shooting, but fell victim to Central’s constant pressure. The Blue Devils bowed out with a fine 19-6 mark.

“We beat a good team tonight. They play hard and they can really shoot it from deep. We beat them earlier in the year at Glenville, but they gave us all we could handle,” Stephens said. “I thought we played well tonight. We got on them early, but they battled back. I just thought we wore on them.

“Getting John back on the floor really helped. We were hoping to hold him out the first half. He was on crutches just a couple of days ago,” Stephens continued. “Our role players and bench did a real nice job. We got solid efforts from a lot of people tonight.”

Gainer and Burkhalter were supported by two other-double digit scorers. Junior Brent Price turned in his usual all-around strong effort, ending with 12 points while directing the Knight offense the majority of the night. Solid senior Gabe Rohmann delivered 10 points and loads of blue-collar work.

Chris Riggs produced a solid effort for St. Marys. The 6-1 center had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Sweet-shooting Sam Kincaid netted 14 counters, including three treys. Will Billeter chipped in with 12 points.

“I was pleased with our effort. They punched us in the mouth early and we came back. They got us down again and we again fought back. We were still in it at the half, trailing by just seven,” St. Marys coach Mark Barnhart said. “The third quarter was the difference. We couldn’t make a shot. Their defense had a lot to do with that. I just thought their pressure had a cumulative effect on us. They are a tough team to match up with.”

St. Marys committed 16 turnovers. Central had just nine miscues.

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