Best Virginia Topples Top Seeded Elite Nation

Charleston, WV - Guard Reese James V led all-scorers with 24 points and guard Kedrian Johnson put in 17 while forward JD Weatherspoon worked the paint for 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Best Virginia to the quarterfinals of the TBT with a 79-68 win over No. 1 seeded Elite Nation Tuesday night at the Charleston Coliseum.

Best Virginia jumped out to a 4-0 lead off a pair of steals, but Elite Nation guard Rashad Vaughn hit his first five shots, including three of his four first quarter threes for a 15-3 run.

Best Virginia forward Tre Mitchel made threes to keep and a steal from Johnson led to a transition three for guard Jarrod West Jr. from the left wing and BV pulled within two, 15-13 at the 3:26 mark of the first quarter.

Elite Nation guard AJ English scored eight straight to stretch the lead to eight, but guard James Reese V buried a three as the quarter expired to pull Best Virginia with five, 23-18.

Forward Darius Hall opened the second quarter for the first six second quarter threes for Elite Nation. However, Best Virginia continued to fight and a pair of threes from Reese and a Kedrian Johnson three had BV within two until forward Samuel Idowu extended the lead back to five, 44-39 with a corner three to end the half.

Elite Nation opened the second half with a 10-3 run, behind a pair of threes from Vaughn, to build its largest lead of twelve, 54-42, near the midway point of the third quarter.

Best Virginia, again, battled back and put together a 16-5 run to cut the deficit to one, 59-58, to end the third quarter.

Guard Isaiah Sanders hit a corner three to start the fourth quarter to give Best Virginia a two-point lead, but Elite Nation guard Justin Robinson answered from behind the arc to regain the on-point advantage.

The Best Virginia defense put the clamps on Elite Nation and constructed a 9-1 run for a seven-point advantage, 70-63, to set the ELAM Ending at 78.

Kedrian Johnson and James Reese began the period with a pair of free throws before Johnson buried a three and Reese buried a mid-range jumper for the 79-68 win.

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