I love working with my plants and flowers, but I'm never sure about pruning. I need something simple, as I am a novice. First, I would be remiss in not suggesting you contact your local County Extension Office for FREE publications that UWV Extension may have on file. Look for your local office under the blue pages in the phone book. You can link to any of the state extension offices by clicking on whatever state you are in.
Many states have good pruning publications, even on line.
The International Society of Arboriculture has a good book I believe. The authors are Edward Gilman and Lewis Hill, respectively. Hope this helps. By the way, late winter is a great time to prune woody plants, so you are right on with your timing for W. Virginia. Your recommendation assumes your pot has no pre-existing drainage holes.