By Stephen Smoot
Cashton Kisamore accounted for 70 percent of his team’s scoring in the first quarter on his way to a game high 19 points as the Wildcats contained a feisty Yellow Jacket squad.
Moorefield brought the intensity and the execution, but not the shooting. Both squads at times put on an offensive clinic, efficiently running their offenses and moving without the ball for long periods of the time.
What was the main difference between the two? Moorefield missed shots and could not grab offensive rebounds. Pendleton County shot and rebounded well on both ends of the court.
The game opened with a Pendleton County foul a minute into the game. Scoring came slowly early on with Kisamore grabbing an offensive rebound, laying it in, and picking up a Moorefield foul. He then completed the old fashioned three-point play to give his team an opening 3-0 lead.
Yellow Jacket offensive players looked to get the ball inside early and scored all of their eight first period points on layups. Kisamore’s remaining scores of the quarter came off an offensive rebound and also taking a Chase Owens shot blocked by Moorefield for a score.
The Wildcats clung to a narrow 10-8 lead going into the second.
Head coach Jeremy Bodkin said of Kisamore’s dominant performance that “he’s hard to stop. He’s getting better every game.”
Moorefield tied the game early in the second, then took a 13-12 lead on a three-point shot at the 6:36 mark. The Wildcats then tied the game on a Josiah Kimble free throw and an Owens three.
Owens imposed his presence on Moorefield in the second as Kisamore did the first, hitting two three-point shots, hitting two layups, one on a steal, then knocking down a floater from 10 feet to give his team a 28-20 advantage with just under 30 seconds left in the first half.
Zakijah Wright put an exclamation point on the half by sending a Moorefield three-point shot attempt about seven rows back into the visitors’ seats.
Pendleton County snuffed out any momentum that Moorefield tried to generate as they emerged from the half. Owens took a steal almost the length of the court to extend his team’s lead to 10 early on. Moorefield cut the lead to six, but three layups by Kisamore helped to push it back out to 10 with 3:42 left in the third.
Dusty Smith, Pendleton County’s floor field marshal, took up the scoring mantle himself in that period. He beat his man, drove toward the basket, finishing with a spin move and a layup at the 3:03 point, then followed that 10 seconds later with a steal, a foul, and a made free throw.
Just over a minute after that, Smith drove from the right wing for a layup, daring Moorefield defenders to keep up with him. This extended the lead to 12.
Kimble gave his squad a 48-34 advantage with a three-point shot at 45 seconds left, then shortly thereafter, deftly tossed a pass to Jaydon Hess, who was fouled trying to make a shot. Hess hit both free throws and pushed the lead to 15.
Leading 49-36 at the start of the fourth, Pendleton County manufactured points to gradually build out the gap between the teams. Kisamore made a three-point play by rebounding a missed shot, hitting a layup, drawing a foul, and completing the foul shot. With 5:18 left, Owens spun around his defender on the baseline to complete a shot.
With 2:33 remaining and Pendleton County leading by 16, both teams pulled their starters. Justus Kuykendall drew a foul and hit a free throw. Moorefield scored with a layup at the one second mark, putting the final score at 58-43.
All of Pendleton County’s seniors who could suit up played in the game and contributed to the win. Bodkin made sure to discuss one vital senior who, due to injury, could not play at all this year, but stayed with the team the whole season. Dillon Smith helped the coaches and players with anything needed and provided important mentoring and advice for the younger players.
“We get to celebrate the seniors. We get to celebrate the win. We get a few days off now,” Bodkin said.
Kisamore led with 19 points on five of eight shooting. Owens added 18, Smith 10, Kimble 9, Kuykendall and Hess each chipped in one.
On Wednesday, the Wildcats (No. 1 in their section) played Pocahontas County (No. 4), who defeated Harman on Monday. Also on Wednesday, Tygarts Valley (No. 2) hosted Notre Dame (No. 3). The winners of Wednesday’s games will play Friday on the court of the higher seed.
