Written by: Elle Colbert and published in The Martinsburg Journal on March 24, 2025, link to the article HERE.
CHARLESTON — After a rollercoaster of a season, the Spring Mills Cardinals have persevered to become the 2025 WVSSAC Boys Basketball AAAA State Champions.
The Cardinals toppled the George Washington Patriots, 41-38, to earn the title. Spring Mills was the #1 seed going into the state tournament and George Washington was seeded #3.
“These guys work so hard all year and I’m extremely proud of them,” said Spring Mills interim head coach Shannon Layton, who stepped up to take the reins of the team after their standing head coach, Luke Samples, was placed on administrative leave in February.
“The coaches have been telling them all week: ‘This game is not going to be a runaway’. We knew it was going to come down to the last shot and it definitely did and these guys were prepared for it,” Layon explained.
Saturday’s state championship was a nail-biter as only one point separated the two teams with 12 seconds remaining. As the clock dwindled, Spring Mills senior Caleb Thomas proceeded to sink a pair of foul shots to solidify the game’s final score. Following Thomas’ free throws, junior Akwasi Opoku-Achampong forced a turnover and maintained possession of the ball until the buzzer.
Thomas and Opoku-Achampong, along with their teammate, Loakkhae Uth-Smith, were named to the AAAA All-Tournament Team for their efforts. Additionally, Thomas was named as the Most Valuable Player of the state tournament.
Thomas led all scorers during the state championship final, tallying up a grand total of 15 points. He also collected seven rebounds, four turnovers, six blocks and two steals.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Thomas, reflecting on the Cardinals’ victory.
“Last year we felt like we should have won but obviously we didn’t and this year, to be able to do it for our community, our fans, our parents and everyone else, it’s a great feeling,” he added.
Thomas also accredited the team’s tight-knit bond to their success, reflecting on the ups and downs of their season.
“We’re like a family. Through all the adversity we just kept working hard and we knew we were going to get what we deserved,” he concluded.
To earn their state title, the Cardinals completed 15-35 (43%) of their field goal attempts, 2-12 (17%) of their 3-point attempts and 9-11 (82%) of their free throw attempts.
The Patriots completed 15-34 (44%) of their field goal attempts, 3-8 (38%) of their 3-point attempts and 5-9 (56%) of their free throw attempts.
George Washington had forced Spring Mills to drastically change their plan of attack, limiting the Cardinals to only six points scored from downtown compared to the semifinal, where they had scored 54 of their points from beyond the arc.
The matchup was largely a defensive battle, with only 19 points being scored between both teams in the first quarter. Eleven of those points were scored by Spring Mills and only eight were scored by George Washington.
In comparison, the Cardinal averaged 18.3 points in the first quarter across their 25-game season. In their semifinal matchup with Spring Valley, the Cardinals had scored 27 points in the first quarter.
Spring Mills was held to nine points in the second quarter, 12 points in the third and nine in the fourth. The three periods were all well below their scoring average this season as well.
The Cardinals make up a well-rounded team that could present an even stronger defense though.
The Patriots were limited to seven points in the second quarter, 11 points in the third and 12 points in the fourth. Throughout the season they had averaged 15.5 points in the first quarter, 13.2 in the second, 16.8 in the third and 15 in the fourth.
Saturday’s state championship marked the end of a historic season for Spring Mills, which they concluded with an overall record of 24-1. Across 25 games, the Cardinals outscored their opponents 1,690-1,098.
Within the Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference, Spring Mills concluded the season with an undefeated record of 10-0.