CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — The West Virginia Boys State Basketball Tournament crowned its second champion Saturday as the No. 1 James Monroe Mavericks earned a second consecutive title with a 66-35 win over the Tucker County Mountain Lions.

The Mavericks added more hardware to the trophy case Saturday with a wire-to-wire win after capping off a perfect 2022 season with a 72-47 win over Greater Beckley Christian.

A bucket from Eli Allen in the opening minute of the contest gave the Mavericks a lead they never surrendered. Allen’s 15 points in the first half helped James Monroe gain an early advantage. The Mavericks doubled up the Mountain Lions 18-9 in the second quarter and led by 10 at the break.

Top-seeded James Monroe kept its foot on the gas pedal, outscoring Tucker County 18-8 in the third quarter and 18-7 in the final period. Tucker County was held scoreless in the final 6 minutes of the match.

The Mavericks’ defense oversaw 14 turnovers and converted those into 16 points. James Monroe’s offense dominated under the basket, outscoring Tucker County 38-16 in the paint.

Allen earned 29 points to lead all scorers. The James Monroe starter went 12-of-16 from the floor including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Josh Burks contributed 13 to the Mavericks’ total.

Tucker County was led by Trevan Bonner who scored 14. Teammate Garrett Wilfong went 4-for-4 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe to score 11 for the Mountain Lions.

Up next at the Charleston Coliseum, the Class AA champion title game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. as Chapmanville Regional takes on Charleston Catholic.