photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Park’s Jordan Beck-James (4) pressures John Marshall’s Jackson Helms (23) during their game Friday night inside the ‘Palace on the Hill.’ Beck-James was one of four Patriots in double figures with 12 points in their 77-60 victory. Also pictured is Wheeling Park’s J.D. Williams who led all scorers with 22.

WHEELING – When a basketball team plays at home where it practices, it is supposed to shoot well.

Wheeling Park did exactly that Friday night in continuing its mastery over visiting John Marshall. The Patriots (3-2) connected on 60 percent of their shots from the floor (32-54) and led wire-to-wire in defeating the Monarchs (5-4) by a 77-60 count on Hall of Fame Night inside a crowded ‘Palace on the Hill.’

John Marshall hasn’t defeated Wheeling Park on the hardwood since the 2008 season.

“Our kids were ready. You don’t have to do much to get them for a rivalry game against John Marshall,” Wheeling Park head coach Michael Jebbia said.

Wheeling Park came out a blazin’ as all five starters had at least one field goal in their 6-for-6 start from the floor. The early perfection allowed the Patriots to build a 13-4 lead en route to holding a 19-10 margin after eight minutes.

“We came into the game emphasizing the importance of playing defense and trying to get some stops,” Jebbia said. “But to John Marshall’s credit, they hit some threes in both halves, but I thought we defended the three pretty good in the third quarter when we started to pull away.”

The Monarchs closed the gap to two, 21-19, early in the second panel, but a 15-9 run to end the first half gave the Patriots a 36-26 advantage.

“We came in at halftime 15-for-21 on two-point field goals and didn’t have a turnover,” Jebbia recalled. “But we were only up 10 because they had five threes.”

Wheeling Park remained on fire in the third quarter as it tickled the twine on 10 of 12 shots from the floor to grab a 59-40 lead with eight minutes remaining to play. J.D. Williams netted seven of his game-high 22 points in the third, while teammates Jordan Beck-James and Jay Bordas each added six.

“We wanted to limit them to getting on a run early, but that didn’t happen,” John Marshall head coach Michael Thomas said. “It’s a rivalry game that we have to win to make it a rivalry game. The tensions were high and they shot the ball really well when we had a couple of breakdowns. You can’t leave good shooters alone, and we did just that.”

Following a two-hand flush by Beck-James off a nifty pass from Kolten Whitmire, Bordas drained back-to-back treys that pushed the margin to 57-38.

“I thought Jay had a good game. He hasn’t scored a lot this year, but he knocked down two big threes in the third quarter to extend our lead,” Jebbia added. He also made Preston (Watkins) work a lot for his points.”

In addition to Williams’ point total, Whitmire added 13 while Beck-James and Josh Huffman had a dozen each. Bordas finished with nine and Mar Rouse added six as the Patriots scored a season-high in points.

“Jordan is so athletic,” Jebbia said of Beck-James. He can play inside and he can either defend a guard or a big man. He has made huge strides from his sophomore and junior years.”

John Marshall also had four players in twin digits, led by Preston Watkins with 18. Sincere Saunders-Paige added 13 and Landon Snyder had 11. Kayden Knapp contributed 10 off the bench.

Both teams charted 20 rebounds as Whitmire led Wheeling Park with half-a-dozen. Snyder also had six for JM.

Wheeling Park, which didn’t commit a turnover in the first half, finished with six, four less than the Monarchs.

“We can’t dwell on this loss because we’re right back at it tomorrow,” Thomas said.

John Marshall returns home to face Grafton Saturday. Wheeling Park is back in action on Wednesday when University visits.

GAME NOTE

– At halftime, the Patriots inducted three individuals into their Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2026 Class included Corey Walter, Michael Grove and the late Donald McCormick.