By Stephen Smoot
One of the worries of Pendleton County boys’ basketball coaches in early December lay in the limited practices available for the football players who pushed to the semifinals in November. Would they have enough time to master the plays and get in “basketball shape?”
Four weeks after that, the unruly weather had kept the team off the court, but allowed much more time for coaches to get the team prepared for the season. For the Wildcats, however, their season opened in Petersburg, in front of a half hostile and thoroughly riled up crowd, and against the rival that gets a Wildcat’s blood up the most.
Game one of the season versus Moorefield at the Petersburg Holiday Tournament is normally not ideal, but don’t tell that to first-year coach Josh Owens or his squad.
An unexpected resignation left Owens to steer the team. On this day, he had Travis Heavner, the girls’ head coach, on the bench beside him. Owens shared that he will soon round out his staff with former star player Clayton Kisamore and also Rod Cooper. Cooper last led the Wildcat volleyball squad into its first of three straight state tournament appearances.
Fans likely had a double take as they entered the gymnasium, with Pendleton County sporting throwback Circleville High School uniforms. They would don those of Franklin High School on night two in the title game against Petersburg.
Moorefield seized the opening tip, but it took time for the teams to feel each other out. The Wildcats had added rust from not yet having played. The Yellow Jackets took the first draw of blood as they connected on a post move and layup. A foul called on the play gave them a free throw, which they converted for an early 3-0 lead about two minutes and a handful of seconds into the contest.
Scoring in the first quarter came as often as rain in the second half of last year. With 4:40 left in the quarter, Jaydon Hess put Pendleton County on the scoreboard when he floated in and completed a finger roll, cutting the deficit to 3-2. On the next possession, Henry Warner took two big dribbles in from the wing, pulled up from seven feet, and put the Wildcats in the lead.
The Yellow Jackets then applied the sting in a six to nothing run, giving them a 9-4 advantage. At the 2:40 mark, Chase Owens opened up on Moorefield, burying a three-point shot from the top of the key. The Wildcats forced a steal, then Travis Owens connected on a three-point shot from the wing for a 10-9 lead.
Moorefield hit a free throw and a layup to get out to a 12-10 lead, but Colton Roberson took an inbounds pass for a layup to tie it up. The quarter ended with a Moorefield last second three and a one-point deficit.
Pendleton County and Moorefield traded punches like evenly matched heavyweights in the second quarter. At 6:05, Chase Owens’ 12-foot jumper put his team up 17-16, but two Yellow Jacket layups reversed that to a 20-17 advantage for the opposition. At the 2:05 mark, Moorefield appeared to have established momentum, seizing a 25-19 lead, their largest of the game.
Hess then took a steal down the lane and drew a foul, connecting on both charity shots. Chase Owens drove the middle on the next possession, kicking it out to Hess who buried a corner three. A Hess pass to a cutting Travis Owens cut the Moorefield lead to one.
The first half concluded when Hess again found with precision passing a player near the basket, this time Roberson whose layup gave his squad a slender 28-27 halftime lead.
Hess helped to set the second half tone on the first play, stealing the ball and driving in for a layup. Moorefield completed a three-point shot, but Hess found Cashton Kisamore for an inside score. Scoring came sparsely again in this quarter, but by the 2:23 mark, the opposition had battled out to a four point lead.
Then Kisamore’s pass from one post to the other got Roberson a layup. Travis Owens’ kickout to Hess for a three at the 1:27 point put his team up 39-38.
Then came a play that by the end of the game looked like a backbreaker.
Chase Owens exploded into the passing lanes, leaping to grab a steal, which he then took in himself for a layup and a 41-38 lead. Two more three-point shots blew the game open for Pendleton County by quarter’s end.
Coach Owens explained after that game that “we mixed in the one-one-three and two-three zone defenses to get them off balance.” That slowed down the Moorefield offense, for the most part, forcing the Yellow Jackets to run long offensive sets to look for a shot, eating valuable time as they did.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats continued to put up points. Travis Owens found Kisamore on the post. He shifted, pivoted, and maneuvered through two defenders to lay the ball in. Between the five and four minute marks, Pendleton County cruised with an 11-point advantage.
Then came a ghost from the past.
Two years ago in the same tournament and against the same team, Pendleton County enjoyed a similarly comfortable lead. Moorefield then exploded in the final minutes, bringing frantic energy on offense and defense, willing their way to the win.
Between four and three minutes remaining, Moorefield went into a press, dialing up the intensity on offense and defense. Two steals led to five points and cut the lead to 53-47 with 3:09 left.
Chase Owens scored a layup with 2:51 left. Then Roberson swiped the ball from Moorefield, leading to a Travis Owens corner three. Same player took a Yellow Jacket miss, launched a long pass, and watched Hess lay it up for a 60-47 advantage with 1:45 left.
Both teams got three more to end the game with the score 63-50.
Coach Owens praised his squad, saying, “The boys have been playing on teams together since first grade. These guys know the game.”
“I’m very proud of them,” he said.
Chase Owens led with 21 points, followed by Hess with 15, Travis Owens with eight, Kisamore seven, Warner four, and Ty Heavner with two.
In the title game, Petersburg held off the Wildcats and earned a 54-53 victory.
The Wildcats will host the Yellow Jackets beginning at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday.
