The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

Top-ranked Golden Tornado fend off Southern Garrett in 41-37 win
* Tied at 35, Washington forces key turnover for host Keyser
* Golden Tornado record 10th consecutive victory

By Kevin Spradlin
The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
NEW CREEK, W.Va. Feb. 16 - Forgive two of the players on the Keyser boys basketball team if they are suffering an identify crisis.

Of course, suffering is hardly the right word - because the Golden Tornado are winning despite an injury to standout Peyton Hartman. Hartman injured himself in a Jan. 20 game at Frankfort. He hasn't been the same since.

Then again, neither has Damon Thorne.

"It's almost like their roles have become reversed," said Golden Tornado coach Gary Liston after his team, currently atop the nine-team PhDispatch.com weekly Power Rankings, beat former No. 1 Southern Garrett 41-37 on Wednesday at Keyser.

"And we needed someone to step up."

Hartman said his injury, which originated a few years ago and this season has severely limited his mobility in between cortisone shots, is one that is not something that is going to be resolved this season. Instead, he said it's likely to take surgery - only after graduation - to correct the problem.

As a fill-in, Thorne has stood tall. On Monday, Thorne tallied a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds in a 63-50 win over Northern Garrett.

On Wednesday against Southern Garrett, it was Thorne again who stepped up big - with more than a little help from Dustin Fertig and Wes Washington, who hit timely 3-pointers and, in Washington's case, made a key steal that led to what turned out to be the game-winning basket late in the fourth quarter that broke a 35-35 tie.

Keyser led 33-29 after three quarters and Joey Kisselovich, a force under the net all season for the Rams, completed a spin-and-layup act that pulled Southern Garrett within a single field goal.

With six minutes and 32 seconds to play, Thorne's final basket - he finished with 13 points - restored Keyser's four-point, two-possession lead.

But Kurt Gangler hit two free throws 22 seconds later and, about 90 seconds later, D.J. Ritchie's bucket knotted the score 35-35.

For all the turnovers - 16 of them on the night, to this point - it seemed the Rams had finally gained enough momentum to earn a win. Then Southern commited its 17th turnover of the game - forced when Washington was in the right place at the right time.

The turnover led to Keyser's next bucket by Fertig, with an assist from Hartman, for a 37-35 lead with 3:30 to play. Thorne scored on another layup a minute later to make it a two possession game and, with 1:14 to go, hit the first of two free throws to give the Golden Tornado a five-point lead.

Liston acknowledged that was a crucial moment. But even more important, Liston said, was what Washington did that won't show up in the box score.

In the second quarter, McBee got hot from the outside and torched the Golden Tornado by hitting four 3-pointers, the fourth one coming with 2.5 seconds left before halftime that gave Southern a 22-20 lead at intermission.

Liston was about to pull Washington from the task of guarding McBee in order to keep him out of foul trouble. Washington, Liston said, instead asked specifically to be assigned McBee.

"Wes said at halftime, 'coach, let me defend him,'" Liston said.

Liston was reluctant but, in hindsight, glad he granted Washington's request as he held McBee scoreless in the second half.