By JONATHAN GREENE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON — Ryan Meadows cherishes the big moment.
The Princeton junior got his chance to shine last week when the Tigers battled Woodrow Wilson (No. 4 in Class AAA).
Meadows gave the Tigers a 56-55 advantage with 34 seconds as he took the ball the length of the court for a lay-up. After the Flying Eagles regained the lead, Princeton went back to their point guard one last time. Meadows drove to the hoop and was fouled in traffic.
“I was nervous. Those are moments that I dream about,” Meadows said. “Just to have the game in my hands and it’s up to me whether we win or lose, I like moments like that. I like being under pressure.”
Meadows nailed both free throws with 7.8 seconds left as the Tigers pulled off the upset against rival Woodrow Wilson.
“It was definitely tough,” he said. “We were down one so I knew if I could make the first one, the second one would be a lot easier for me. I really concentrated on the first one and after I saw that one go in, I had a lot more confidence in the second. I ended up making that one too.”
Princeton head coach Ernie Gilliard added, “He’s a kid that’s got ice water in his veins. He cherishes moments like that and the opportunity to sink the winning basket. He’s a very humble individual first and foremost, because he keeps all things in the proper perspective.”
For his efforts in the Tigers’ win over the Eagles, plus four other stellar performances to close out the season, Meadows has earned Pocahontas Coal Association/ Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week honors.
“First, I want to thank God for everything,” Meadows said. “I know without him, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything as an individual or with the team. This last week has been good for us.
“We had good win over Woodrow, Bluefield beat us, but then we got a good win over PikeView. We went on the road [Wednesday night] and beat Spring Valley. To peak around tournament time is really what we’re hoping for.”
Meadows has dropped 83 points in Princeton final five regular season games including 25 against PikeView and 17 against both Bluefield and Spring Valley.
“That’s just the kind of competitor that he is,” Princeton head coach Ernie Gilliard said. “I know teams have really ran at him and here lately, have tried to isolate him and take him out of the game. He’s such a competitor that he’s constantly staying in game and he doesn’t get too frustrated. He manages to maintain enough focus so that he can do some positive things for us down the stretch like hit those two free throws in the Woodrow game.”
Meadows hasn’t been a one-man show either. He’s dished out six assists against Woodrow Wilson to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
“As I’ve stated before, he’s still a student of the game,” Gilliard said. “He works extremely hard. His only goal is to get better and to be a champion. His maturity overall in readying certain situation on floor and making good decisions, getting the ball to right the person especially as defenses try to isolate him. He’s smarter now where he shares the ball and does a pretty good job of penetrate and cause some problems.”
Meadows added, “I really focused on getting my teammates the ball. Penetration and kickout has been a big thing for me this year. I get by my guy and as soon as someone collapses on me, our shooters spot up.
“They’ve been knocking down the shots. They’ve really made it easy on me. I owe them all the credit for that.”
Meadows has several standouts to turn to including Hunter Walters, Darnell Palmer, David Brewster and Austin Southcott. He knows he wouldn’t be where his is without them.
“I want to thank my coaches and teammates,” Meadows added. “They’ve made it really easy on me this year just they way that they’ve played. If things aren’t clicking for me, I can always rely on them. My coaches never give up me and I just owe them a big thank you. They’ve really been good for me this year.”
With a solid core, the Tigers matched their win total from last season while dropping four fewer games as they wrapped up the regular season 13-8.
“I feel overall it’s been a successful season,” Meadows said. “We’ve come in here with the mindset to work hard. We knew this year that we had the talent to do it. We knew as long as we worked hard, executed what we wanted and prepared properly for each that we should get the results we worked for.”
Princeton know turns to the postseason where they made a run to the sectional and regional title games a year ago. First up is Greenbrier East who edged them 58-55 on Feb. 13.
“We want to make it to the state championship,” Meadows said. “That’s been our goal ever since the beginning of the season. Now it’s finally here. Right now, we feel like we have to work harder than ever. Start with a win over Greenbrier East and keep pushing from there.”
Meadows and the Tigers will get their chance Wednesday night in Oak Hill.
— Contact Jonathan Greene
at jgreene@bdtonline.com

HONORABLE MENTION
BOYS
Bluefield (3-0 during week): Lykel Collier, 62 points, 19 assists, 6 steals, 8 rebounds including 26 points, 7 assists vs. Princeton; Anthony Eades, 69 points, 6 steals, 4 boards; K.J. Manns, 27 points, 16 rebounds; Harley Trimble, 22 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 steals; D.J. Edwards, 16 points, 11 rebounds.
James Monroe (1-1): Zach Hatfield, 20 points; Wes Jones, 18 points; Mark Dixon, 17 points.
Mercer Christian (1-1): Jonathan Easter, 34 points; James Beckner, 26 points.
Mount View (1-2): Maurice Brown, 35 points including 20 points, 7 rebounds in win over River View; Teddy Hazzard, 22 points.
PikeView (2-0): Will Webster, 28 points including 13 points, 12 rebounds, 7 steals vs. Summers County; David Keen, 30 points; Tyler Ruble, 27 points.
Princeton (3-2): Hunter Walters, 70 points; David Brewster, 11 points, 11 rebounds in win over Woodrow Wilson; Tre Hopkins, 13 rebounds, 5 points, vs. Woodrow Wilson.
River View (0-1): LeShon Benton, 15 points, 13 rebounds vs. Mount View; Bryan Church, 17 points.
Summrs County (0-2): T.J. Smith, 36 points; Scott Hannah, 32 points.
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Girls Honorable Mention
Bluefield (0-1): Dazia Edwards, 8 points
Mercer Christian (2-0): Olivia Grondzik, 52 points; Alex Bailey, 33 points.
Montcalm (1-0): Hannah Johnson, 13 points vs. Liberty; Miranda Kendrick, 9 points, 4 assists
Mount View (1-1): Ashley Belfiore, 21 points; Jordan Younger, 25 points.
Narrows (1-0): Savanna Burton, 31 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks vs. Galax; Tiffany Perdue, 10 points, 2 assists, 2 steals.
PikeView (1-0): Danielle Compton, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals; Jennifer Taylor, 8 points, 2 assists; Jamie Brown, 8 points; Hope Nester, 3 points, 7 steals, 3 blocks.
Princeton (0-1): Hannah Preservati, 20 points; Marissa Mullins, 21 points
River View (1-1): Samantha Matney, 23 points; Tara Bowles, 10 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks in loss to Westside; Chelsey Dobbs, 23 points, 14 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists in win over Mountain Mission.
Summers County (2-0): Candace Brown, 80 points, 31 rebounds, 13 steals, 17 assists including 41 points, 23 boards vs. Clay Co.; Brandy Morrison, 34 points, 19 rebounds.