CUMBERLAND — Jordan Brooks, who led Fort Hill to a perfect league season and a return trip to the Maryland state tournament, was selected the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year by the head coaches of the eight-team league.
Brooks, who edged Northern’s Kory Gibson in the player of the year voting, is joined on the first AMAC team by league scoring champion Gibson, teammate Darren Graham, Allegany’s Travis Dordevic, Mountain Ridge’s David Hobel and Keyser’s Preston Hartman.
Named to the second team were Cameron Butler of Allegany, Jeff Stem and Jordan Pacella of Southern and Jeremy Green and Matt Wilmer of Keyser.
Honorable mention went to Garrett Gulledge and Jeff Smith of Northern, Casey Roberts of Allegany, Ryan Brooks and Cory McCarty of Fort Hill, Jeremy Shingler and Sammy Brackett of Mountain Ridge, Drew Proudfoot of Southern, Nathan Gillespie and Steven Whitacre of Frankfort, and Robbie Miller and Will Hughes of Hampshire.
* Brooks, a 6-foot guard, led Fort Hill to a 14-0 record in the conference’s inaugural season, and to a 23-3 overall record that also included the Cumberland City League and Class 1A West Region championships.
Brooks finished second in the conference in scoring with 22.2 points per game. He was third in three-point goals, hitting 29 in the 14 games for just over two per game, and ranked sixth in foul shooting by making 62 of 83 tries for 74.6 percent.
For the season, Brooks averaged 22 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, shot 76 percent from the foul line (118 for 155) and made 43 three-point goals.
* Gibson, a 6-5 senior, nearly pulled off a conference triple-crown of sorts. He led the conference in scoring with a 25.2 average, and in three-point goals with 50 for 3.5 per game. He finished second in foul shooting, making 68 of 86 chances for 79 percent.
For the 23-game season, Gibson led the area in scoring with a 27.3 average and in three-point goals with 87, or 3.7 per game. He was fifth in foul shooting at 77 percent (111 for 144), and also averaged 7.5 rebounds, nearly two steals and one blocked shot per game.
* Graham, a 6-3 senior, was a solid all-around performer at Fort Hill, where he was effective inside and out on offense and defense.
He finished eighth in the conference in scoring with a 14.2 average and was among the top three-point shooters with 18 in 14 games, for 1.2 per game. He excelled defensively with strong rebounding and shot-blocking ability.
For the 26-game season, Graham averaged a double-double with 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
* Dordevic, a 6-3 senior, helped lead a young Allegany team to a 19-5 season and second place in the league at 11-3.
Dordevic averaged 13.4 points per game and shot 68 percent from the foul line, making 36 of 53 attempts. Also an exceptional defender and rebounder, Dordevic averaged 13 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over the 24-game season. He shot 68 percent from the foul line and 54 percent from the field.
* Hobel, a junior guard at Mountain Ridge, led the Miners to a 15-9 overall mark and third place in the league with a 9-5 record.
Hobel ranked among the league’s best in scoring, foul shooting and three-point shooting. He was third in scoring with a 19.2 average, and third in foul shooting, making 105 of 135 shots for 78 percent. His 105 free throws made and 135 attempted were easily the conference highs. He was fifth in three-point goals with 25, or 1.7 per game.
For the season, Hobel averaged 18.2 points, shot 82 percent from the foul line (155 for 188) and made 43 three-point shots.
* Hartman, a 6-2 junior, led Keyser to a 13-11 season and a trip to the West Virginia Class AA state tournament. The Golden Tornado finished fifth in the conference with a 6-8 record.
Hartman was the conference’s fourth-leading scorer with an 18.2 average, and tied for third in three-point goals with 29.
For the season, Hartman averaged a double-double with 18.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and nearly two steals per game. He made 51 three-point goals.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Hartman Captain of AA All-State Third Team
Cottrill, Ashley, Mullins first team AA All-State
by Derek Taylor
Daily Mail sportswriter
Ravenswood High senior Dusty Mullins wasn't rattled by his team's 18-5 deficit in the first quarter of the State Tournament championship game.
Playing in his last high school basketball game before moving on to the program at Glenville State next year, Mullins collected himself, his teammates and his team's fans to lead a comeback against Wyoming East that nearly gave the Red Devils their second Class AA boys basketball title in three years on March 15.
Ultimately that comeback fell short and Wyoming East escaped with a 50-48 win, giving that school its second straight championship. But it was Mullins' resolve and positive force that remained one of the 95th annual State Tournament's lasting images.
He didn't get frustrated. He didn't complain and he didn't quit. Instead, Mullins did everything expected of the 2007-08 Class AA All-State captain as chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
"Dusty has always been a young man who has cared very much for the people that surround him,'' veteran Ravenswood Coach Mick Price said. "He's been a real coach's dream. He's worked hard and is passionate about the game but at the same time he has a sense of the big picture of life.
"I want him to be able to show that to other kids,'' Price said. "It's just as important to lose with dignity and honor as it is to win.''
Mullins didn't lose too often during his time at Ravenswood. The 6-foot senior finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,902 points while also claiming the school's career 3-point field goal record with 331.
Mullins averaged 19.8 points as a senior and is the lone repeat selection on the All-State team. Ravenswood finished the season with a 25-2 record.
The remainder of the first team is composed of Wyoming East's one-two punch of senior Cory Willard and junior Gentry Shrewsbury, Poca sophomore Noah Cottrill, Bluefield senior Ansel Ponder, Logan junior Jonathan Bevins, Summers County senior Andrew Gunnoe and Winfield senior Caleb Ashley.
Price said the stacked field of talented Class AA teams and players was well represented in the list.
"I thought double-A was a tough field at the State Tournament and it was a great field for the fans,'' Price said. "There were a lot of great double-A teams this year. We beat a really good one in the regional final, Winfield. Our region was very tough.''
Of the eight first-team selections, five played in the State Tournament. Cottrill and Ashley played for teams in Ravenswood's Region 5 bracket.
Willard and Shrewsbury formed an inseparable commodity for the Warriors in Wyoming East's run to a second-straight Class AA championship. The team's repeat title marked the first time a Class AA had won back-to-back championships since Bluefield in the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
Willard, Wyoming East's sharp-shooting 6-0 guard, averaged 20 points and led all players in the state with 110 3-point field goals. His 11 3-pointers in the team's second game of the year were also a state high.
Shrewsbury, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, led the Warriors with a 20.7-point scoring average and averaged 11 rebounds.
"Willard started in the Hoops Classic (in December) against Poca and just never quit all year,'' Price said of Willard's 11 3-point goal performance in December. "Willard and Shrewsbury led that team back to where they needed to get. Once you're there anything can happen.''
Cottrill had a phenomenal year just months after giving a verbal commitment to play at West Virginia University. Rated as the No. 34 sophomore prospect in the nation by Hoop Scoop, the 6-foot-2 Cottrill averaged 30.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals. He was the state's second-leading scorer in 2008.
Ponder led the Beavers with an 18.2-point scoring average after earning All-State honors during Bluefield's state championship football season. The 6-foot-3 Ponder and Bluefield reached the Class AA semifinals before falling to Ravenswood.
Gunnoe had the highest-scoring single game of any player in the state last season when he scored 50 for Summers County against Liberty Raleigh in a 113-47 win on Dec. 18. The 6-foot-5 senior averaged 23.4 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Bevins, a 6-foot-7 pivot who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds per game, also led his team to the semifinals. The Wildcats were eliminated by Wyoming East.
Winfield's Ashley was the state's seventh-leading scorer as a senior. The 6-foot-3 forward averaged 20.8 points in the Generals' final year among Class AA competition.
Winfield and Logan move to Class AAA at the start of the 2008-09 school year.
Weir senior guard Pete Brogdon was named captain of the second team after averaging 18.5 points. Junior forward Preston Hartman of Keyser was the third team captain. Hartman also averaged 18.5 points.
by Derek Taylor
Daily Mail sportswriter
Ravenswood High senior Dusty Mullins wasn't rattled by his team's 18-5 deficit in the first quarter of the State Tournament championship game.
Playing in his last high school basketball game before moving on to the program at Glenville State next year, Mullins collected himself, his teammates and his team's fans to lead a comeback against Wyoming East that nearly gave the Red Devils their second Class AA boys basketball title in three years on March 15.
Ultimately that comeback fell short and Wyoming East escaped with a 50-48 win, giving that school its second straight championship. But it was Mullins' resolve and positive force that remained one of the 95th annual State Tournament's lasting images.
He didn't get frustrated. He didn't complain and he didn't quit. Instead, Mullins did everything expected of the 2007-08 Class AA All-State captain as chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
"Dusty has always been a young man who has cared very much for the people that surround him,'' veteran Ravenswood Coach Mick Price said. "He's been a real coach's dream. He's worked hard and is passionate about the game but at the same time he has a sense of the big picture of life.
"I want him to be able to show that to other kids,'' Price said. "It's just as important to lose with dignity and honor as it is to win.''
Mullins didn't lose too often during his time at Ravenswood. The 6-foot senior finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,902 points while also claiming the school's career 3-point field goal record with 331.
Mullins averaged 19.8 points as a senior and is the lone repeat selection on the All-State team. Ravenswood finished the season with a 25-2 record.
The remainder of the first team is composed of Wyoming East's one-two punch of senior Cory Willard and junior Gentry Shrewsbury, Poca sophomore Noah Cottrill, Bluefield senior Ansel Ponder, Logan junior Jonathan Bevins, Summers County senior Andrew Gunnoe and Winfield senior Caleb Ashley.
Price said the stacked field of talented Class AA teams and players was well represented in the list.
"I thought double-A was a tough field at the State Tournament and it was a great field for the fans,'' Price said. "There were a lot of great double-A teams this year. We beat a really good one in the regional final, Winfield. Our region was very tough.''
Of the eight first-team selections, five played in the State Tournament. Cottrill and Ashley played for teams in Ravenswood's Region 5 bracket.
Willard and Shrewsbury formed an inseparable commodity for the Warriors in Wyoming East's run to a second-straight Class AA championship. The team's repeat title marked the first time a Class AA had won back-to-back championships since Bluefield in the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
Willard, Wyoming East's sharp-shooting 6-0 guard, averaged 20 points and led all players in the state with 110 3-point field goals. His 11 3-pointers in the team's second game of the year were also a state high.
Shrewsbury, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, led the Warriors with a 20.7-point scoring average and averaged 11 rebounds.
"Willard started in the Hoops Classic (in December) against Poca and just never quit all year,'' Price said of Willard's 11 3-point goal performance in December. "Willard and Shrewsbury led that team back to where they needed to get. Once you're there anything can happen.''
Cottrill had a phenomenal year just months after giving a verbal commitment to play at West Virginia University. Rated as the No. 34 sophomore prospect in the nation by Hoop Scoop, the 6-foot-2 Cottrill averaged 30.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals. He was the state's second-leading scorer in 2008.
Ponder led the Beavers with an 18.2-point scoring average after earning All-State honors during Bluefield's state championship football season. The 6-foot-3 Ponder and Bluefield reached the Class AA semifinals before falling to Ravenswood.
Gunnoe had the highest-scoring single game of any player in the state last season when he scored 50 for Summers County against Liberty Raleigh in a 113-47 win on Dec. 18. The 6-foot-5 senior averaged 23.4 points and 11.3 rebounds.
Bevins, a 6-foot-7 pivot who averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds per game, also led his team to the semifinals. The Wildcats were eliminated by Wyoming East.
Winfield's Ashley was the state's seventh-leading scorer as a senior. The 6-foot-3 forward averaged 20.8 points in the Generals' final year among Class AA competition.
Winfield and Logan move to Class AAA at the start of the 2008-09 school year.
Weir senior guard Pete Brogdon was named captain of the second team after averaging 18.5 points. Junior forward Preston Hartman of Keyser was the third team captain. Hartman also averaged 18.5 points.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Three Golden Tornado players earn post-season recognition
Fresh off a trip to the Class AA state tournament, three members of the Keyser Golden Tornado basketball team received postseason honors on Wednesday.
Preston Hartman, Jeremy Green and Matt Wilmer each earned recognition from the Potomac Valley Conference (PVC) and the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference (AMAC).
Hartman was a first-team selection on both the All-PVC and All-AMAC teams, while Wilmer and Green were named first team All-PVC and second team All-AMAC.
Hartman led Keyser this season by averaging a double-double with 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
Green was second on the team with 16.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while Wilmer averaged 15.2 points per contest.
Keyser finished the 2007-08 season with a 13-11 record, falling to Ravenswood in the first round of the Class AA tournament in Charleston.
Preston Hartman, Jeremy Green and Matt Wilmer each earned recognition from the Potomac Valley Conference (PVC) and the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference (AMAC).
Hartman was a first-team selection on both the All-PVC and All-AMAC teams, while Wilmer and Green were named first team All-PVC and second team All-AMAC.
Hartman led Keyser this season by averaging a double-double with 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
Green was second on the team with 16.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while Wilmer averaged 15.2 points per contest.
Keyser finished the 2007-08 season with a 13-11 record, falling to Ravenswood in the first round of the Class AA tournament in Charleston.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Devils Topple Keyser
Parkersburg News
CHARLESTON — Like their recent haircuts, the Red Devils from Ravenswood received a close shave for three quarters in a Class AA state quarterfinal game.
At the Charleston Civic Center on Wednesday night, senior Dusty Mullins shook off early foul trouble and lit it up for a game-high 24 points as No. 1 ranked Ravenswood defeated Keyser 78-57.
“Keyser was athletic, like everybody knew they would be,” Ravenswood coach Mick Price said. “They were very quick, they got up on the boards and they shot the ball well.
“There were just times where we defended them a little bit and made a couple runs then kept them at bay.”
Ravenswood (24-1), which received a scare from Keyser in the first round of the 2006 state tournament before eventually winning the championship, found itself in a ballgame leading by just five at 51-46 with two minutes still remaining in the third quarter.
Following a timeout, the Red Devils went to work and scored four quick points before the buzzer sounded, including a bucket from Klavs Bogdanovics off a shovel pass from Ben Wise. Bruce Patterson, who finished with nine points and six rebounds, provided the capper on an offensive putback with 19 seconds showing to increase the gap to 55-46.
Mullins played all of one minute in the third quarter before picking up his third foul and found himself riding the pine until the start of the fourth. Once he returned to the floor at the start of the period, it became his show. During a 14-4 run, Mullins was responsible for 10 points, including one of his four 3-pointers.
“Dusty is the kind of player that once he comes into a game, he wants the ball,” Price said. “I think he was a little bit upset in the fact that he was hampered with fouls throughout the game and watching his teammates play in the state tournament his senior year.
“He and I will have a little discussion about this whole evening when we get back to Ravenswood.”
Keyser’s Jeremy Green knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line to cut the deficit to 69-52, but Ravenswood’s defense stepped into high gear. Luke Murray and Alex Cole recorded back-to-back steals which led to layups for the two Red Devil players.
With 2:50 showing in regulation, Ravenswood was feeling more secure after increasing the advantage to 73-52.
“We played them tough the first quarter then Dusty Mullins broke it open,” said Keyser junior Preston Hartman, who was a freshman on the Golden Tornado squad which appeared at the state tournament two years ago. “When I was a freshman, they didn’t really have anybody like that. It was more of a team game for them, plus we had height back then.”
Hard to imagine how many points Mullins would have finished with if not for his two first-quarter personal fouls. He opened the game by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers and scored 10 points in the period. By the time he took a seat on the bench, the Ravenswood lead was 19-15.
Although the Golden Tornado never led, they continued to nip at Ravenswood’s heels. Greene, who finished with a team-high 19 points, carried Keyser with nine first-quarter points. In the second period, an unknown quantity in 5-foot-6 junior Wesley Stullenberger poured in seven points off the bench as Keyser fought to within 34-31 with 1:23 remaining before intermission.
“If Keyser was going to get production from people like (Stullenberger) then we were quite satisfied,” Price said. “I thought Greene, Hartman and (Matt) Wilmer were three really good players and we felt like the other players would have to step up and make shots.
“I have been down to the state tournament many times and I haven’t seen many kids come off the bench and hit 3s. It seems like that is difficult down here, so if he would have knocked them all down he would have been starting earlier in the year. I was glad to see him miss three or four of those in a row (later in the game).”
Wise quickly turned the tables on Keyser by scoring on a reverse layup then knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. The senior capped the 7-0 run by grabbing a defensive rebound and finding Patterson open for a bucket at the other end of the floor.
Wise finished with 14 points and nine assists. In the process he broke the school’s single-season assists record. Also scoring in double figures for the Red Devils were Bogdanovics with 17 points and Cole with 10 points. Bogdanovics flirted with a triple-double after recording nine rebounds and six assists.
For Keyser (13-11), Hartman started the game in fine fashion with six points over the first seven minutes. The junior, though, was limited to five points the rest of the way.
“We did a good job in the first half and made a couple of runs in the second half then could just never get over the hump,” Keyser coach Gary Liston said. “We knew once Dusty Mullins came back into the game he would be looking to take some shots. Unfortunately, we left him unguarded a couple of times and obviously you can’t do that with their best offensive guy
CHARLESTON — Like their recent haircuts, the Red Devils from Ravenswood received a close shave for three quarters in a Class AA state quarterfinal game.
At the Charleston Civic Center on Wednesday night, senior Dusty Mullins shook off early foul trouble and lit it up for a game-high 24 points as No. 1 ranked Ravenswood defeated Keyser 78-57.
“Keyser was athletic, like everybody knew they would be,” Ravenswood coach Mick Price said. “They were very quick, they got up on the boards and they shot the ball well.
“There were just times where we defended them a little bit and made a couple runs then kept them at bay.”
Ravenswood (24-1), which received a scare from Keyser in the first round of the 2006 state tournament before eventually winning the championship, found itself in a ballgame leading by just five at 51-46 with two minutes still remaining in the third quarter.
Following a timeout, the Red Devils went to work and scored four quick points before the buzzer sounded, including a bucket from Klavs Bogdanovics off a shovel pass from Ben Wise. Bruce Patterson, who finished with nine points and six rebounds, provided the capper on an offensive putback with 19 seconds showing to increase the gap to 55-46.
Mullins played all of one minute in the third quarter before picking up his third foul and found himself riding the pine until the start of the fourth. Once he returned to the floor at the start of the period, it became his show. During a 14-4 run, Mullins was responsible for 10 points, including one of his four 3-pointers.
“Dusty is the kind of player that once he comes into a game, he wants the ball,” Price said. “I think he was a little bit upset in the fact that he was hampered with fouls throughout the game and watching his teammates play in the state tournament his senior year.
“He and I will have a little discussion about this whole evening when we get back to Ravenswood.”
Keyser’s Jeremy Green knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line to cut the deficit to 69-52, but Ravenswood’s defense stepped into high gear. Luke Murray and Alex Cole recorded back-to-back steals which led to layups for the two Red Devil players.
With 2:50 showing in regulation, Ravenswood was feeling more secure after increasing the advantage to 73-52.
“We played them tough the first quarter then Dusty Mullins broke it open,” said Keyser junior Preston Hartman, who was a freshman on the Golden Tornado squad which appeared at the state tournament two years ago. “When I was a freshman, they didn’t really have anybody like that. It was more of a team game for them, plus we had height back then.”
Hard to imagine how many points Mullins would have finished with if not for his two first-quarter personal fouls. He opened the game by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers and scored 10 points in the period. By the time he took a seat on the bench, the Ravenswood lead was 19-15.
Although the Golden Tornado never led, they continued to nip at Ravenswood’s heels. Greene, who finished with a team-high 19 points, carried Keyser with nine first-quarter points. In the second period, an unknown quantity in 5-foot-6 junior Wesley Stullenberger poured in seven points off the bench as Keyser fought to within 34-31 with 1:23 remaining before intermission.
“If Keyser was going to get production from people like (Stullenberger) then we were quite satisfied,” Price said. “I thought Greene, Hartman and (Matt) Wilmer were three really good players and we felt like the other players would have to step up and make shots.
“I have been down to the state tournament many times and I haven’t seen many kids come off the bench and hit 3s. It seems like that is difficult down here, so if he would have knocked them all down he would have been starting earlier in the year. I was glad to see him miss three or four of those in a row (later in the game).”
Wise quickly turned the tables on Keyser by scoring on a reverse layup then knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. The senior capped the 7-0 run by grabbing a defensive rebound and finding Patterson open for a bucket at the other end of the floor.
Wise finished with 14 points and nine assists. In the process he broke the school’s single-season assists record. Also scoring in double figures for the Red Devils were Bogdanovics with 17 points and Cole with 10 points. Bogdanovics flirted with a triple-double after recording nine rebounds and six assists.
For Keyser (13-11), Hartman started the game in fine fashion with six points over the first seven minutes. The junior, though, was limited to five points the rest of the way.
“We did a good job in the first half and made a couple of runs in the second half then could just never get over the hump,” Keyser coach Gary Liston said. “We knew once Dusty Mullins came back into the game he would be looking to take some shots. Unfortunately, we left him unguarded a couple of times and obviously you can’t do that with their best offensive guy
Ravesnwood Runnin' to semi-finals
Top-seeded Ravenswood is off and running to what it hopes will be a second AA State Championship in three years by beating pesky Keyser 78-57 in Wednesday evening's quarterfinal round action at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum.
Coach Mick Price's Red Devils stretched an 8-point halftime lead to a high of 21 with 2:30 to play in the 4th quarter and also the final margin.
The Red Devils were lead in scoring by Dusty Mullins 24 and center Klavs Bogdanovics with 17. Keyser was lead by Jeremy Green's 19.
One-loss Ravenswood advances to Friday's semi-final to face the winner of Thursday night's Bluefield-Oak Hill contest.
Ravenswood pulls away for win
Charleston Gazette
It seemed inevitable that, sooner or later, one of Ravenswood's players would conjure up some heroics or that the Red Devils would somehow find a way to break open the close game.
After all, they're a team of balance, talent and tournament tradition, as well as the No. 1 seed in Class AA.
In this case, it was Dusty Mullins, a senior and the school's all-time leading scorer, who had spent much of the game on the bench, plagued by fouls and biding his time impatiently.
Ravenswood’s Klavs Bogdanovics scores in front of Keyser’s Wes Washington. ..
The victory advances Ravenswood (24-1) into the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday against Bluefield.
The 5-foot-10 Mullins, who finished with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, picked up his second foul late in the first quarter, sat the bench for four minutes in the first half, committed his third foul in the third period's opening minutes and again found himself sidelined.
Meanwhile, Keyser (13-11) kept things within reach, despite a height disadvantage and despite its lowly role as the No. 8 seed.
"My hat's off to Keyser and their coach,'' said Ravenswood coach Mick Price. "It was an honor to play them.''
The Red Devils led only 51-46 late in the third quarter and 55-46 to start the fourth, at which time Mullins returned and eliminated all drama.
In the fourth quarter's opening minute, he contributed a basket and three free throws, helping the Red Devils to a more comfortable 60-48 cushion. He then hit a two-point jumper, fed Klavs Bogdanovics for an easy layup and sank a 3-pointer. By that time, it was 67-50, and Ravenswood could breathe easily.
In addition to Mullins' scoring, Bogdanovics contributed 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds and six assists. Ben Wise added 14 points and seven assists, giving him the Ravenswood single-season assist record of 190, breaking the mark held by Kirk Ritchie. Alex Cole scored 10 points, and Bruce Patterson had nine points and six rebounds.
Mullins, who has scored 1,865 points in his Ravenswood career, was just happy to be back in the game in the fourth quarter.
"I worked my butt off to get here, me and my teammates,'' he said, "and there's nothing more that I would have rather done than be out there with my boys. Sitting over there killed me.''
Price acknowledged Mullins' impatience on the bench but didn't want to risk losing him for the stretch run.
Ravenswood’s Klavs Bogdanovics scores in front of Keyser’s Wes Washington. ..
Keyser coach Gary Liston knew Mullins would return to the game firing.
"We said as soon as he got back in the game that he would be looking to take some shots,'' said Liston, "and unfortunately we left him unguarded a couple times. And obviously you can't do that with their best offensive guy.''
Keyser never led but forced a 14-14 tie late in the first quarter and trailed by just 34-31 with 1:23 left in the second.
"We did a good job in the first half, made a couple runs there in the second half, got it cut to five and then could just never get over the hump,'' said Liston.
Said Price, "I just thought there were times we defended them a little bit and made a couple runs and kept them at bay. I wouldn't want to be playing them next year because there are a lot of young kids on that team that are going to come back.''
Jeremy Green led Keyser with 19 points, and Preston Hartman had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Ravenswood advances against Keyser
It wasn't like most first-round basketball State Tournament games for a top-ranked team like Ravenswood, where a quarterfinal victory over a No. 8 seed usually is gift-wrapped.
However, this Red Devils' 15th straight boys basketball victory came courtesy of a "Santa" Klavs.
Ravenswood, with career scoring leader Dusty Mullins saddled with foul trouble, went inside to foreign-exchange senior Klavs Bogdanovics in the third quarter, and eventually pulled away from gritty Keyser 78-57 on Wednesday night at the Charleston Civic Center.
The 6-foot-7 Latvian was too long in the post for a Golden Tornado (13-11) starting lineup averaging just over 5 feet 111/2, and a team that got even shorter when Coach Gary Liston subbed.
Among those subs was thin 5-6 junior Wesley Stullenbarger, who came into the State Tournament averaging 0.9 points for the Keyser varsity. He scored nine in 10 minutes after playing mostly junior varsity ball for the Tornado in 2007-08.
Bogdanovics scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, had nine rebounds and passed out six assists. Once veteran Devils Coach Mick Price established at halftime with Bogdanovics that he needed to be more than a wowed spectator for his first State Tournament game, he made up for some of Mullins' prolonged absence with an inside presence.
"There's no question we were concerned about second-chance opportunities," Liston said. "We were concerned about the point guard (Ben Wise) and Dusty. We said, 'We have to contest shots, and we can't give up second shots.'
"You definitely can't give up second shots when you're trying to come back."
The win sent 2006 state champion Ravenswood (24-1) into a date with Bluefield (21-4) on Semifinal Friday, where the top four Class AA seeds remain with at least 21 wins apiece and were all ranked among the top five in the final state poll.
Mullins, averaging 19 points per game, finished with 24 in an uncommon way. The 5-10 senior scored the first eight Devil points, then got 10 of his team's first 12 in the final period after sitting on the bench with three fouls for all but the first minute of the third quarter."I knew my legs would be there when I got back in," said Mullins, who has 1,865 career points. "I knew my head had to be there, too ... (His teammates) did a great job playing without their leading scorer. Ben did a great job. He saved our butts out there."
The 6-0 Wise finished with 14 points and nine assists - giving him the Ravenswood single-season assist record at 192.
"Ben makes us go," Price said after his 497th career coaching win. "He knows what needs to be done."
Wise also helped Bogdanovics get going in the paint, when the European began planting himself on the low block and attacking the glass with more verve while Mullins sat.
"The first game, with a crowd like this, 3,000 or so, I was very nervous," Bogdanovics said.
"I've never played in anything like this before. In the first half, I missed a couple of easy shots and I was kind of frustrated.
"I just needed to make a couple of shots. With Dusty out, I felt the boys needed me to do some scoring. They've supported me greatly since I've come here. I needed to support them. They needed a post player here. I had to play like they wanted me to play."
Ravenswood, which is 112-15 in the last five seasons, shot 54 percent, helped by a 36-10 scoreboard advantage in the paint and a 14-3 bulge in second-chance points. The Devils scored 27 of the game's final 38 points.
Keyser hung around until the final 10 minutes, mostly by hitting mid-range jumpers and getting a combined 30 points from juniors Jeremy Green (19) and Preston Hartman (11, with 11 rebounds).
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