South Charleston’s Aaron Dobson (2) looks to pass around Beckley’s VaShawn Wood Thursday at the Civic Center.South Charleston High's Bobby Dawson is an exception.
Although his Black Eagles were only two hours away from playing Beckley in a Class AAA boys basketball quarterfinal Thursday night, Dawson's attention was divided between the Civic Center court and another court -- Kanawha County Circuit Court.
That's because the family of South Charleston point guard Ricky Dunham, who had been suspended by Principal Bill Walton along with three teammates, had petitioned the court for an injunction allowing him to play.
At approximately 5 p.m., Judge Irene Berger issued an injunction.
"I didn't know until I got here if I was going to have him or not," said Dawson, referring to the 5-foot-9 senior who averaged 16.3 points and was named an All-Kanawha Valley first team by the Daily Mail.
"I have no control -- zero."
Due to the uncertainty, Dawson didn't start Dunham against Beckley. In fact, the Black Eagles' leading scorer didn't enter the game until the 6:45 mark of the second quarter.
By then, South Charleston led 18-11 and never trailed while rolling to a 67-55 win over Beckley.
"We knew we'd use him as we wanted to, but he does give us another ballhandler," Dawson said.
Dunham scored 12 points in 18 minutes of action, but struggled with his shooting. He was only 2-of-10 from the floor and 7-of-14 from the foul line.
"He missed the last two or three practices," Dawson said.
Beckley Coach Ron Kidd didn't think Dunham's absence hurt the No. 2 seeded Black Eagles.
"We knew they were a good team without him," Kidd said. "He got a technical foul early in our game at their place during the regular season and Coach Dawson didn't play him after the second quarter.
"So, I think they're kind of used to playing without him."
That's fortunate because the legalities aren't over. Another meeting in Walton's office was scheduled at 9 a.m. today, which means Dunham may not be available for South Charleston's semifinal game against Morgantown at 9 p.m. today.
Or, another injunction could be granted.
Dawson has no idea what will happen. All he knows is his idea of a higher court is an upstairs gym.
"It was very frustrating today," Dawson said. "I think they (the courts) need to stay out of it."
The suspensions stemmed from an alleged incident between four South Charleston players and a 13-year-old male after basketball practice Monday. As a result, Dunham; his sophomore brother, Rashaun; and reserves Se Dale Watson and Scooter Daniels were suspended.
Watson and Daniels were not in uniform against Beckley. The younger Dunham dressed, but did not play.
"I've had kids quit, I've had kids transfer and we're still 21-3," Dawson said. "My experience is kids step up."
That is precisely what sophomore Aaron Dobson did Thursday. Although the 6-2 sophomore was making his State Tournament debut, he also assumed the added responsibility of taking over Dunham's point guard duties.
That's a lot of pressure on a rookie, but Dobson, who finished with 13 points, handled it impressively while totaling eight points, four rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals in the first half.
Dawson wasn't surprised by Dobson's performance.
"He holds his composure well," the veteran Black Eagle coach said. "He's not a real big talker out there on the court, but I think good players need to be seen and not heard."
Dawson is happy he will have the opportunity to be seen tonight.
"I'm just glad I'm here because I don't have a ticket," said Dawson. "I need to win, so I can get into the show."
That is, of course, unless the show is at a different court.
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