By Stephen Smoot
There is one measure of a true rivalry, when one has to ignore the records of both teams coming into the game. Pendleton County’s rivalry with Moorefield has proved no different over the years. Last week a struggling Yellow Jacket squad met a Wildcat team voted fifth in single A in a coaches’ poll and pulled the upset in dramatic fashion.
Pendleton County has relied on its height advantage to break down opponents in wins this season and enjoyed one over the Yellow Jackets. Moorefield generates plays based on their guards’ elusiveness while not having much height of their own.
Action opened with Jacob Beachler using his height and athleticism to make big plays. The first few minutes saw key blocks of Moorefield shots. He then executed a post move to score a layup and stole the ball. All of this happened in the first three minutes of the game as Pendleton County slowly built a lead.
Throughout the first quarter, Moorefield’s shooters could not find the basket. The Wildcats’ luck was little better, but they closed the quarter with a 13-4 lead as Clayton Kisamore sank a dramatic three point shot while drawing a foul with seven seconds left. He hit the free throw as well.
In the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Wildcats painstakingly extended their lead by attacking the post. Beachler used a post move to score a layup with 7:20 left to push the lead to 15-4. Shortly thereafter, Chase Owens was fouled as he completed a post move for an easy inside shot. His effort increased the lead to 17-4, the largest Wildcat advantage of the night.
Moorefield started to claw their way back after the five-minute mark. They took advantage of free throw opportunities, but they also started breaking down both the Pendleton County press and half court defense. That said, they still struggled to connect on open shots. Moorefield tied the game at 24 with two free throws at the 37 second mark and that ended scoring in the half.
Officials consistently allowed both teams to play a physical game on both ends, making the game a dogfight from start to finish. Beachler, Kisamore, and Owens in particular played aggressive games, rebounding and defending well.
The third quarter saw Pendleton County once again using patience to build back their lead. Owens hit two free throws with 6:07 left in the quarter to give the Wildcats a 30-27 edge. Pendleton County kept making plays on defense, including shot blocks by Beachler and Dusty Smith tying up a ballhandler with 4:15 left in the quarter.
Moorefield changed their strategy in the second half, using their small lineup to spread the floor. At times, they positioned all five players around the perimeter. Yellow Jacket guards used their quickness to work their way to the basket for layups. Beachler often rotated to disrupt or block shots, often in dramatic fashion. He put his team up by nine with a layup with two minutes in the quarter, then hit a hook shot with 40 seconds left in the stanza. Moorefield, closed scoring with a three-point shot to pull within four at 42-38.
Action turned even more intense in the fourth quarter. From the last minute of the third quarter through the end of the fourth, the Yellow Jacket guards channeled the spirit of Pistol Pete Maravich. They missed numerous open opportunities in the second quarter, but they connected on well contested shots in the fourth.
Pendleton County kept making plays on offense to desperately cling to their slender lead to weather the Moorefield onslaught. Kisamore at the 7:11 mark drove to the basket for a layup, drawing a foul. He converted the free throw to complete the old fashioned three-point play. With 5:43 left, Dustin Vandevander nailed a crucial 3-pointer to notch a 48-47 lead. Almost a minute later, he hit another three to give the Wildcats a 51-49 lead.
Moorefield seized a 55-53 lead at the 3:09 mark with a three-point basket, then extended that to 57-53 with less than two minutes to play. A Kisamore drive with 1:36 left pulled Pendleton County within two. Beachler once again came up with a huge defensive play at the 48 second mark. He then took a pass to the post, backed his man to the basket, drew a foul with 24.9 seconds left, and coolly sank two free throws to tie the game.
The Yellow Jackets had one last chance to win in regulation, but air balled a shot sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, Pendleton County kept fighting, but Moorefield’s hot shooting never cooled. Kisamore tried to put the game on his shoulders, coming up with steals, driving to the basket, making shots and drawing fouls. The Yellow Jackets, however, conjured up answers for every Wildcat advance. Seizing the momentum, they never let it drop. Pendleton County tried to extend the game through intentional fouling, but Moorefield’s hot streak extended to the free throw line as well, leading to a final of 73-66.
The Petersburg Holiday Tip Off Classic is 63 years old and serves as the oldest basketball tournament of its type in the state.
