photo by: Photo by Cody Nespor

Wheeling Central’s Ryan Reasbeck rises for a layup during the Region 1 co-final against Keyser.

WHEELING — In March, every team is dangerous.

Regardless of how many wins a team has, what their record is or how they’ve been playing lately, at this time of year any opponent can end your season.

Wheeling Central was lucky to come out on the other side of that lesson Wednesday, grabbing a 59-48 overtime win over visiting Keyser in the Region 1 co-final.

“We knew coming in that they were a good team,” said Central coach Mel Stephens. “If you get to the regional final, you’re playing well at that time. They might not have played well all year, but they’re playing well at the right time.”

Keyser entered the game with just seven wins on the season and had lost nine of their last 10 games. That one win came over Hampshire in their sectional semifinal, which put them one win away from clinching a spot in Charleston.

With nothing to lose and a spot in the state tournament on the line, the Golden Tornadoes played their game of the year, nearly knocking off the Maroon Knights.

“People do get up for us,” Stephens said. “I think (the players) understand that they’re going to get everybody’s best shot every night and they have to be ready to play. We were ready tonight when we needed to be.”

Keyser led Central 8-2 in the opening minutes of the game and also held a 15-14 lead after the first quarter and a 26-25 lead at the half.

“They had the lead for a while and they just hung around,” Stephens said. “It always gives teams confidence, they had nothing to lose coming in here and the longer they stayed close, the better they thought their chances were.”

Sophomore Drew Matlick drained three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points in the first half to power Keyser. Noah Broadwater supported him with nine first-half points of his own.

“We knew that (Matlick) could shoot the ball,” Stephens said. “We had a pretty good feel about them, we just didn’t execute what we wanted to do on the defensive end.”

The Maroon Knights finally started to exert their will a bit to start the third quarter, opening the frame with a 10-3 run That gave Central a 35-29 lead, but Broadwater and Jacob Weirnrich came right down and sank a pair of 3-pointers to tie the game at 35 and keep Keyser in it.

“We’ve struggled to shoot all year, but I told them that there’s no pressure on them (Wednesday), the pressure’s on Wheeling Central,” said Keyser coach John Haines Jr. “The kids came out relaxed, shot the ball well and gave a great effort. If a couple of free throws or loose balls go our way and we’re going to Charleston.”

Central held a slim 39-38 lead entering the fourth quarter, but found themselves tied at 46 as the clock ticked below two minutes. Keyser had possession and seemed content to hold onto the ball and ensure they got the final shot. That’s when Central’s senior leader, Ryan Reasbeck, poked the ball away from a Keyser player and made a beautiful bounce pass to Leyton Toepfer, who scored an easy layup in transition to put Central ahead 48-46 with 28.8 seconds to play.

“That’s what seniors do,” Stephens said. “He hadn’t played real well up until that point, but I have confidence in him that if we need a play to be made, he’ll be the guy that makes it.”

Central got the ball right back after taking the lead as Keyser threw it out of pounds on their ensuing possession and the Golden Tornadoes were forced to foul Reasbeck with 10.7 seconds to keep their hopes alive.

Central was called for a lane violation on Reasbeck’s first shot, however, and Keyser got the ball right back with a chance to tie or win the game.

With only four team fouls, Central was able to foul Keyser a couple of times to waste a few seconds, but the Maroon Knights fouled one too many times as Quinton Burlenski sent Keyser’s Hunter Vanpelt to the line to shoot a one-and-one with 6.9 second lefts and a chance to tie. Vanpelt sank both shots to knot the score at 48 and force the extra period.

“The first game of the year, I didn’t call a timeout and let him take the ball down the court and he hit a game-winner for us,” Haines said of Vanpelt. “He’s been there for us all year long. He settled in and led his team to the best of his ability.”

Reasbeck scored the first five points of the overtime period to put Central up 53-48 and Keyser could not get anything to fall as they were shut out in the extra frame and fell 59-48.

“If you can get out in overtime and get the lead, that always helps,” Stephens said. “Once we get that lead, then it puts a little bit of pressure on them. It makes it a little bit tougher where now those shots they had to make and if they didn’t make them…it puts them into a little bit of a bind.”

Reasbeck led all scorers with 17 points as Keyser shutout Central’s bench. Michael Toepfer finished with 13, Leyton Topfer had 11, Caleb Ratcliffe scored 10 and Burlenski contributed eight.

“I have to give (Keyser) a lot of credit, they played really well,” Stephens said. “To my guys’ credit, they hung in there when they could have very easily quit.”

For Keyser, Matlick led with 14 points while Broadwater scored nine and Weinrich and Vanpelt both had eight.

“There’s no disappointment in that lockeroom,” Haines said. “I’ll give up any win for the effort they showed (Wednesday).”

Wheeling Central 59, Keyser 48, OT

KEYSER — Vanpelt 2 3-5 8; Broadwater 4 1-2 9; Weinrich 2 2-2 8; Broadfield 0 1-2 1; Kelter 1 0-0 2; Mealy 1 0-0 2; Matlick 5 0-0 14; Schell 1 2-4 4.

WC — Reasbeck 6 3-7 17; Burlenski 3 2-2 8; M. Toepfer 4 5-6 13; L. Toepfer 4 2-2 11; C. Ratcliffe 4 2-4 10.

3 Pt. Goals — Keyser 7 (Matlick 3, Weinrich 2, Vanpelt 1). Wheeling Central 3 (Reasbeck 2, L. Toepfer 1).

K 15 11 12 10 0 — 48

WC 14 11 14 9 11 — 59