×
×
homepage logo

Johnson, Gladney, Taylor receive basketball honors

By Bob Madison - For the Chronicle | Apr 8, 2022

SHEPHERDSTOWN — An unbeaten regular season. A win in the big-school basketball state tournament. Leadership and not being stopped by an injury or disease.

People outside the Eastern Panhandle are seeing — and honoring — a threesome of Jefferson High School basketball players for the recently completed season where the all-winning Cougars turned in a 22-0 regular season and then journeyed to Charleston to finish the year in the big-school, Class AAAA state tournament.

Second-seeded Jefferson trimmed seventh-seeded Cabell Midland in the state tournament’s opening round before seeing their once-in-a-lifetime season eventually derailed by Parkersburg South in the state semifinals.

The team had performed a never-before-seen feat at Jefferson High. An undefeated regular season. And the rewards and recognition for individual players began rolling into Shenandoah Junction.

Senior front court player Cameron Johnson was selected to the state sports writers first-team, all-state team. Sophomore guard/forward Jaiden Gladney was honored with a second-team, all state berth. Senior point guard and four-year starter Daion Taylor was selected as the recipient of the Doug Huff Award, recognizing his “leadership, hustle and determination.”

Johnson was the leading scorer among a group of five Jefferson starters who all averaged scoring in double figures. The 6-foot-3 forward scored 14.3 points a game, while also getting 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and converting 76 percent of his free throw attempts. He made 45 percent of his field goal attempts. The versatile Johnson was always a long-range scoring threat and was a helpful defender in Jefferson’s menacing full-court pressure.

Gainey produced 13.2 points a game, made the most of his quickness and thirst for steals in Jefferson’s unnerving defense and made 81% of his free throws.

The courage of Taylor was seen during several Jefferson comebacks that avoided any losses and then revealed after the state tournament when it was reported he played in several postseason games leading to the Charleston-based state tournament with a broken wrist that was not set nor casted until the last tournament game was already completed.

Taylor started and played key roles even with his broken wrist in Jefferson’s one-point win over Cabell Midland and loss to Parkersburg South.

He had gone through the 2021-2022 season knowing he had Becker’s Disease, a genetic form of Muscular Dystrophy.

As a senior in 2021-2022, Taylor averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 steals as one of the ringleaders in Jefferson’s game-changing pressure defense.

Jefferson’s 23-1 overall record was the highest winning percentage the school ever achieved since the consolidated school first opened its doors for the 1972-1973 school year.

This season’s team was replete with recognized accomplishments. And Johnson, Gainey and Taylor have been honored for their individual accomplishments and courage.