Tornado Blows Past Falcons, 65-44

KEYSER — Strong starts to all four quarters powered the Keyser Golden Tornado to a 65-44 win over the Frankfort Falcons in boys’ sectional basketball action at Tornado Alley Tuesday night.
KHS started the four quarters with runs of 10-2, 6-0, 8-0, and 8-0, respectively.
The Golden Tornado received a balanced scoring effort.
Jeremy Green led the way with 16 points, ten rebounds, and three steals; Preston Hartman had 14 points, 13 rebounds and three steals, Matt Wilmer 12 points, and Wes Washington 10 points and four assists.
In a valiant effort, Logan Wolford had 17 points to lead Frankfort.
Keyser came out flying, opening up a 6-0 lead in the first minute-and-a-half of the game and forcing Frankfort coach Scott Slider to take a quick timeout.
Three straight points by Frankfort’s Travis Myers brought Frankfort back within five, 10-5, with 2:20 left.
Good defense by Frankfort and Keyser’s inability to finish around the rim kept the Falcons within shouting distance.
The Golden Tornado led 14-9 after the first quarter.
A Dusty Myers layup closed the Falcons within a possession, 14-11, 18 seconds into the half.
But Keyser countered with a 6-0 run, capped by a Preston Hartman pull-up jumper in transition.
Keyser led, 20-11, with 5:02 left in the first half.
The Falcons cut back within five, 20-15, on a Logan Wolford basket.
But the Golden Tornado again had an answer.
Keyser scored eight of the next ten points; a Matt Wilmer blocked shot led to Wes Washington’s transition layup and KHS’s first double-digit lead, 28-17, with 1:12 to go in the half.
The Golden Tornado took a 32-19 lead into the locker room.
Hartman’s eight points led Keyser; Wolford had six, all in the second quarter, to top Frankfort.
KHS again started the half hot, tallying a quick eight points to move ahead 40-19. Matt Wilmer had four points during the run.
Wolford took control for Frankfort, scoring the next eight points to cut the lead to 40-27 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.
But Keyser again answered, this time with an 8-2 run. Hartman had four points inside.
KHS led, 48-29, at the 1:41 mark.
After three quarters, the Golden Tornado led 49-34, despite nine points from Wolford in the quarter.
Once again, the beginning of the quarter went Keyser’s way.
KHS scored the first eight points of the frame to open up a 59-36 lead and cruised the rest of the game.
Keyser improves to 17-6 with the win and will host either Berkeley Springs or Petersburg for the sectional title Friday night.
Frankfort ends the season at 8-15.

Keyser-Frankfort Sectional Game, 3-3-09

Keyser Overpowers Frankfort, 65-44

KEYSER, W.Va. — Keyser had too much speed and too much depth for Frankfort, opening the third quarter with an 8-0 run to advance to the West Virginia Class AA, Region 2, Section 2 championship game this Friday with a 65-44 victory over the Falcons Tuesday at Keyser.

Jeremy Green scored 16 points, had 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots to lead the Golden Tornado (17-6), while Preston Hartman scored 14 points with 13 rebounds and three steals.

Matt Wilmer scored 12 points for Keyser, with two blocked shots, and Wes Washington scored 10 points and had four assists.

For Frankfort (8-15), Logan Wolford scored 17 points and Dusty Myers hit for 12 points.

Keyser led 14-9 after the first quarter, and increased it to 32-19 at the half. After its 8-0 start to the third quarter, the Tornado entered the fourth quarter with a 49-34 lead.

Keyser will host the Petersburg-Berkeley Springs winner in the Sectional championship 2 game Friday.

Keyser Moves into Top Ten in AA Associated Press Poll

CHARLESTON — The Keyser Golden Tornado moved into the top ten of the Associated Press West Virginia Class AA boys’ basketball poll, released Tuesday.
Keyser received eleven votes, two ahead of Poca and six behind No. 9 Pike View. Wyoming East (21-1) is the unanimous No. 1, receiving all nine first-place votes.
Oak Hill, Sissonville, Magnolia, and Ravenswood make up the rest of the top five.
Fellow Region II schools Grafton and Webster County are sixth and seventh. Weir is eighth.

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.

Keyser Defeats BW on Senior NIght, 75-62

KEYSER — The Keyser High Golden Tornado rallied from 15 points down to knock off the Bishop Walsh Spartans in local boys' basketball action, 75-62, in front of an electric crowd at Tornado Alley on Senior Night Thursday.Matt Wilmer had 27 points, including five clutch free throws down the stretch, to lead Keyser; Jeremy Green added 14 points, Preston Hartman had 14 points and 10 rebounds, with Wes Washington close behind with 12 points and 11 rebounds.Keyser held Bishop Walsh without a field goal for the final 4:07 of the game.Spencer Wine had 18 points in a losing effort for Bishop Walsh.Jeremy Green, who entered the game with 999 career points, hit a short jump shot with 6:45 left in the first quarter to tie the game at 4-4.But the Spartans seized the initiative from there, going on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes and forcing KHS boss Gary Liston to take a timeout. BW led, 11-4, at the 4:34 mark.The Golden Tornado closed quickly, with a pair of Matt Wilmer buckets bookending a tough left-handed layup by Green. The game was tied at 13-13 with 55 seconds left in the quarter.At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 15-all. Green and Wilmer accounted for all but two of Keyser's points.After a back-and-forth stretch, the Spartans bought some breathing room with a Connor O'Rourke three-point play. BW led, 24-20, at the 5:34 mark, and scored the next seven points to take their first double-digit lead, 31-20, with 3:43 left in the half.With 1:15 left in the half, BW's Kym Pierce glided to the goal for a layup, and Keyser coach Liston, who thought Pierce had walked on the play, was tagged with a technical foul.A late Eric Diamond cutter gave Bishop Walsh their biggest lead of the night, 39-24, heading into the locker room.BW's Spencer Wine had 13 to lead all scorers; Wilmer's nine at intermission topped Keyser. KHS made only two field goals in the final 6:26 of the half.The Golden Tornado closed to within single digits on a pair of Green free throws at the 6:16 mark. The Spartans led, 41-32.KHS continued to chip away; Matt Wilmer's three-pointer from the right side made it a one-possession game, 46-43, with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter.A Peyton Hartman fadeway jump shot off a rebound with 17 seconds left in the quarter cut the BW lead to just one, 50-49, heading to the fourth quarter. 15 fouls were called in the period.Keyser point guard Wes Washington, growing in influence as the game went on, found Green in transition for a layup 17 seconds into the fourth quarter, and KHS led for the first time all night, 51-50.The Golden Tornado continued to surge; Wilmer finished off a great pass from Hartman, then tipped in a shot to push the lead to 60-53 with 5:16 remaining.But out of a timeout, the Spartans found a quick answer, ripping off seven straight points in under a minute to tie the game at 60.Another Peyton Hartman turnaround, a Preston Hartman free throw, and a Wilmer layup high off the glass gave Keyser a 65-60 lead with 2:21 left.A pair of Myles Clifford free throws made it a one-possession game with 1:52 left.But Keyser was able to ice the game from the line. Before the game, seniors Tony Amtower, Green, Preston Hartman, Maverick Nelson, Taige Redman, Andrea Restelli, Wes Stullenbarger, Wilmer, and Daniel Zinn were recognized.The senior cheerleaders and statisticians were also recognized.Keyser won the first meeting, 74-70, on February 5, ending BW's 10-game winning streak.In the junior varsity game, Keyser cruised to a 70-51 win.R.C. Pratt led KHS with 16 points; Dustin Fertig and Langston Hines chipped in ten.Dylan Dunn led BW with 15 points.Bishop Walsh (17-6) play in the prestigious Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament at Frostburg State University beginning on March 19.Keyser (16-6) host Frankfort Tuesday in sectional play.

Keyser roars back, beats BW, 75-62

KEYSER, W.Va. — Matt Wilmer poured in 27 points, Jeremy Green scored his 1,000th career point, and Wes Washington and Preston Hartman had double-doubles to power fourth-ranked Keyser to a 75-62 victory over top-ranked Bishop Walsh in high school boys basketball Thursday evening.

The win in the regular-season finale for both teams gave Keyser a series sweep. The Golden Tornado had won 74-70 at Bishop Walsh earlier in the year.

Thursday night, Keyser roared back from a 15-point halftime deficit with a 51-point second half and improved to 16-6 with its eighth straight win.

Bishop Walsh led 39-24 at halftime but suffered through a cold-shooting fourth quarter and fell to 17-6.

Wilmer hit nine field goals and 7-of-8 foul shots in leading all scorers. Green finished with 14 points and, with a bucket in the opening minutes, went over the 1,000-point mark in his career. He now has 1,013 points.

Washington had 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Hartman finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for the Tornado.

Spencer Wine turned in a big game and led three Bishop Walsh double-figure scorers with 18 points. Kamran Khataian added 13 and Myles Clifford 11.

Tied 15-15 after one quarter, Wine scored six points and Clifford and Connor O’Rourke five each in the second to help the Spartans to the 39-24 halftime lead.

It was all but erased by the Tornado in the third quarter. Washington and Hartman hit three buckets in the period and Wilmer a big three-pointer at the end of the period to bring Keyser to within 50-49.

Keyser outscored BW 26-12 in the decisive fourth quarter. Wilmer had 13 points and went 5-for-6 from the foul line in the quarter. Hartman, on drives to the basket, dished out three assists to Wilmer for buckets inside.

Keyser also won the jayvee game, 70-51, with R.C. Pratt scoring 16 points. Dylan Dunn had 15 for BW.

Keyser will host Frankfort in a Class AA sectional semifinal on Tuesday, at 7 o’clock. The winner of that game will play the Petersburg-Berkeley Springs winner in the section final next Friday.