By Mark Robinson
Greenbrier West’s Shane Griffith puts up a shot against Buffalo Wednesday night. West won, 67-47.
Greenbrier West used good shooting and rebounding to dispatch visiting Buffalo High School Wednesday evening, 67-47. West’s Collin O’Dell led all scorers with 17; Buffalo’s Dillon Williams had 14.
The 6-foot-8-inch O’Dell twins blocked many shots, and were both effective with inside scoring. West’s guard play on the perimeter was crisp and accurate, and showed patience in waiting for plays to develop.
West led 36-24 at halftime, and went on a 14-4 run to start the third quarter to lead 50-28. Substitutes on both teams saw action in the fourth quarter, with the outcome so obvious.
After the game, West coach Joey Fitzwater said, “We hope we can play like that all year. Maybe we woke up a little bit. I made a little lineup change. We put the ball in the basket tonight. When the ball goes in the basket the game is easy to play. We started four sophomores and one senior, Hunter, since he came back from his appendectomy.”
Buffalo coach Adam Scott commented, “You don’t get beat from messing up just one aspect of the game. It wasn’t just their big guys inside. We didn’t take care of the ball. When we didn’t take care of the ball, they scored in transition. We tried to run a press and turn up the pressure, but we failed to rotate. We got beat with two dunks and several layups. West shot an excellent percentage in the first half. Whenever a team knocks down shots and you turn the ball over, you lose every time.”
