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Capital had come close in the 1998-99 season, when the Cougars fell to North Marion in the 1999 Class AAA state final, 49-48, when the Huskies’ Seth Barker got a shot to drop at the buzzer.

That game-winning shot became a sour taste in the mouths of the 1999-2000 team, including the Cougars’ Pat Jones.

“It was a shot to the stomach,� said Jones, now Nitro’s girls basketball coach. “It really was because we played really well that game. It just came down to a lucky shot that rolled around the rim and went in.

“But the 1999-2000 team had everybody back. Everybody was hungrier. We were in the weight rooms and working harder. Everybody wanted to get back to that experience.�

Jones felt that the 1998-99 Cougars were one of the best teams ever, led by players like Eli Stanley, Jeff Ware, Ricky Sayles, Darrion Scott and himself.

Scott and Jones both returned to Capital for their senior season and added South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä transfer L.B. Booker to the veteran roster.

“We had a lot of talent and could run with anybody,� then-Cougars coach Carl Clark said. “We could take off down the floor, and that was one of the things we did well. Our defense was also really good. We had Darrion in the middle, and he could stop just about anybody defensively. He was hard to guard once we gave him the ball inside.�

Jones made a promise as a sophomore to Clark that came to fruition two years later.

“I sat down with coach Clark at the beginning of the year and told him that we were going to win a state title before I left,� Jones said. “That was my ultimate goal. Once I saw the talent pool coming out of Roosevelt, Stonewall Jackson and Horace Mann [middle schools], I knew the talent was there.�

The Cougars were 17-5 heading into the postseason.

Capital had no trouble against Herbert Hoover in the section tournament final or Ripley in the region title game, knocking off the Huskies 98-40 and the Vikings 104-50.

The Cougars continued their quest in the state tournament opener by beating Elkins 62-48. The victory set up a date with county foe George Washington in the state semifinals.

“The state tournament was unbelievable that year with talent because there was a lot of it,� Jones said. “That place was packed when we played GW. It was rocking loud. Near the end of the game, I had stolen a ball and threw it to L.B. He threw it back to me, and I went up and dunked it. When I came down, my hip popped and both calves cramped up at the same time. I collapsed to the ground and was in pain and couldn’t move. I laid there for a while, but I was able to play the next game.

“Playing GW in the semifinals, we knew that one of us was going to get to represent the Kanawha Valley for a state championship. It brought a lot of energy and intensity to that game. Both teams battled.�

Capital took care of business against Philip Crum and the Patriots, 65-39.

“It was always a big win when you could beat GW or South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä,â€� Clark said. “Those were big wins for us.â€�

The win over GW set up a date with the Woodrow Wilson Flying Eagles.

The Flying Eagles controlled Class AAA during the 1990s, winning five state titles, including going back-to-back in 1997 and ’98.

The 1999-2000 Woodrow team featured a talented roster with Leon Smith, Mike Ross and Kevin Harrington. The Flying Eagles entered the state title game with a 21-4 record.

“We talked to the kids about being the very best that they could be and be a team and not individuals,� Clark said. “This was something they had worked for. We told them that they had gotten here before and were here again. But, once you get there, it’s not enough unless you win it all.�

Capital and Woodrow Wilson had met twice during the regular season, with the Flying Eagles winning both matchups, including a close win in Kanawha County.

Those two victories by Woodrow proved to be motivation for the Cougars heading into the state final.

“They came out with the same intensity as we did,� Jones said.

That intensity set the tone for the remainder of the game as the Cougars claimed the program’s first state title, upending Woodrow Wilson, 67-64. Capital finished its season 22-5.

Capital got a big lift from Scott and Booker as the two combined for 45 of the Cougars’ 67 points. Booker scored 28, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed six rebounds.

Scott was a monster down low with 17 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks.

ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic won the Class A title in 2000. The Cougars and Irish were the first Kanawha County teams to win state titles since Stonewall Jackson in 1986.

“It was a great thing for me to be able to be associated with a group of kids that wanted to win a state championship,� Clark said. “The most important thing with all this was the kids and giving them an opportunity to get that chance to win a state title. It’s something that you can look back on as a player. That was something that not a lot of kids have been able to experience.�

Scott made the Class AAA All-State first team. The 6-foot-3 forward was also a standout football player for Cougars, being selected to the Class AAA All-State first-team defense in 1998 and 1999.

Scott went on to play college football at Ohio State, where he was an All-Big Ten first-team performer and a member of the Buckeyes’ 2002 national title team. He was selected in the 2004 NFL draft in the third round with the 88th pick by the Minnesota Vikings.

He played for the Vikings and Washington in the NFL.

“He was an unbelievable football and basketball player,� Jones said. “There’s not been many kids that came through the [Kanawha] Valley with the size of D-Man. I grew up playing junior high travel ball and everything with him. He was kind of like a teddy bear, but, when it came to game time, he turned into the Hulk. He went out and gave you 110% every possession. We would’ve never made it to a state championship either year [without him] because he played so hard inside.�

Booker went on to be a Class AAA first-team all-state selection as a senior in 2000-01.

“He was very hard to handle,� Clark said. “He was so quick and could jump well. He could penetrate through defenses with the ball and could set people up. If they tried stopping him, he could stop, pop and hit the jumper. He did everything point guards should do. He was good at every aspect.�

Capital repeated as Class AAA state champs in 2001, beating George Washington, 64-61.