The Vikings incinerated the perimeter basket 13 times en route to burning Moorefield for an 81-68 victory in Petersburg on Tuesday night.
Petersburg unleashed seven 3-pointers in the opening frame for a 28-10 lead and went into the locker room doubling up on the Yellow Jackets 44-22, but Moorefield didn’t back down by dialing nine long distances shots including eight in the second half to take a 46-37 advantage which not enough to erase the deficit.
Starting the game for Moorefield: Chase Vance, Brent Moran, Blake Watts, Thomas Williams and Ben O’Neill.
Petersburg started the game with: Trad Harman, Tyce Wisnewski, Hunter Pool, Jacob Halterman and Kahner Turner.
“We spent a lot of time working on our shooting yesterday. Our shooting has been struggling a little bit. We have some good shooters, just had to get some work in. Trad [Harman] started off hot and Tyce [Wisnewski] started off hot,” Petersburg Coach Todd Heare commented.
“We had nine at the end of the first half. That’s pretty tough, great shooting tonight. I tried to let the boys know we are shooting the ball well, but you can’t constantly rely on the 3-pointer. You’ve got to attack the basket and we got a little stagnant in the end of third period and beginning of the fourth letting our lead slip away a little. We played hard and got up in them. [Thomas] Williams and [Chase] Vance hit tough three’s and shot the ball excellent. They’re great shooters, that’s for sure. I was pleased with our intensity with one man down, we had two JV guys step up and give me minutes in the first and second half.”
Both teams were without key players as the Yellow Jackets missed senior Garett Haggerty and Petersburg didn’t have Peyton Sindledecker as both were out due to illness.
The Vikings (8-10) opened the game with a 3-pointer by Tyce Wisnewski at 7:16 after Moorefield (3-17) missed two opportunities with rebounds by O’Neill and Pool.
Pool and Vance made defensive rebounds, then Moran scored on a layup at 6:16.
Williams stole the ball and dished to Watts on the breakaway as the Yellow Jackets took a 4-3 lead at 5:56.
Watts dove at a loose ball, but Pool recovered it and passed to Halterman, who was fouled by Williams and made one free throw to tie the game.
The Vikings took the lead for good at the 5:23 mark as Halterman netted a layup after a rebound by Pool.
Pool snatched another defensive board and Halterman made a save along the baseline with the pass going out to Wisnewski for a 3-pointer.
Wisnewski collected a defensive rebound, but the Vikings fumbled the ball out of bounds.
Moran cut into the paint for a layup to make it 9-6 at the 3:48 mark.
Halterman created a turnover and went in for a layup nine seconds later.
O’Neill located Williams for an assist on a jumper as Moorefield cut it to 11-8 at 3:22.
Petersburg responded with a trey by Harman.
Watts grabbed an offensive rebound and missed, then Pool took the ensuing board and walked.
Harman swiped the ball and nailed a 3-pointer for a 17-8 advantage with 2:24 left in the first period.
Moorefield hit the rim and the Vikings were back in business on a carom hauled in by Jamie Vance leading to a trifecta by Wisnewski at the two-minute mark.
Harman collected a defensive board and passed to Halterman going in for a layup.
Moran snatched an offensive rebound and assisted O’Neill for a shot, 22-10 with 32 seconds to go.
Harman sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a Yellow Jacket turnover to put the Vikings up 28-10 at the end of the initial frame.
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Beginning the second period, Pool dished into the paint for a Halterman jumper.
After a Moorefield walk, the Vikings committed a foul and the Yellow Jackets lost the ball out of bounds.
Watts stole the ball and the next attempt at the basket failed with Halterman making the rebound and Wisnewski finished the possession with a jumper. 32-10 at 6:10.
Watts created a putback on the following series for the Yellow Jackets.
Jamie Vance hit a long range jumper for Petersburg in response.
Chase Vance split two defenders at the top of the key, stopped in the paint with a pivot and fadeaway jumper moments before Watts stole the ball and scored to help Moorefield cut the deficit to 34-16 at 5:13.
Watts hauled in a defensive board and Moran was fouled on an offensive rebound leading to one foul shot.
Petersburg stalled the game for nearly a minute before Harman knocked down a 3-pointer, then stole the ball and swooped to the basket 3:22 for a 39-17 advantage.
Williams drilled a 3-pointer at the 2:46 mark after two errant attempts by the Vikings and a rebound by Vance.
“They shot the ball well all night. We’ve just got to play better defense, it’s closing out and having your hand up. Even when we did, they made shots. They played well,” Moorefield Coach Scott Stutler remarked.
“We battled back in the second half. Chase came out on fire, Thomas was hitting and Moran was getting to the basket and Watts was getting rebounds and putbacks. We played a lot better in the second half. We came out sluggish in the first period. That’s my fault, I’ve got to get them ready to play.”
Wisnewski was called for a walk, then Moorefield’s Lane Ours leapt towards the basket plowing into defender for a charge.
Halterman scored on a jumper during the next possession for the Vikings.
The Yellow Jackets answered with a spinning jumper by Moran.
Harman walked, then Moorefield missed two shot attempts with Ours making one rebound.
Halterman connected on a 3-pointer for the final basket of the first half to give Petersburg a 44-22 lead.
Watts drew a foul 13 seconds into the second half and made both free throws.
Halterman answered with a jumper off an assist from Pool.
Moorefield’s Chase Vance drained a 3-pointer at the 7:02 mark to cut the deficit to 46-27, but the Vikings answered with the same by Wisnewski.
Pool stole the ball and passed to Wisnewski for a bucket.
Vance hit a 3-pointer for the Yellow Jackets on the ensuing possession.
Wisnewski collected a tip off a missed shot and passed to Halterman for the score.
Moorefield went downtown again with a 3-pointer from Williams at the 5:00 mark.
Moran swiped then ball and dished to Watts for the layup.
After a 3-pointer by Harman disrupted the momentum, Moorefield revived with a perimeter shot by Watts to create a 56-38 score at 4:10.
After a miss and rebound by Pool, Vance made a defensive and offensive board for the Yellow Jackets.
Pool collected a defensive rebound and Vance did the same again.
Halterman blocked a shot with Vance trying to keep the ball going up which created a jump ball, then Jaydon See collected a rebound.
Moran netted an old-fashioned three-point play at 2:35 for a 56-41 score.
After a walk by Petersburg and a jumper by Williams, Pool knocked down a 3-pointer to put the Vikings up 60-43 with 1:31 left in the third period.
Moorefield’s John Bentley made an offensive rebound and couldn’t connect, then Williams struggled to corral the ball as it slipped out of bounds.
A quick foul by Ours put Pool on the line and he failed to splash a free throw.
Halterman made the rebound, but it was taken away by Watts before being fumbled out and the Vikings missed a field goal with Bentley hauling in the board.
Bentley and Moran collected offensive rebounds keeping the possession alive before Williams drilled a 3-pointer with 26 seconds to go for a 60-46 score.
Harman scored a layup on the next Vikings series and Moorefield missed a buzzer-beater with Pool getting the last rebound of the frame.
Halterman and Chase Vance made defensive rebounds to open the final stanza, then Vance hit a NBA range 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 62-49 at 7:17.
The Vikings responded in kind with a 3-pointer by Kahner Turner just 14 seconds later.
Turner made a defensive rebound after a foul by Halterman, then Chase Vance snatched the next board only to have a turnover as Moran was whistled for a double dribble.
Halterman knocked down a jumper for Petersburg on the ensuing possession.
The Yellow Jackets answered with a trifecta by Williams for a 67-52 score with 6:07 remaining.
Watts grabbed a defensive board and passed to Moran, who connected with Vance for a basket in the paint plus the harm which didn’t yield a free throw.
Pool made the rebound and passed to Harman for a jumper to go up 69-54 at 5:29.
After a timeout, Moran was called for a foul during an illegal screen.
Turner scored a free throw after being fouled on a rebound.
O’Neill snatched the rebound and fed Ours for a basket, 70-56.
Petersburg missed three field goals over the next minute and the Yellow Jackets connected on one of four foul shots (Vance).
Harman hit a jumper to stop the dry spell for the Vikings at 3:34, then Williams nailed a 3-pointer eight seconds later for Moorefield to make it 72-60 and a timeout was taken.
Ours was fouled on a defensive rebound and missed the one-and-one, then Watts got the board and the ball bounced off the rim and out.
Halterman netted a jumper for the Vikings at 2:28, then Moran sliced inside for a basket eight seconds into the next possession and drew a foul with the extra one drawing iron and into the hands of Turner.
Petersburg took a 76-62 advantage on a bucket by Halterman with 1:53 left in the game.
Moran netted a layup, then the Yellow Jackets applied full-court pressure and Harman collided into Watts by mid-court and Watts was assessed the foul to which a timeout was called as the foul was questioned.
Harman netted one free throw after the timeout and Halterman collected the board, but Moran stole the ball and walked.
Wisnewski stepped out of bounds, then Chase Vance made an offensive rebound and was blocked by Harman moments before being fouled and added two free throws, 77-66 with under a minute to go.
Wisnewski hit a jumper 13 seconds later, then Moran missed two free throws.
Halterman grabbed the rebound and Moorefield set a trap for Harman and fouled with 32 seconds left, then Harman added both charity stripe baskets for an 81-66 lead.
Pool blocked a 3-pointer attempt into the stands as the Petersburg fans cheered.
Moran collected an offensive rebound and made a spin in the paint for a jumper for the final score of 81-68.
The Vikings lost the ball and the ensuing shot missed, then Pool snatched the board and ended the game.
Harman scored a game-high 29 points with six 3-pointers for Petersburg, followed by Halterman with 25 points and Wisnewski with 18 markers including four treys.
Moorefield was led by Vance with 19 points including four 3-pointers, followed by Williams with 18 points with four 3-pointers, Moran netted 16 points and Watts added 11.
The Yellow Jackets visit East Hardy on Friday and close the regular season on the road at Frankfort on Tuesday with hopes of snapping the 15-game losing streak.
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