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.