By Carl Holcomb
The Golden Tornado funneled into the Hive ripping it apart and never trailing with Moorefield battling back from a double digit deficit netting five points in the final minute as Keyser staved off that late push scattering the Yellow Jackets 45-37.
Braylon McGreevy garnered a game-high 16 points for Keyser, followed by Trey Dawson and Grayson Lambka with 11 points apiece.
The Yellow Jackets were guided by Cyrus Kump with 12 points and Shawn Reed contributed eight points.
“Moorefield always comes ready to play. It was important to set the tempo early. This helps us to put our game plan in motion and keep the pressure going. We have several players who can score for us on any night. This is a good game for us before the tournament at Garrett College which will be televised,” Keyser coach Scott Furey commented.
Moorefield commenced the game with Reed hauling in a defensive carom, then Brock Linville crashed into the paint with the ensuing shot going awry and the ricochet eluded Reed out of play.
The Golden Tornado collected a defensive rebound prior to Kump stuffing the next shot.
McGreevy notched a putback at 4:42.
The Yellow Jackets responded with a trip to the charity stripe where Matthew Iman added one marker.
Reed grabbed a rebound and was locked up into a jump ball prior to a block by McGreevy.
Moorefield tied the game at 3-all as Iman dished to Reed.
Keyser missed two attempts, before McGreevy found the net to regain the lead.
Lambka sandwiched two steals around a swipe by Kump with the latter resulting in a breakaway layup.
Camden Owens created a steal and fed McGreevy for a slam dunk as Keyser took a 9-3 edge at 2:25.
Dawson blocked a shot and simultaneously corralled the ball leading to a layup from McGreevy.
Owens forced a turnover and found Dawson, who completed an old-fashioned three-point play for a 14-3 lead.
In the closing minute of the opening stanza, Kump and Lane Champion traded buckets before both teams coughed the ball out with Keyser ahead 16-5.
The teams traded one free throw in the first minute of the second period as Moorefield’s Kail Greenwalt made the marker.
Kump snatched the carom and recorded a putback for a 17-8 deficit.
McGreevy answered for the Golden Tornado, then Kump collected an offensive rebound and created a spinning jumper.
Keyser took a 23-11 lead on a layup by Lambka with four and a half minutes left in the half.
A little over a minute transpired before Iman dished to Jackson Helmick, who drilled a trifecta.
Kump hauled in a defensive rebound, but it was swiped by Lambka for a three-point play.
The Golden Tornado doubled up on Moorefield 28-14 with a putback by Champion.
Greenwalt garnered an old fashioned three-point play for the Yellow Jackets closing out the half facing a 28-17 deficit.
The third period commenced with Greenwalt swatting the ball out of play.
Keyser’s Dawson added a layup moments later.
The Yellow Jackets answered with two free throws by Shawn Reed on the ensuing series.Keyser added two consecutive field goals by McGreevy and Dawson with the latter as a result of McGreevy’s steal.
Kump performed bit of dazzle with a baseline up and under the basket shot, 34-21.
Keyser avoided a trap and Lambka finished with a jumper.
Keyser failed to score off a turnover, then Moorefield hit iron. Both teams missed several shots and had a handful of turnovers with erratic passing to close out the third frame.
The first two minutes of the final stanza featured the sound of iron clanging six times combined.
McGreevy quieted the noise with a jumper.
The Yellow Jackets answered with a bucket by Kump.
Spanning the next two minutes and change, Keyser hit the rim thrice and lost the ball twice to Kump and Reed.
Moorefield would score five points during that stretch at the charity stripe with Edison Metheny adding three markers and Kump hitting two more to close the gap to 42-32 with just under three minutes to go.
Lambka put the Golden Tornado up 45-32 with 55 seconds left.
Moorefield refused to fold as Helmick nailed a 3-pointer with 37 seconds to go.
Reed snatched a defensive rebound and dashed for a layup with 23 ticks remaining to cut the deficit to 45-37.
Keyser missed free throws, then Kump hauled in the carom before the ball was jarred loose and a diving scramble finished the contest.
The Golden Tornado spun out of the Hive leaving it in shambles with a 45-37 win.
