The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

No. 1 Keyser outrebounds Huskies by 30 to win by 13 in season sweep
* Northern Garrett's Gibson held to 3 points
* Fertig scores all 15 points in second half

By Kevin Spradlin
The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
NEW CREEK, W.Va., Feb. 14 -- Coming into Monday night's game against newly minted No. 1 Keyser, Northern Garrett coach Chris Elliott acknowledged a win could have a major impact on his team's program as the Huskies looked to build momentum heading into the postseason.

For the Golden Tornado, however, the Huskies might have simply been the eye of the hurricane. The symbolic second half of the storm comes in the form of hosting No. 4 Southern Garrett on Wednesday and No. 2 Bishop Walsh on Feb. 24, followed by a home game against nonconference opponent Washington on Feb. 25.

Both BW and Southern have spent time as the No. 1 team among the nine AMAC schools this season. And Washington, it could be argued, is better than both of them. In addition, the Patriots beat Keyser in December.

Before that trio of challenges, however, Keyser had to take care of Northern Garrett. And they did, in resounding fashion despite an injured Peyton Hartman - a Player of the Year candidate - as the Golden Tornado pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a 63-50 AMAC win.

Huskies standout point guard Matt Gibson hit the second of two free throws with 2:18 to go in the first quarter to pull Northern within 10-8. No one knew at that point the college-bound senior, who's averaging about 25 points per game, would score just two more points in the final 26 minutes of play.

Northern shot barely 40 percent from the field for the game, including just six for 18 from 3-point range and 14-for-31 for two-point field goals. The Huskies also made just four of nine (44.4 percent) from the foul line.

Keyser did its best to make Gibson a nonfactor, however. Ethan LaRue hit two layups and Damon Thorne went 4-for-4 from the foul line to close out the first quarter on an 8-0 run with an 18-8 lead after eight minutes.

As in most contests this season, though, the Huskies didn't disappear - until, that is, the fourth quarter.

The Golden Tornado led 20-13 and 24-16 midway through the second quarter but led by only five at halftime. Northern opened the third quarter with a 12-7 run - with key 3-pointers from Steven Holtschneider and big man Cody Humberson - to pull within 36-34. Tyler Wilt dished off to Garrett Rayner for an easy bucket to knot the score 36-36 with 5:22 to go in the third period.

Dustin Fertis, who scored all 15 of his points in the second half, scored four of Keyser's next six points for a 42-36 Golden Tornado lead. Still, Northern wouldn't go away and finished the period on a 5-0 run. After three quarters of play, Keyser held a seemingly tenuous 42-41 lead.

After little more than two minutes into the final period, Keyser's lead grew and the air audibly deflated from the Huskies' proverbial tires. Fertig hit two 3-pointers sandwiched around a putback by Brandon Clay for a 50-42 lead just 92 seconds after a free throw by Rayner tied the score at 42-42.

The Huskies would score just eight points the rest of the way. Keyser, already with an eight point lead, scored 13.

Fertig's layup with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter put Keyser up 52-44. The Golden Tornado seemed to score at will from the inside and were rarely seriously challenged for rebounds on either end of the court. Keyser tallied 51 rebounds to Northern's 21.