Blazing Start
West Liberty makes quick work of Wheeling JesuitBy DON CLEGG For The Intelligencer
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WEST LIBERTY - Unbeaten West Liberty closed out the Wendy's Classic in impressive fashion Tuesday night, blasting Wheeling Jesuit, 113-80, at the Hilltoppers' Academic, Sports and Recreation Center.
West Liberty coach Jim Crutchfield had been concerned by his team's slow starts in the Hilltoppers' first three victories, but that wasn't a problem against their arch rivals.
''We came out of the blocks about as well as we have in any game since I came here,'' Crutchfield said. ''We were playing fast, we were reacting well and we were making good decisions.''
Senior guard Ben Howlett drained two quick 3-pointers as West Liberty (4-0) needed 3 minutes to bolt out to a 12-2 lead, and Coach Danny Sancomb's talented but youthful Cardinals (1-3) never quite recovered.
Howlett, who finished with a game-high 30 points, fueled the early Hilltoppers blitz by pouring in 15 of those during the first 7 minutes.
After trailing by as many as 15 points, Wheeling Jesuit began chipping away at the margin and finally got it back under double figures, 37-28, on an Adam McFerran 3-pointer with 6 minutes left in the opening half.
The Cards were still in range, 47-34, as the clock ticked past the 4-minute mark but back-to-back 3-pointers from Corey Pelle and Barry Shetzer followed by Kameron Law's thunderous dunk off a fast break turned out the lights on the visitors.
West Liberty closed the half on a 13-0 run to take a 60-34 lead into the locker room.
Wheeling Jesuit did manage to cut the lead to 75-60 midway through the second half but Shetzer drilled consecutive 3-pointers as the Hilltoppers reeled off 11 unanswered points in a span of 67 seconds to crush the rally.
''You have to play hard and you have to play smart in this league,'' Sancomb said. ''We didn't do either one.
''It doesn't matter whether you're 18 or 22, effort has to come from within and we didn't have it.
''We've played four games now and we need to get better. We'll get back in the gym, work hard and learn from our mistakes.''
Howlett had plenty of support in the scoring column as three of his teammates joined him in double figures.
John Woloscinzuk came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points. Pelle added 17 points to go along with 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals, while Shetzer chipped in with 10 points.
West Liberty hit 17-of-43 3-point attempts, won the battle of the boards by a 53-42 margin, came up with 15 steals and forced the Cardinals into 19 turnovers.
McFerran paced Wheeling Jesuit with 14 points while Maqsood Harrington added 13.
''That was the best game I can remember us playing for a while,'' Crutchfield said. ''It was just one of those rare nights when everybody played well and this was a great night for it to happen.
''It's definitely going to make the turkey taste better on Thanksgiving.''
Bethany 83, OU Eastern 58
In the opener, the Bison (3-2) used an early 18-2 run to take command and cruised home.
Former Wheeling Park standout Pete Petkovski led Bethany with 13 points while Wheeling Central alum Tyler Morando buried four 3-point baskets for a dozen points. Brooke's Jay Lyonett contributed 11 points and a team-leading 8 rebounds while senior forward Joe Testa rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points.
Barnesville's Colin Hudson topped OU Eastern with 23 points and 9 rebounds - both game-highs - while Beallsville's Zach Tolzda scored 21 points.
