Boys Basketball

By Diamond Dowell

No. 1 in the West Virginia boys basketball power rankings -- Bluefield High School.

A 76-72 win at the Brushfork Armory over "AAA" Musselman, followed the next night with a 67-52 victory at Mount View, pushed the guys to the top. The win over the Golden Knights avenged one of just two losses this season for Coach "Buster" Large's team.

The high-flying Beavers (12-2) stopped Greebrier East 73-63 after traveling to Graham and taking a 61-57 win over the G-Men, the second triumph for BHS over Graham this season. With early wins over Princeton, James Monroe, Westside, and Pike View the BHS basketball squad has relied on speed and quickness to power past their opponents. Upset losses to Mount View and Shady Spring have made the boys determined to overcome adversity and head into the playoffs with momentum.

 Coaches “Buster” Large and Tony Webster are providing the inside leadership for BHS as the boys hope for a sixth consecutive trip to the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission (WVSSAC) playoffs at the Charleston Civic Center.

The starting five of Donta Hopkins, Cody Fuller, Devon Goins, Latrell “Mookie” Collier, and Ryan Davis, along with Dominick Taxley, Russ Coleman and Jamere Edwards, among others, are making a great impact for the Beavers, ranked third in West Virginia “AA” rankings at the end of the third week in January.

Senior Cody Fuller, who has battled back from a foot injury, comments, “Everyone on the team has the same goal for our season, which is to make it ‘Upstate.’ We all sacrifice for the betterment of the team. That’s what makes us a special group of guys.”

Fuller transferred from Richlands High School to Bluefield last year. He was a member of the BHS football team and hopes to join the baseball team. Fuller scored his 1,000th point against Wyoming East and is one of the key players to help our team to a successful season.

Donta Hopkins, a Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the week selection, plays the point guard position. Hopkins said, “I feel like we have every good team chemistry. We have a brotherhood on and off the court, which allows us to play well and together.”

Another junior who made a newspaper Player of the Week, Collier,   commented, “ I feel really good about the season. I think if we keep up the hard work and keep our faith in God we will make it upstate.”