CHARLESTON, W.Va. —
Donte’ Grantham scored 18 points to lead Martinsburg to a 45-42 win over Eastern Panhandle rival Washington in the Class AAA semifinals Friday night.Top-seeded Martinsburg (25-2) beat fourth-seeded Washington (21-6) for the fourth time this season and returns to the championship game for the first time since winning the 2009 title.
Martinsburg never trailed and led 22-15 at halftime.
Washington trimmed an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to 44-42 on Keldon Bell’s 3-pointer with 58 seconds left. Jalen Lewis made a free throw with 8 seconds left for Martinsburg but he missed the second attempt. Washington got the rebound and called a timeout, but Bell missed a 3-point try at the buzzer.
Dominique Newman led Washington with 15 points.
Martinsburg 45, Washington 42
WASHINGTON (21-6)
Newman 4-15 6-6 15, Smith 3-7 4-5 10, Bell 3-7 0-1 7, J.Jones 2-5 0-0 5, M.Jones 1-2 1-1 3, Coles 1-5 0-1 2. Totals 14-41 11-14 42.
MARTINSBURG (25-2)
Robinson 3-7 1-2 7, Lewis 0-6 3-4 3, Cole 2-7 0-0 5, Grantham 9-16 0-0 18, German 1-3 0-0 2, Freeman 3-4 0-1 6, Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Long 1-2 0-0 2, Hairston 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 20-48 4-7 45.
Washington 5 10 14 13—42
Martinsburg 14 8 13 10—45
3-Point Goals—Washington 3-12 (J.Jones 1-2, Newman 1-5, Bell 1-5), Martinsburg 1-10 (Cole 1-4, Grantham 0-1, Robinson 0-2, Lewis 0-3). Fouled Out—none. Rebounds—Washington 29 (Bell 7), Martinsburg 32 (Grantham 9). Assists—Washington 9 (Bell 4), Martinsburg 11 (Lewis 5). Total Fouls—Washington 11, Martinsburg 15. A—na.
