The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Out of ashes of back-and-forth conference, Keyser rises above
Keyser coach Gary Liston selected as
PhDispatch.com Boys Coach of the Year

By Kevin Spradlin
The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
NEW CREEK, W.Va., March 5 -- Keyser coach Gary Liston has been selected as the PhDispatch.com Boys Coach of the Year after guiding the Golden Tornado to a 17-4 record in the regular season and a berth in the Class AA Region II championship for the fourth consecutive year.

The award is sponsored by WEPCO Federal Credit Union, with offices in Bloomington, Oakland, LaVale and Keyser, W.Va.

The team's 5-3 start to the season wasn't overly impressive and included Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference losses to Southern Garrett and Allegany.

After the 73-69 loss to the Campers on Jan. 12, however, the Golden Tornado rattled off 12 straight wins its only loss coming to the highly regarded Class AAA Washington Patriots.

In conference play, Keyser rebounded from its slow start and as other top teams, including Bishop Walsh and Southern Garrett, hit late-season slumpts, the Golden Tornado went on a natural spin cycle and moved lesser opponents out of their way en route to winning an unexpected conference title.

Online fan voting counted for 50 percent of the overall selection process. A total of 1,178 votes were cast for Boys Coach of the Year. The second half of the decision-making process came from consulting with coaches and PhDispatch.com staff and contributors.

Liston finished second in online fan voting but was lifted to the top spot after guiding his team to a 7-0 record from Feb. 5 to Feb. 24. Keyser started the stretch with a 46-44 win over Hampshire. The conference championship went down to the wire and the Trojans were a contender until the Golden Tornado beat visiting Bishop Walsh on Feb. 24 in a come-from-behind win, 82-73. In between, Keyser also had another quality win against visiting Southern Garrett, which had, at one point, held the No. 1 ranking in the PhDispatch.com Weekly Power Rankings.

"Every game we go into, we know the key players (and) what they're gonna do," said senior Peyton Hartman.

Hartman attributed the team's preparation to Liston's guidance and hands-on approach. And should anyone question the award selection, the team's end-of-season streak - to date, Keyser has won 14 of 15 games, including two early playoff games against Frankfort (82-37) and Petersburg (53-42).

That alone, Hartman said, is enough to convince him that, "you know. something's working."

Perhaps the most remarkable part of that late-season win streak is that Hartman, a Player of the Year contender, was injured for much of it. Hartman fell and landed on his back in the team's Jan. 20 win over Frankfort and fell a second time shortly after.

Hartman continued to play, but his offensive output - as well as his mobility - diminished significantly. Somehow, Liston moved his players around like chess pieces and found a winning strategy. With Wes Washington at the helm and role players like Damon Thorne and Dustin Fertig able and ready to step in, Keyser continued to win.