Redskins will take their crack at Highlanders: Prep Clippings

Hurricane will take its shot at Huntington tonight when theRedskins visit the unbeaten, top-ranked and defending championHighlanders.

The Redskins won their second game of the season - 66-58 over Poca- but have since lost three consecutive games.

Even without All-State post player Patrick Patterson in the lineupmuch of the season because of a sprained ankle, the Highlanders are 5-0 and coming off an emphatic 85-55 drubbing of Capital lastWednesday.

Patterson missed two games, but played in a 51-50 victory overBeckley.

The Redskins are led by senior J.J. Jones, averaging close to 30points for the Redskins.

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WHEN HERBERT Hoover takes the floor tonight against 5-1 Winfield,the Huskies will do it without their leading scorer.

Forward Grant Buckner, who averages 19.9 points, is in Pasadena,Calif., getting ready to watch top-ranked Southern Cal play No. 2Texas in the Rose Bowl.

You see, Buckner won a trip for two to the Rose Bowl just for text-messaging his vote for the NCAA Division I-A Player of the Year aspart of a contest sponsored by Cingular.

Buckner won round-trip airfare, two nights at the Hilton atUniversity City, $200 cash and limousine transportation to and fromthe game - a total package worth $6,200.

Grant and his father, Kevin, the Herbert Hoover baseball coach,left today and will return Thursday morning.

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A HANDFUL of area teams will take winning streaks into the newyear.

Charleston Catholic and South Charleston top the list at 4-0,while Winfield has won four consecutive games after a loss to Nitro.St. Albans has won three straight after a season-opening defeat toGeorge Washington.

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SOUTH CHARLESTON'S Josh Daniel is inching ever closer to breakingthe school record for career points.

In four games for the unbeaten Black Eagles, Daniel has 117 points- an average of 29.3 points. He needs just 354 to break the schoolrecord held by Gay Elmore (1979-82).

At his current pace, Daniel will set the record at home Feb. 4 vs.Ripley.

In fact, the odds of the Eastern Kentucky recruit setting therecord at home are pretty good. The Black Eagles are on the road justthree times between Jan. 21 and Feb. 21.

South Charleston's schedule has the Black Eagles playing on theroad nine times, at a neutral site twice - at the South CharlestonCommunity Center - and at home 10 times.

In their next four games, the Eagles play at Riverside, Beckley,Huntington and George Washington before concluding the five-game roadswing with a visit to Williamson on Jan. 14.

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ON ONE final prep football note, Class AAA state championMorgantown is ranked 58th in the final MaxPreps.com Top 100 rankings.

The Mohigans, who captured their second consecutive state titlewith a 27-24 overtime victory against Nitro, will take a 28-gamewinning streak into next season.

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UNBEATEN Ravenswood lost out on reaching the state tournament lastyear when Winfield won the Region 5 championship.

The Red Devils are 6-0 and appear to be on track to reach thestate tournament for the first time since 2003.

Ravenswood is led by all-stater Anthony Sayre, who is sixth on theschool's all-time scoring list.

He averages 25.6 points and is third in school history for careerrebounds, shots made and free throws made.

Kirk Ritchie, who with Sayre also has been a starter since hissophomore season, has a 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was anall-stater in soccer and is third all-time in school history inassists and steals.

The Devils host Parkersburg Catholic tonight.

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ON THE girls' side of the court, Huntington senior CourtneyMcComas is closing in on a career milestone.

McComas, whose Highlanders play at South Charleston Wednesdaynight, has 937 career rebounds and more than 450 assists and 800points.