Round for round in the first half Moorefield and East Hardy took the punches in the second edition of the Hardy Boys Hardwood Classic before the Cougars launched a right hook for a 13-point lead entering the fourth period and staved off a late rally uppercut by the Yellow Jackets slicing the deficit to two points and closed out the game on the free throw line for a 67-57 knock out win on senior night in Moorefield last Friday.
“We’ve been playing pretty well for the past month. Tonight with our huge lay-off I was worried we weren’t going to be very crisp, but I thought we did a very good job of coming out and executing well, battling with them. Tonight was a game against two good teams. They got their first punch in and set us back on our heels a little bit, then we had to adjust our defense a little bit. The kids did an excellent job of staying in it and treating every possession like it was really important and we just battled,” East Hardy coach Chris Hahn remarked.
“Every possession, we battled. Take nothing away from Moorefield, because they battled too. That was dog fight there. We press and run on everybody and it wears on you. At time it is real hot and at times it is just warm. When you are used to it being warm, then we turn it up on you causing some guys to misread it and get lazy with passes. our guys have done a great job of reading it and going after it and getting those steals. That’s the idea to just make everybody uncomfortable. We don’t matchup size-wise with everybody, so we have to do what little quick guards can do. Last time we played Moorefield at our place, they brought a ton of fans and it was loud and crazy. It was a good game and everybody knew that this was going to be like that, a good game on a Friday night. I thought our fans did great and I thought their fans made this place loud too. I think this win will put us in a stronger position for sectional seeding. We could play Moorefield again and could be at our place. We need the place to be crazy like it was tonight.”
The Yellow Jackets started all seniors for the game with Chase Vance, Brent Moran, Thomas Williams, Yosef Malaki and Addison Barb took the floor.
Moorefield’s Chase Vance commenced the scoring with a jumper at the 7:43 mark en route to a game-high 22 points.
After a foul by Malaki, the Cougars had a shot hit the rim and bounce off the board out of play.
There was a walk by Barb, then Williams collected a defensive rebound and the ball was stolen by East Hardy’s Bryce Tharp.
Tharp was fouled by Williams and netted both free throws as the Cougars tied the game at 6:44, 2-all.
Moran was whistled for a walk, but East Hardy missed field goals twice and the latter board was collected by Barb prior to a steal made by Dawson Price scoring as a result to take the lead at 5:52.
Tharp was called for a foul as Barb went crashing to the floor, then the Yellow Jackets missed a basket and the ball deflected off East Hardy out of bounds.
Moran connected with Trevor Shoemaker on an inbounds alley-oop play as Moorefield tied the contest.
The Cougars regained the lead on the ensuing possession as Tharp completed an old-fashioned three-point play after a foul by Shoemaker at 5:04.
Moorefield answered with a jumper by Vance 30 seconds later, 7-6.
Shoemaker hauled in a defensive carom and Vance garnered a 3-pointer to give the Yellow Jackets a 9-7 lead at the 3:40 mark.
Both teams missed opportunities with rebounds snatched by Vance and Shoemaker, then East Hardy’s Seth Smith made a steal and scored to tie the game at 2:57.
Shoemaker netted a shot in the paint on the next Moorefield possession to regain the lead.
Williams grabbed a defensive rebound and assisted Moran on a bucket at 2:05 for a 13-9 edge.
Smith notched a basket for the Cougars, then Christian Dove stole the ball and the ensuing shot missed with Malaki collecting the board for the Yellow Jackets.
Dove swiped the ball again and dished to Smith for a layup as East Hardy tied the game at 13-all with 1:13 left in the first period.
After a rebound by Shoemaker, the Yellow Jackets took a 15-13 lead on a jumper by Moran and carried the advantage into the second frame.
The Cougars opened the second period with a 3-pointer by Dove to take a 16-15 lead just ten seconds into the action.
Tharp made a steal with a pass to Dove assisting Smith on a layup at 7:24.
Malaki and Vance hauled in offensive rebounds before an offensive foul was called on the Yellow Jackets, then Jaydon See stole the ball and was fouled by East Hardy’s Adam Baker.
Moorefield threw the ball away trying to execute an inbounds pass, then Shoemaker fouled Smith during a layup attempt, who made one of two free throws for a 19-15 score at 6:10.
Baker was fouled on a defensive rebound by Shoemaker, then See blocked a shot.
Vance sank a mid-range jumper for the Yellow Jackets on the next series.
East Hardy hit the rim and Williams took the board, then Moorefield missed a field goal and a scramble ensued for the ball with See making the recovery to setup Moran tying the game at 19-all with 4:30 remaining in the second period.
A little over a minute later, Moorefield’s Coleman Mongold drilled a 3-pointer for a 22-19 lead.
The Cougars managed only a free throw on the next possession by Andrew Tharp.
Mongold made drive to the basket crashing into Bryce Tharp while passing the ball and a defensive foul was called, then See grabbed an offensive rebound before Andrew Tharp stole the ball.
East Hardy came up empty on that turnover with Malaki collecting the rebound, but Smith swiped the ball and made a layup to knot up the contest at 22-all with 2:13 left in the first half.
Smith got a piece of the ball as it was being dribbled and Dove snatched the ricochet for the steal, then Moran stole the ball back only to step out of bounds in the process.
The Cougars were called for a foul after a missed shot, then Justin Teets stole the ball and the Cougars missed twice with a rebound by Smith and a jump ball called.
Dove created a block and steal with a pass up to Teets for a basket as the Cougars took a 24-22 lead with 57 seconds on the clock.
Vance notched one free throw just four seconds later and Baker collected the rebound with a foul in tow.
Baker hit both free throws to put East Hardy up 26-23, :52.
Moran missed a layup and Baker collected the rebound, then Price scored on a putback.
Mongold knocked down a 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to cut the East Hardy edge to 28-26 at the break.
There were only four players on the floor for the Yellow Jackets as the second half was about to start and a fifth player was sent in just before the ball was handed off by the referee.
Moran scored on a layup just eight seconds into the second half to tie the game drawing a foul along the way and missed the charity stripe shot, 28-all.
Price grabbed the rebound for Cougars and Barb stole the ball for the Yellow Jackets before losing the ball out of bounds.
East Hardy missed two shots with rebounds by Andrew Tharp, then See blocked the next attempt and Williams chased down the ricochet with a pass to Vance, who was fouled and added both free throws giving Moorefield a 30-28 lead at 7:20.
No, there wasn’t a rabbit on the floor, but rather Dove hopping into the paint trying to pull up again for a shot and was called for a walk.[private]
A mixup on play assignments caused an errant pass by Moran to be intercepted by Price, then Teets nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer for the Cougars at 6:30 without relinquishing the advantage for the duration of the game, 31-30.
After a miss by Moorefield went out of bounds, Dove snatched an offensive rebound and drew a foul leading to one free throw and the tipped ball off the errant free throw was hauled in by Smith.
The Cougars hit the rim and Shoemaker collected the board, but Dove swiped the ball back and scored at 5:28, 34-30.
Vance found a seam in the defense and ripped off a jumper in the paint at 5:06 for the Yellow Jackets.
East Hardy answered with a bucket by Smith, followed by a defensive rebound by Smith.
Price hauled in an offensive rebound and netted a bucket extending the lead to 38-32 at 3:54.
Shoemaker was fouled during a rebound and added one free throw on the next Moorefield series.
Teets dodged past the defense of Williams and coasted in along the baseline for a layup as the Cougars too a 40-33 lead with 2:38 left in the third period.
Dove and See made defensive rebounds, then Vance pumped fake and was fouled.
Malaki passed to Williams, who quickly executed a touch pass to Vance for a basket at 1:50.
Baker netted a jumper and Smith stole the ball for a breakaway layup creating a 44-35 East Hardy advantage at 1:20.
Smith created another turnover saving the ball with a pass to Teets, who assisted Bryce Tharp on a shot.
The Yellow Jackets lost the ball out of bounds and tempers among teammates were a little heated with Moran called to the sideline for a discussion.
The Cougars missed two field goals, then a rebound by See was stolen by Baker.
Baker was fouled and added two free throws with five seconds remaining to create a 48-35 lead.
Dove was whistled for a walk to begin the final stanza, then Bryce Tharp blocked a shot by Williams with the ball recovered by Vance making a jumper at 7:23.
East Hardy missed a pair of free throws with Shoemaker collecting the rebound, then Williams drained a 3-pointer for the Yellow Jackets at 6:59 to cut the deficit to 48-40.
Price went crashing to the hardwood during a rebound with Shoemaker fighting for the ball.
After a foul on the Cougars, Shoemaker scored on a baseline layup for the Yellow Jackets at the 5:56 mark.
Williams stole the ball and passed to Vance, who drew a foul and missed the foul shot.
Dove made a layup for East Hardy on the next possession at the 5:00 mark.
After a walk by Williams, Vance collected a defensive rebound and was fouled on a block attempt by Tharp and added both free throws.
There was an over-and-back mid-court violation on the Cougars, then Price hauled in a defensive rebound on a missed layup.
Smith scored inside the paint for East Hardy making it 52-44 with 3:53 to go.
Price swiped the ball, but Shoemaker blocked the ensuing attempt.
Malaki collected an offensive rebound and passed outside to Williams for a trifecta at 3:03, 52-47.
Williams made a steal and passed to Moran, who created an old-fashioned three-point play pulling the Yellow Jackets within two points at 52-50 with only 2:39 remaining.
A basket by Dove ten seconds later on the next Cougars series meant a two-possession game.
After a jump ball and foul on Moorefield, a walk was called on East Hardy and the ball was stolen back by Dove leading to one free throw and are bound by Shoemaker.
Moorefield hit the rim and Price hauled in the board with a long pass to Dove scoring on a layup for a 57-50 lead with 1:22 left.
Seven seconds elapsed and Vance drew a foul to create two more points on the line.
Two Moorefield fouls sent Dove to the line with 59 seconds on the clock with both shots made.
Shoemaker hit a jumper for the Yellow Jackets with 51 seconds to go and trailing now 59-54.
Teets garnered a field goal for East Hardy using up just eight seconds.
Dove stole the ball and was fouled, but missed the free throws as Moran collected the carom.
Mongold connected on a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left as the Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to 61-57.
The Cougars made six free throws in the last 26 seconds to seal the 67-57 victory (Smith 3, Dove 2, Tharp 1) as Moorefield had one turnover and two errant field goals in that time span.
Moran shook hands with the East Hardy players during the final free throw attempt as a sign of good sportsmanship.
Smith guided East Hardy with 20 points followed by Dove with 15 points and Teets added nine markers.
Vance netted the game-high 22 points for the Yellow Jackets, followed by 11 points from Moran, Shoemaker and Mongold notched nine points apiece.
“We knew what kind of game it was going to be coming in, because we knew they play hard, they press and they trap. We prepared for it in practice. I thought we broke their press pretty good in the first half. We still had too many turnovers down the floor and they played hard and get after it. They made some big shots and we made some big shots. The atmosphere was great. That is a game you learn from and a game you get better from. The crowd was great. It wasn’t a loss in the sense that it sends us home for the year, so that’s a good thing. We still have a week to prepare and get better for the tournament,” Moorefield coach Scott Stutler stated.
“The seniors have had some tough years, but they are pretty resilient and come to practice everyday ready to go. They believe in themselves and try to help the team in any capacity that they can. They are going to be successful in life. They come ready to practice everyday and I hate that they lost this one tonight. It was a good game and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
East Hardy doesn’t have any games remaining until the playoffs.
Moorefield hosted Frankfort on Monday and visits Berkeley Springs tomorrow for the regular season finale.
In JV action, Moorefield beat East Hardy 60-49. The Yellow Jackets were led by Ryan McGregor with 16 points and the Cougars were paced by Noah Lang with 15 points.
Moorefield Boys Basketball honored the seniors prior to the varsity game against the Cougars: Addison Barb, Yosef Malaki, Brent Moran, Lane Ours, Thomas Williams, Chase Vance and Mark Wratchford, II (Videographer).
Barb was a Homecoming King candidate and a member of the Family Career and Community Leasers of America in addition to playing basketball and football (state playoff appearance).
Barb plans to attend Potomac State College of West Virginia University with hopes of joining the Catamounts Basketball squad before transferring to WVU earning a degree in Sports Management.
Malaki plans to attend Potomac State College and transfer to a four-year institution to become an ESL teacher at a middle school in West Virginia.
Malaki is a member of the DECA and was a defensive statistician for the football team (state playoff appearance) in addition to playing basketball.
Moran plans to attend Potomac State College and major in Agribusiness Management.
Moran is a member of the Future Farmers of America earning his state degree in addition to playing football (state playoff appearance), basketball and baseball (two-time state champions).
Ours plans to play baseball in college, while double majoring in Sports Management and Marketing.
Ours is a member of the National Honor Society in addition to playing basketball and baseball (two-time state champions).
Williams plans to attend WVU in the Honors College for Exercise Physiology and then continue on to medical school to become a Doctor or Physical Therapist.
Williams is a member of FFA, Student Council, National Honor Society and Envirothon team (state champion) in addition to playing golf (regional team champion, state tournament appearance), football (state playoff appearance), basketball and baseball (two-time state champions).
Vance plans to enlist in the United State Navy.
Vance is a member of the National Honor Society, FCCLA and Banner Committee in addition to playing basketball.
Wratchford plans to attend Potomac State College of WVU and major in Sports Management.
Wratchford is a member of the National Honor Society in addition to assisting with videography for the football and basketball teams.[/private]
The Yellow Jackets have one more week left before entering the playoffs to battle for a state tournament berth with East Hardy challenging to do the same.