It’s going to be Logan against Hedgesville in the first round of the Class AAA state tournament next Wednesday night at the Charleston Civic Center.
Logan (22-3), the No. 1-ranked team in the state in Triple-A, grabbed the No. 1 seed and will take on Hedgesville in a 7:15 p.m. tip.
In other Class AAA first-round games, No. 4 Capital takes on No. 5 Morgantown on Thursday, March 18 at 11:15 a.m., while No. 2 Wheeling Park is set to square off with No. 7 Martinsburg on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m. and No. 3 George Washignton battles with Kanawha Valley rival and No. 6-seeded South Charleston on March 18 at 7:15 p.m.
Logan is 5-1 against 3A state tourney foes with the only loss coming to Morgantown, 74-59, on Feb. 5 at the Big Atlantic Classic in Beckley.
Logan could get another shot at Morgantown in the semifinals on Friday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. as the Mohigans are in the Wildcats’ bracket. Logan beat Capital earlier in the season in a 99-93 overtime nail-biter, also in the Beckley tournament.
The Cats met Wheeling Park twice during the 2009-10 season and downed the Patriots 78-63 at home and 66-65 on the road late in the campaign.
Logan played George Washington and South Charleston in the same week at the Charleston Civic Center as the Cats downed the Black Eagles 73-70 on Feb. 23 and then came back to defeat then No. 1 GW, 68-66, two days later. South Charleston is coached by former Logan mentor Vic Herbert, who led the Wildcats to the Class AAA state championship in 1991.
Logan is searching for its first Class AAA state title since that same year.
Wildcats’ coach Mark Hatcher led LHS to the Class AA state crown in 2005. The Wildcats played in the 2A state tourney five years in a row from 2004-08 but were ousted in the sectionals last year by Cabell Midland.
Logan is making its first trip to the state tourney as a 3A school since the Tim Murphy-led Wildcats reached the Big Dance in 1995.
LHS also won 3A state titles under former coach Willie Akers in 1964, 1977, 1978 and 1983.
Logan, led by superstar players Noah Cottrill and Paul Williamson, would advance to the Class AAA state title game on Saturday, March 20 at 7:15 p.m. if it is able to win its first two contests.
The Wildcats advanced to the state tourney with Tuesday night’s 71-57 regional win at home over Winfield. Logan topped Lincoln County (81-61) and Cabell Midland (49-39) in the sectional tourney last week at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse in Huntington.
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