Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Mineral County Rubber Match - Keyser vs. Frankfort in First Round Sectional Play

KEYSER — The third time really will be the charm tonight when the Frankfort Falcons (8-14) head across the county to battle the No. 10 Keyser Golden Tornado (16-6) in the first round of the West Virginia boys’ basketball sectional playoffs.
Keyser won the first meeting at home, 74-29, on December 23. KHS’s Matt Wilmer poured in 14 of his game-high 17 points in the first half.
But Frankfort pulled off a 60-55 stunner exactly a month later, with Skyler Minke’s 13 points leading a balanced Falcon attack.
Gary Liston’s Golden Tornado are peaking at the right time, ripping off eight straight wins and posting a 9-1 record in the month of February.
Scott Slider’s Falcons, too, have played well of late, racking up four straight wins before suffering a 72-44 Senior Day loss to Allegany on Thursday.
Frankfort is actually over .500 (7-6) in the stretch beginning with their win over Keyser.
The winner will advance to Friday’s sectional final against the winner of Berkeley Springs at Petersburg, which also is being played on Tuesday night. Keyser, seeded first, will host if they win; Frankfort, seeded fourth, will have to travel.
Due to changes made in this year’s post-season format, the two sectional finalists are also guaranteed a regional game: each sectional winner will host the second-place team from the opposite section on March 11.
In order of seeding, Grafton, Lincoln, Webster County, Philip Barbour, Braxton County, and Liberty Harrison make up the other section in Region II.
Two teams from each region advance to the state tournament, which begins March 18 at the Civic Center in Charleston.

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