Power Rankings Have Webster Third in Playoff Section

Of the seven teams in the playoff sectional in which the Webster County Highlanders boys' team will compete, Webster is currently ranked third behind number one Fayetteville and number two Charleston Catholic. Following Webster at fourth is Pocahontas County, with Richwood at fifth, Valley Fayette at sixth, and Midland Trail at seventh.

The Highlanders have beaten Valley Fayette, Midland Trail, and Richwood (with a rematch at Richwood on February 22), and they have lost to Fayetteville and Charleston Catholic. All teams in Webster's section have winning records except for Midland Trail, who currently posts an 8 win, 9 loss record.

If the regular season were to end today, and the win/loss records along with the power ratings are used to seed the teams in the playoffs, Webster would likely host Valley Fayette in an opening round playoff game. The other opening round matchups would include a bye for Fayetteville, with Charleston Catholic hosting Midland Trail and Pocahontas County hosting Richwood.

Whether Webster will host an opening round playoff game will, of course, depend on the results of their final three games as Charleston Catholic, Pocahontas County, and Richwood have records and power ratings very close to that of the Highlanders.  Webster's record stands at 12-7, Catholic is also 12-7 (but ahead of Webster based on their win against the Highlanders earlier this season), Pocahontas is 11-7, and Richwood is 9-7.

Webster's section is clearly the stronger section in the Region which will send two teams to the State Tournament in Charleston.  Of the six teams in the other section, only Greenbrier West and Greater Beckley Christian have .500 records, both at 9 wins, 9 losses on the season.  The other four teams are below .500, and all six teams in this other section have power ratings lower than Midland Trail, who is the lowest rated team in Webster's section.

Given all of these records and scenarios, Webster is in control of its own destiny, whether it is hosting an opening round playoff game, or in making it to the State Tournament.  Their performance in their final three games will send a strong signal, either way, regarding their playoff hopes.

The most recent power ratings for all Class AAA, AA, and A teams can be found at this link (scroll down for Class A teams):
Power Ratings

Highlanders Win on Senior Night

The Webster boys' team took care of business on senior night as they defeated the visiting Roane County Raiders 79 to 73 Friday evening, avenging an earlier loss to Roane.

Senior basketball players along with senior livestream announcer before the game.

Senior Dalton Gray sustained a serious injury, losing half of one of his front teeth, but never left the game and helped lead his team to victory. Gray had 23 points in the win. Sophomore Dorian Groggs led all scorers with 27 points. Also scoring for the Highlanders were: Michael Malcolm 2, Billy Wilson 10, Hayden Williams 13, and Mathias, Palmer 4.

Senior Dalton Gray shows his front tooth that was broken during the game.

Webster scored an impressive 33 points in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. With the win, Webster improved to  12 wins, 7 losses on the season and vastly improved their chances to host a home playoff game.

According to Assistant Coach Eddie Mazzella, Webster will host Greenbrier West next Tuesday, February 14, and will host Williamstown next Thursday, February 16. Because the Highlanders did not place in the top two in the LKC conference, they will not be playing next Saturday at the WACO Center in Glenville for the LKC championship, although Webster will have two players competing in the three point shootout at the WACO. Williamstown sports an 11 win, 8 loss record. As far as common opponents go, Williamstown, like Webster, beat Calhoun County and lost to Fayetteville. Webster will then play on February 22 at Richwood to finish the regular season.

On another positive note for Webster, the JV team keeps rolling along with their perfect season, which now stands at 17 wins, 0 losses, after defeating the Roane County JV team this evening.

Nicholas County Judge Suspended for Two Years

Neighboring Nicholas County Judge Stephen Callaghan was suspended today without pay for two years for lies he made during last years' judicial election which he won by 227 votes.

During his campaign against incumbent judge Gary Johnson, Callaghan, among other things, put out a flyer saying that while Nicholas County citizens were losing jobs, Johnson was at the White House partying with President Obama.  The postcard flyer was photoshopped and completely false and Callaghan knew it was false when he authorized it, according to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

This is part of the postcard flyer that resulted in Judge Callaghan's two year suspension without pay.

Today, the West Virginia Supreme Court suspended Callaghan from office without pay for two years, fined him $15,000.00, and made him pay the costs of the disciplinary action.

All five justices agreed that Callaghan should be suspended for at least two years.  One justice argued the two year suspension was not long enough, suggesting that at least three or four years would be more appropriate because of the lies and falsehoods made by Callaghan during the election.

The Court's full opinion can be read here:

Full Opinion

The full opinion of the justice who wanted a longer suspension can be read here:

Concurring Opinion

What Curse? Highlanders Handle Bobcats 69 - 55

Dispelling any notion that they can't play on the big stage, the Highlander boys' team played a consistent game at the Charleston Civic Center this afternoon to beat the Summers County Bobcats 69 to 55.

Webster grabbed the lead early in the first quarter and never looked back, holding a 22 to 7 lead at the end of the first quarter, and a 30 to 20 lead at halftime.  Webster ran up an 18 point lead at 44 to 26 in the third quarter and finished the quarter with an insurmountable 17 point lead at 49 to 32.  The Highlanders then coasted to the final score of 69 to 55 (it should be noted that although the scoreboard read 69 to 55 at the final buzzer, the Associated Press reports the final score at 70 to 55 and the box score supports the 70 points--must have been some post-game adjustment if that is true).

Highlanders who scored included:  Michael Malcolm 5, Billy Wilson 3, Hayden Williams 18, Dorian Groggs 15, Dalton Gray 16, Bradin Miller 9, and Mathias Palmer 4.

Large portions of the game were broadcast live by the Commentator on Periscope via Twitter @highlander_fan1.

Former head coach Steven Nutter watched the game and saw the Highlanders win for the first time in about the six games he has attended.  As a result, his ban is lifted.

With the win, Webster improves to 11 wins, 7 losses on the season.  They next play at home this Friday against Roane County.

Curse of the Big Arena

With rare exception, the Highlander boy's basketball team has had less than good luck playing at large arenas like the WACO Center in Glenville and the Civic Center in Charleston.  They look to break their relative bad luck at these arenas in the next few weeks with a date Tuesday against Summers County at the Civic Center and possible LKC play at the WACO in mid-February.

Webster JV Team Improves to Perfect 16 - 0

Under the guidance of Assistant Coach Eddie Mazzella, the Webster County Highlanders boy's junior varsity team improved their season record to a perfect 16 wins, 0 losses after clubbing the Braxton County Eagles' JV team 84 to 40 this evening at Sutton.

Over the past three seasons combined, the Webster JV team has lost only four games against 40 wins.

Webster Clips Eagles

In a game described at times as "pandemonium" by Braxton radio announcers, the Webster County Highlanders boys' team beat rival Braxton County Eagles 79 to  69 Thursday evening at Sutton.

Webster built up a 42-30 halftime lead behind 21 points by sophomore guard Dorian Groggs, who finished the night with a game high 33 points. Webster's press led to 12 points off of Braxton turnovers in the first half.  Webster never trailed in the game.  

In the third quarter, Webster led by as many as 18 points before the Eagles closed the gap to 54 to 37 at the end of the quarter. Webster went up by 16 points in the final stanza and coasted to the victory. Braxton did not make a 3 point shot until 8 seconds remained in the game. Webster made 23 of 37 free throws compared to 8 of 23 by Braxton.

In addition to Groggs' 33 points, Hayden Williams scored 18 points, Dalton Gray added 18, Billy Wilson had 6, Chase Rose with 3, and Mathias Palmer had 1 point to round out the scoring for Webster.

Webster has beaten Braxton twice this season.  The Highlanders improved their season record to 10 wins, 7 losses.

Webster next plays the Summers County Bobcats on Tuesday at the Charleston Civic Center, with tip off scheduled for 1:15 p.m.  The Bobcats sport a 4 win, 12 loss record, but their 4 wins are against 4 teams Webster has beaten by similar margins.