Sunday, February 22, 2009

Tornado Blows Away Vikings, 84-47

KEYSER - Keyser led from wire to wire last night blowing away visiting Petersburg at Tornado Alley 84- 47 in local high school boys basketball action.
Petersburg was able to hang around for about eight minutes, holding the basketball and getting good looks at the rim. In fact, the Vikings missed many point-blank opportunities throughout the first quarter, and could have easily held a lead after a period of play if those attempts had fallen.
Preston Hartman gave Keyser the lead off the tip, and Jarell Ross hit a runner in the lane to make it 4-0 seconds later.
David Taylor scored the first two of his nine first-quarter points at the 6:14 mark, and followed a Matt Wilmer freebie with a baseline jumper to pull the Vikes within one, 5-4.
Taylor alternated shots with Jeremy Green again, but Keyser went on a 6-0 spurt behind a pair of buckets by Wilmer and a Green layin off a Wes Washington assist to take a 13-6 lead with three minutes to play in the period.
Taylor and Mike Wise answered with five straight for Petersburg, and the teams traded free throws to end the quarter with Petersburg trailing 14-12.
Green and Wilmer combined to score four straight out of the whistle before Ryan Wratchford could connect for the visitors, but Hartman and Washington hit on back-to-back trips to give Keyser an eight-point cushion.
Petersburg dialed long distance to cut the margin by three, but a Golden Tornado 11-0 run highlighted by a Washington rip and score ended all hopes of a Viking upset.
Wise hit pair from the charity stripe to end the hemorrhaging, but it was just a temporary bandage as Wes Stalenberger hit a trey, and Green connected on another fallaway jumper for two of his game-high 21 points in the lane as Keyser continued to pour it on.
A Wise 3-pointer that just beat the buzzer was the lone bright spot of the period for Petersburg, leaving the locals up 38-22 at the half.
It didn’t get any better in the second half for Petersburg, as Keyser continued to roll throughout to the eventual 37-point margin of victory puctuated with a Peyton Hartman dunk on a behind-the-back assist from Taige Redman.
Hartman turned in a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds, Walker dropped nine dimes for Keyser.
Both schools will face off with Allegany County foes on Monday.
Keyser improved to 13-6 and will host Fort Hill Monday.
Petersburg falls to 8-12 and will travel to Cumberland to take on Allegany.
Chris Halbritter led the Keyser jayvee with 16 points and six rebounds in a 74-58 win.
RC Pratt, Langston Hines, and Peyton Hartman all scored 10 points.