The Bridgeport Indians started Tuesday's Class AAA Region II boys basketball co-final on a 10-0 run; they put together a 6-0 run late in the fourth quarter.
 
In between? They got all they could handle from the Elkins Tigers, but that fast start and clean finish was enough to send the defending state champions back to Charleston, 49-42.
 
"Our defense," Bridgeport coach Dave Marshall pointed to as the key to Bridgeport's strong stretches. "We even created a few things out of our transition.
 
But: "We made a few bad decisions out of our transition, too. We just weren't running our offense the way we've been running it all year and specifically this week in preparation for them."
 
Bridgeport will play in the state quarterfinals next Wednesday, March 18 at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center against Big 10 rival East Fairmont at 9:30 a.m., with potential semifinals on Friday, March 20 and the final on Saturday, March 21.
 
Aryon Dodd led Bridgeport (19-4) offensively with 20 points, while lone senior Sam Romano put in eight points and Gavin Williams and Anderson McDougal six each.
 
Romano, Dodd and Williams shared the rebounding lead with five each, while Williams and McDougal each passed out five assists and Dodd blocked three shots.
 
Landon Shreve topped Elkins (5-18) with 17 points, 13 in the second half, and Isaiah Nutter carried the load in the first half, with 10 of his 14 coming before intermission.
 
"Hats off to Elkins," Marshall said. "They just make you play ugly and we didn't help ourselves along those lines. In my experience in all the years of doing this, oftentimes the regional game is just a mud fight. It was another one of those cases. We're glad to get out of here and get to play again."



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