KEYSER, W.Va. — Reservations to Charleston are waiting in the wings as Keyser faces Webster County this evening at 7:30 in the West Virginia Class AA, Region 2 playoffs in Keyser.
In his second season as head coach, Gary Liston has his team sporting an 18-6 record. The Golden Tornado earned the right to play for the state tournament after beating Petersburg 46-35 on Friday in the Section 1 championship.
The Vikings (10-13) will also play for a state tournament slot when it takes on Section 2 winner Philip Barbour tonight in Philippi. Philip Barbour beat Webster County 56-44 in the Section 2 final.
Keyser’s Preston Hartman had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Petersburg. Jeremy Green finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Keyser fell behind early, and the Vikings employed some slow down tactics that led to just seven points being scored in the second quarter. The Vikings retook the lead when Keyser got cold in the third, but the Golden Tornado ended the third quarter on a 11-0 run that put it back in control.
The Tornado will be looking to make its fifth trip in seven seasons to the Class AA State Tournament. Keyser has gotten familiar with the Charleston Civic Center over the last few seasons after playing there in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008. Prior to 2003, Keyser had not made the state tournament since the 1955 season.
Webster County finished the regular season at 16-6, while Philip Barbour enters tonight’s match-up with a 16-8 mark.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Charleston or bust for KHS boys tonight
KEYSER — Two teams. Only one spot.
That’s what’s at stake when the Keyser Golden Tornado hosts the Webster County Highlanders in the WVSSAC Region II boys’ basketball final tonight at KHS.
The winner advances to the eight-team state tournament in Charleston, which begins on Thursday, March 19.
Keyser won the Region II, Section I title with a 46-35 victory over Petersburg on Friday.
Webster County lost their sectional final to Philip Barbour, 56-44, Saturday night.
The Highlanders haven’t been to the state tournament since 1990.
Golden Tornado head coach Gary Liston went to the Webster County-Philip Barbour game and was impressed with the Highlanders’ work ethic.
“It’s hard to really gauge in a one-night scout, but the thing I came away with was that they played hard. They didn’t have a whole lot of size, but were definitely blue-collar players,” said Liston before Keyser’s practice Tuesday.
Because of their sound fundamentals and hustle, Liston compares Webster County to Mountain Ridge.
“A close match would be Mountain Ridge without [David] Hobel in the game. But, again, on a one-night scout, it’s hard to tell. They may have a Hobel-type player that just didn’t show that night,” Liston said.
Keyser and Mountain Ridge split two regular season meetings.
Also blue-collar is Webster County’s style.
“Offensively, they ran the flex. We’re pretty familiar with that. Defensively, they played man-to-man for 32 minutes,” said Liston.
The man-to-man defense is good news for Keyser, a team that scores a lot of points inside through their offense, in transition, and off of offensive rebounds.
“When I told the guys that yesterday when we went over the scouting report, as soon as I said they played nothing but man-to-man, Jeremy Green was grinning from ear to ear,” said Liston.
“I hope they play man tomorrow night.”
That inside game and transition play are the keys for Keyser to punch their ticket to Charleston, said Liston.
“[Keyser’s players] need to take care of the ball better than they did against Petersburg. We need to finish when we get shots around the rim. If we finish those shots around the rim, Petersburg can’t hold the ball,” he said.
“We have to run the break; we have to run it well. And then Green and [Preston] Hartman have to do their jobs inside.”
“I’ve got a feeling tomorrow night that someone’s going to have to step up other than those two guys.”
The other six spots in the state tournament will also be handed out today.
In Region I, Point Pleasant visits Weir and Magnolia travels to Ravenswood.
In Region III, Wyoming East hosts Pikeview and Oak Hill is at James Monroe.
And in Region IV, Scott travels to Sissonville and Poca visits Tug Valley.
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for students (if purchased before 3 p.m. Wednesday) and $7 for all fans at the door.
That price is mandated by the state, according to KHS Athletic Director Ken Griffith.
That’s what’s at stake when the Keyser Golden Tornado hosts the Webster County Highlanders in the WVSSAC Region II boys’ basketball final tonight at KHS.
The winner advances to the eight-team state tournament in Charleston, which begins on Thursday, March 19.
Keyser won the Region II, Section I title with a 46-35 victory over Petersburg on Friday.
Webster County lost their sectional final to Philip Barbour, 56-44, Saturday night.
The Highlanders haven’t been to the state tournament since 1990.
Golden Tornado head coach Gary Liston went to the Webster County-Philip Barbour game and was impressed with the Highlanders’ work ethic.
“It’s hard to really gauge in a one-night scout, but the thing I came away with was that they played hard. They didn’t have a whole lot of size, but were definitely blue-collar players,” said Liston before Keyser’s practice Tuesday.
Because of their sound fundamentals and hustle, Liston compares Webster County to Mountain Ridge.
“A close match would be Mountain Ridge without [David] Hobel in the game. But, again, on a one-night scout, it’s hard to tell. They may have a Hobel-type player that just didn’t show that night,” Liston said.
Keyser and Mountain Ridge split two regular season meetings.
Also blue-collar is Webster County’s style.
“Offensively, they ran the flex. We’re pretty familiar with that. Defensively, they played man-to-man for 32 minutes,” said Liston.
The man-to-man defense is good news for Keyser, a team that scores a lot of points inside through their offense, in transition, and off of offensive rebounds.
“When I told the guys that yesterday when we went over the scouting report, as soon as I said they played nothing but man-to-man, Jeremy Green was grinning from ear to ear,” said Liston.
“I hope they play man tomorrow night.”
That inside game and transition play are the keys for Keyser to punch their ticket to Charleston, said Liston.
“[Keyser’s players] need to take care of the ball better than they did against Petersburg. We need to finish when we get shots around the rim. If we finish those shots around the rim, Petersburg can’t hold the ball,” he said.
“We have to run the break; we have to run it well. And then Green and [Preston] Hartman have to do their jobs inside.”
“I’ve got a feeling tomorrow night that someone’s going to have to step up other than those two guys.”
The other six spots in the state tournament will also be handed out today.
In Region I, Point Pleasant visits Weir and Magnolia travels to Ravenswood.
In Region III, Wyoming East hosts Pikeview and Oak Hill is at James Monroe.
And in Region IV, Scott travels to Sissonville and Poca visits Tug Valley.
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for students (if purchased before 3 p.m. Wednesday) and $7 for all fans at the door.
That price is mandated by the state, according to KHS Athletic Director Ken Griffith.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Class AA regional matchups set
KEYSER — The Keyser Golden Tornado will host Webster County on Wednesday for a berth in next week’s state boys’ basketball tournament in Charleston.
Keyser won the Region II, Section I title with a 46-35 victory over Petersburg on Friday.
Webster County, looking to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 1990, lost their sectional final to Philip Barbour, 56-44, Saturday night.
In the other game in Region II, Petersburg travels to Philip Barbour.
The other six spots in the state tournament will also be handed out Wednesday.
In Region I, Point Pleasant visits Weir and Magnolia travels to Ravenswood.
In Region III, Wyoming East hosts Pikeview and Oak Hill is at James Monroe.
And in Region IV, Scott travels to Sissonville and Poca visits Tug Valley.
The state tournament begins on March 19 at the Civic Center.
All four Class AA quarterfinals are on Thursday: the No. 3 vs. No. 6 game tips at 9:30 a.m.; the 2-7 game is at 1:00 p.m.; the No. 1 vs. No. 8 game is at 5:30 p.m., and the 4-5 game is the nightcap at 9:00 p.m.
The semifinals are on Friday, and the championship game is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Keyser won the Region II, Section I title with a 46-35 victory over Petersburg on Friday.
Webster County, looking to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 1990, lost their sectional final to Philip Barbour, 56-44, Saturday night.
In the other game in Region II, Petersburg travels to Philip Barbour.
The other six spots in the state tournament will also be handed out Wednesday.
In Region I, Point Pleasant visits Weir and Magnolia travels to Ravenswood.
In Region III, Wyoming East hosts Pikeview and Oak Hill is at James Monroe.
And in Region IV, Scott travels to Sissonville and Poca visits Tug Valley.
The state tournament begins on March 19 at the Civic Center.
All four Class AA quarterfinals are on Thursday: the No. 3 vs. No. 6 game tips at 9:30 a.m.; the 2-7 game is at 1:00 p.m.; the No. 1 vs. No. 8 game is at 5:30 p.m., and the 4-5 game is the nightcap at 9:00 p.m.
The semifinals are on Friday, and the championship game is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Should high school hoops clock in?
Do Maryland and West Virginia need to adopt a shot clock in high school boys’ basketball?
That was the question on the lips of many fans at Keyser High School Friday night after watching the Petersburg Vikings hold the ball for the final four-odd minutes of the second quarter of the Region II, Section I final.
Let me be clear: I’m not criticizing the Vikings for employing such tactics against the Golden Tornado. Far from it.
KHS won the teams’ two regular season meetings by 33 and 38 points. Odds are Petersburg wasn’t going to come into Tornado Alley and win a 75-74 shootout.
Their chances were much better if the game was in the 50s, the 40’s, or even the 30s.
And since Keyser is a team that absolutely loves (and excels) at a high tempo, why not take the game off the boil for a while?
It reminded me of the soccer episode of “The Simpsons” (Ties! You bet!) where the fans are going nuts while the players just pass the ball back and forth between the wings and the middle. Never has so little basketball action caused so much noise at Tornado Alley.
So there was Viking point guard Brandon Kivett...holding, holding, holding, even though his team was down two points at the time, while the crowd goes berserk.
The Keyser student section even left their seats en masse to try and collectively go stand by Kivett and heckle him (they were wisely kept from doing so).
The Vikings went away from this tactic in the second half (why, I don’t know), and KHS used a 17-2 run to break the game open and win by 11 points.
Still, the game was much closer than the past two meetings. Throw that run out, and Petersburg actually wins by four.
Also, with the change in the WVSSAC playoff format, Petersburg wasn’t
see CLOCK page 5
playing for their season on Friday.
So why risk injury by playing a full-tempo, heart-on-your-sleeve, physical game in the sectional final when, win or lose Friday, the regional game this Wednesday is the one that matters, the one that punches the basketball Golden Ticket to Charleston and the state tournament?
On the Maryland side of the Potomac, Mountain Ridge used a time-milking four corners offense successfully in their first round playoff win over Fort Hill.
With the best free-throw shooting team in the area, and the best foul shooter from the foul line, three-point line, Timbuktu, etc., in David Hobel, the Miners’ formula was simple: get a decent lead and literally hold on to the ball, forcing the other team to foul to get the ball back.
Leading by 13 points with just under two minutes left in the first half, the Miners held the ball for almost the entire time before Jordan Helmick got a steal and a quick two the other way for Fort Hill.
And with a nine point lead heading to the fourth quarter, the game plan really bore fruit. Ten made free throws and solid defense against a frustrated Sentinel team eventually doubled that lead, and the Miners won by 18 points.
Proponents of a shot clock argue that it would make games more entertaining, and that idea may have some merit.
But I think the number of bad shots, hurried by a 35-second limit, would increase significantly.
Also, teams generally play straight-up games in the regular season, only resorting to such stalling tactics late in the fourth quarter of games, or, in the cases of Petersburg and Mountain Ridge, in playoff or elimination scenarios.
There’s also the added issues of spending the money to get shot clocks for each gym in the state, an unnecessary expense in these economic conditions, and having someone in-house to run the shot clock. It’s hard enough getting good, committed people to run the game clock, especially at small high schools.
Maryland, of course, does have a clock for girls’ basketball, so their learning curve would be less steep.
Unless holding the ball and other time-wasting tactics become the norm rather than the exception, I don’t expect to see either Maryland or West Virginia join the eight states nationwide that have a shot clock for boys’ hoops.
That was the question on the lips of many fans at Keyser High School Friday night after watching the Petersburg Vikings hold the ball for the final four-odd minutes of the second quarter of the Region II, Section I final.
Let me be clear: I’m not criticizing the Vikings for employing such tactics against the Golden Tornado. Far from it.
KHS won the teams’ two regular season meetings by 33 and 38 points. Odds are Petersburg wasn’t going to come into Tornado Alley and win a 75-74 shootout.
Their chances were much better if the game was in the 50s, the 40’s, or even the 30s.
And since Keyser is a team that absolutely loves (and excels) at a high tempo, why not take the game off the boil for a while?
It reminded me of the soccer episode of “The Simpsons” (Ties! You bet!) where the fans are going nuts while the players just pass the ball back and forth between the wings and the middle. Never has so little basketball action caused so much noise at Tornado Alley.
So there was Viking point guard Brandon Kivett...holding, holding, holding, even though his team was down two points at the time, while the crowd goes berserk.
The Keyser student section even left their seats en masse to try and collectively go stand by Kivett and heckle him (they were wisely kept from doing so).
The Vikings went away from this tactic in the second half (why, I don’t know), and KHS used a 17-2 run to break the game open and win by 11 points.
Still, the game was much closer than the past two meetings. Throw that run out, and Petersburg actually wins by four.
Also, with the change in the WVSSAC playoff format, Petersburg wasn’t
see CLOCK page 5
playing for their season on Friday.
So why risk injury by playing a full-tempo, heart-on-your-sleeve, physical game in the sectional final when, win or lose Friday, the regional game this Wednesday is the one that matters, the one that punches the basketball Golden Ticket to Charleston and the state tournament?
On the Maryland side of the Potomac, Mountain Ridge used a time-milking four corners offense successfully in their first round playoff win over Fort Hill.
With the best free-throw shooting team in the area, and the best foul shooter from the foul line, three-point line, Timbuktu, etc., in David Hobel, the Miners’ formula was simple: get a decent lead and literally hold on to the ball, forcing the other team to foul to get the ball back.
Leading by 13 points with just under two minutes left in the first half, the Miners held the ball for almost the entire time before Jordan Helmick got a steal and a quick two the other way for Fort Hill.
And with a nine point lead heading to the fourth quarter, the game plan really bore fruit. Ten made free throws and solid defense against a frustrated Sentinel team eventually doubled that lead, and the Miners won by 18 points.
Proponents of a shot clock argue that it would make games more entertaining, and that idea may have some merit.
But I think the number of bad shots, hurried by a 35-second limit, would increase significantly.
Also, teams generally play straight-up games in the regular season, only resorting to such stalling tactics late in the fourth quarter of games, or, in the cases of Petersburg and Mountain Ridge, in playoff or elimination scenarios.
There’s also the added issues of spending the money to get shot clocks for each gym in the state, an unnecessary expense in these economic conditions, and having someone in-house to run the shot clock. It’s hard enough getting good, committed people to run the game clock, especially at small high schools.
Maryland, of course, does have a clock for girls’ basketball, so their learning curve would be less steep.
Unless holding the ball and other time-wasting tactics become the norm rather than the exception, I don’t expect to see either Maryland or West Virginia join the eight states nationwide that have a shot clock for boys’ hoops.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Keyser Pulls Away Late to Win Section, Defeats Petersburg, 46-35
KEYSER — The Keyser Golden Tornado used a 17-2 run over the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters to break open a tight, low-scoring affair, winning 46-35 over the Petersburg Vikings in boys’ basketball action at Tornado Alley on Friday night.
Now champions of Region II, Section I, the Golden Tornado will host the loser of Webster County and Philip Barbour on Wednesday night.
Petersburg will travel to face the winner of that game, which is Saturday night.
The Golden Tornado held the Vikings without a point for five minutes and 19 seconds during the run and without a field goal in the second quarter.
Preston Hartman had 17 points, ten in the second half, and ten rebounds to lead Keyser.
Jeremy Green was also in double figures with 13 points and added eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Wes Washington had four steals.
Marcus Hahn’s 12 points and Derek Miller’s 11 paced Petersburg.
Keyser came out of the gate looking sluggish offensively and trailed 6-3 with 2:44 to go in the first quarter, prompting Coach Gary Liston to call a timeout.
A Derek Miller finger roll put Petersburg up 10-5 with 1:14 to go.
Keyser closed the quarter well, however, on a Preston Hartman hook and a Jeremy Green layup.
The Golden Tornado trailed, 10-9, after the first quarter.
A pair of Mike Wise free throws with 7:26 to go in the half put the Vikings up three, 12-9.
Keyser closed to back within one point on a Maverick Nelson pull-up jump shot just to the left of the foul line, then took their first lead since 1-0 on a Preston Hartman three-point play, 14-12.
Petersburg held the ball for the remainder of the second quarter.
Keyser led at the half, 14-12.
Hartman had seven points to lead Keyser; Marcus Hahn’s six points topped Petersburg.
Hahn tied the game at 14-all with a layup 15 seconds into the half, then Hartman put Keyser back up a deuce with a layup of his own.
Petersburg opened up a five-point lead, their largest of the game, with 5:09 left in the third quarter on a Hahn tip-in.
Keyser briefly re-took the lead on a Green layup, 22-21, but Hahn again responded to put Petersburg back on top.
But the Golden Tornado found their footing, going on a 17-2 run stretching through the rest of the third quarter and into the fourth. Green had five points and an assist during the run.
KHS led, 39-25, with 3:41 to go.
But PHS made it interesting, scoring the next eight points to pull within six, 39-33, with 1:48 to go.
A Matt Wilmer three-point play gave Keyser some breathing room, 44-35, with 1:04 left, and Hartman’s tip-in with 43 seconds left sealed the deal.
In Section II action Thursday night, Philip Barbour toppled top-seeded Grafton, 63-53, and Webster County knocked off second-seeded Lincoln, 57-50.
Philip Barbour will travel to Webster County Saturday night for the Section II final.
The two sectional winners host the runners-up from the opposite section on Wednesday, March 11.
Now champions of Region II, Section I, the Golden Tornado will host the loser of Webster County and Philip Barbour on Wednesday night.
Petersburg will travel to face the winner of that game, which is Saturday night.
The Golden Tornado held the Vikings without a point for five minutes and 19 seconds during the run and without a field goal in the second quarter.
Preston Hartman had 17 points, ten in the second half, and ten rebounds to lead Keyser.
Jeremy Green was also in double figures with 13 points and added eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
Wes Washington had four steals.
Marcus Hahn’s 12 points and Derek Miller’s 11 paced Petersburg.
Keyser came out of the gate looking sluggish offensively and trailed 6-3 with 2:44 to go in the first quarter, prompting Coach Gary Liston to call a timeout.
A Derek Miller finger roll put Petersburg up 10-5 with 1:14 to go.
Keyser closed the quarter well, however, on a Preston Hartman hook and a Jeremy Green layup.
The Golden Tornado trailed, 10-9, after the first quarter.
A pair of Mike Wise free throws with 7:26 to go in the half put the Vikings up three, 12-9.
Keyser closed to back within one point on a Maverick Nelson pull-up jump shot just to the left of the foul line, then took their first lead since 1-0 on a Preston Hartman three-point play, 14-12.
Petersburg held the ball for the remainder of the second quarter.
Keyser led at the half, 14-12.
Hartman had seven points to lead Keyser; Marcus Hahn’s six points topped Petersburg.
Hahn tied the game at 14-all with a layup 15 seconds into the half, then Hartman put Keyser back up a deuce with a layup of his own.
Petersburg opened up a five-point lead, their largest of the game, with 5:09 left in the third quarter on a Hahn tip-in.
Keyser briefly re-took the lead on a Green layup, 22-21, but Hahn again responded to put Petersburg back on top.
But the Golden Tornado found their footing, going on a 17-2 run stretching through the rest of the third quarter and into the fourth. Green had five points and an assist during the run.
KHS led, 39-25, with 3:41 to go.
But PHS made it interesting, scoring the next eight points to pull within six, 39-33, with 1:48 to go.
A Matt Wilmer three-point play gave Keyser some breathing room, 44-35, with 1:04 left, and Hartman’s tip-in with 43 seconds left sealed the deal.
In Section II action Thursday night, Philip Barbour toppled top-seeded Grafton, 63-53, and Webster County knocked off second-seeded Lincoln, 57-50.
Philip Barbour will travel to Webster County Saturday night for the Section II final.
The two sectional winners host the runners-up from the opposite section on Wednesday, March 11.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Keyser's Late Run Beats Petersburg, 46-35
KEYSER, W.Va. — Preston Hartman recorded a double-double despite a slow pace to lead Keyser to the West Virginia Class AA Region 2, Section 1 title with a 46-35 win over Petersburg Friday night at Keyser High School.
Hartman scored a game-high 17 points, and added 10 rebounds to get the double-double. Jeremy Green was impressive with 13 points, eight boards, three assists and two blocks.
Petersburg got 12 points from Marcus Hahn and Derek Miller scored 11 points.
The Vikings led 10-9 after the first quarter, and went into slow down mode during the second. Petersburg held the ball for over four minutes in the second quarter, but Keyser was able to take 14-12 lead by halftime.
The Golden Tornado had trouble hitting their shots on the inside and fell behind 25-22 at one point in the third. From that score Keyser would go on an 11-0 run to close out the third, culminating in a halfcourt three-point shot as the period ended.
Keyser then went to the press in the fourth to cause some turnovers and hold Petersburg scoreless for the first five minutes of the quarter.
Keyser (18-6) will play in the Region 2 tournament at home on Wednesday against the Section 1 runner-up between the loser of the Phillip Barbour/Webster County contest.
Petersburg (10-13) will play the winner of that game.
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