By Stephen Smoot
The season thus far for Pendleton County boys’ basketball has taken some strange twists and turns from the near complete weather driven cancellation to the December slate of games to opening at home two weeks into January.
But the wins keep piling up. The Wildcats are, as of now, three and two against schools above Class A, including a tournament title on the road. They have swept the two Class A teams they have faced as well.
Saturday night they played in front of a jam packed house full of fans there to see rivals battle and also to honor the Class A state softball champion team from last year.
Moorefield took the opening tip, but gave it up quickly under pressure from Pendleton County’s zone. All night long, the Wildcats switched between man and zone and also used multiple zone formations. That, plus the length of Wildcat players, narrowed the offensive opportunities for Moorefield considerably.
For the first five minutes of the game, the Yellow Jackets ground out a slight lead. They scored first on a layup 55 seconds in, held a 6-3 lead at 4:23, then gave it up again at about the three minute mark in the first quarter.
Chase Owens swiped a steal and drove it in for a layup to tie it at seven with 3:17 in the first, then hit a three at 2:59 to give his team the lead for good at 10-9. Jaydon Hess glided in from about 10 feet out, deftly flipped up a shot from about five feet, still in the air, and gave his team a three-point advantage. Owens followed with a three, but Moorefield cut the lead with their own deep shot at 1:10.
Now up only 15-12, Hess fired a pass to a cutting Travis Owens for a layup and a five point lead as the quarter closed.
Henry Warner brings a lot of skills to the offensive end in most games, but showed his defensive prowess well against the Yellow Jackets, elevating to block shots, getting his long arms into the passing lanes as well. He scored two blocks in the opening of the second quarter.
Defense dominated through the second minute of the second quarter with blocks and steals prevailing over points. Cashton Kisamore scored from the free throw line as both teams gave and got best efforts. As the teams hit the five minute mark, Hess drove and kicked it out to Warner for a three-point basket that started to break the game open.
Chase Owens brought the ball down the lane, evaded a defender, and scored a reverse layup to extend the lead to 25-13. Almost two minutes later, Ty Heavner battled for an offensive rebound, fired it out to Chase Owens, and earned an assist when the recipient responded with another three-point basket.
Heavner then scored on a pass whipped inside by Hess, setting the score at 28-16 with 1:45 remaining. Travis Owens shortly after connected on a three after another perfect Hess pass.
Moorefield never quits, however, and ground their way back into contention with hard earned buckets and free throws at the end of the half. The score as the third quarter opened was 34-21 after Heavner made one of two from the line with zero seconds in regulation.
The third quarter opened with almost no scoring. Those who enjoy points did not get a chance for disappointment in the third. Moorefield opened up with a charge call and Chase Owens quickly got the Wildcats back in the scoring column with a layup. His defense then forced a travel at seven minutes, then picked up an assist on a pass inside to Heavner at 6:38, setting the tone for the rest of the contest.
The Yellow Jackets hit their first basket of the second half at 6:30 with an inside shot, cutting the lead to 38-23, but Warner over a minute later responded with silky smooth layup that pushed the lead to 40-23.
As the game progressed, the intensity with which the Wildcats pounded the boards for rebounds continued. Pendleton County often got multiple looks off of offensive rebounds while Moorefield struggled to carve out room for even one clear shot at the basket. The Yellow Jackets continued playing with top effort, staying close and physical in defending Wildcat players. Pendleton County beat that effort with crisp passing, continually looking for the extra pass to find the open man.
By the time Heavner once again pulled down an offensive carom and put it back in the bucket at the end of the third, his squad had outscored one of the team’s most pesky rivals, historically speaking, 26 to six.
Kisamore opened up the fourth with a power move from the post that shook off the defense and gave him an open look, with his basket making the score 63-29. Hess followed with a beautiful finger roll that pushed the lead to 65-29.
Starters for both teams gave way to bench players, but as Pendleton County demonstrated during the Lincoln tournament, not much drop off exists. Braylin Hull took a dribble inside the three point line and hit a shot after he entered play at the four minute point, then followed with a finger roll layup.
Tony VanMeter took a foul as he attempted a shot and hit one of two from the line. Dalton Rohrbaugh also got fouled driving in for a shot and hit one of two to set the score at 76-34. Cole Harper in the game late also scored a layup off an offensive rebound. Rohrbaugh later pulled in a Van Meter pass, executed a drop step move, and laid the ball in.
The game ended with an 80-39 win for Pendleton County. Chase Owens continued his tear from the three-point line, hitting six for seven for 86 percent in the game, 55 percent on the season. He totaled 30 points.
Heavner dominated on the inside, picking up 11 points and seven rebounds coming off the bench. Kisamore also powered in nine points from the post and picked up six boards. Warner scored nine as well. Hess had six points and led the squad with seven assists while Travis Owens kicked in five, Rohrbaugh three, Harper two, and VanMeter one.
Colton Roberson did not score, but had an impact with two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Pendleton County embodied perfectly what Heavner stated after the game, sharing simply, “We never let up.” Josh Owens, head coach, praised Moorefield, stating that his squad defeated a very good Yellow Jacket team. He went on to say of the effort shown by his team from the opening tip “they are just having fun. If you talk to kids right, they respond right. I couldn’t have asked for a better performance.”
Coach Owens described his team’s style on the evening as “nice and brisk” in running their offensive sets well, finding the extra man with the pass, and also using athleticism to make plays.
Friday, the Wildcats are scheduled to play at Petersburg.
