Down double digits at halftime, the Wheeling Park Patriots charged back to take a fourth-quarter lead and escape with a 67-63 road victory over John Marshall.

“Just what an incredible high school basketball game,” Wheeling Park head coach Michael Jebbia said. “You know, both of our games this year have been filled gyms, student sections, it almost takes you back to a 1980’s, 1990’s high school game. Just a great feeling.”

“Everybody did something tonight. And just a great high school game and I wish John Marshall the best moving forward.”

Wheeling Park trailed 12-10 after the first quarter, but the Monarchs exploded for 24 points in the second quarter, powered by Jackson Helms and Landen Snyder. Helms scored 13 points in the second quarter alone, nailing three 3-pointers, while Snyder scored nine in the period.

“John Marshall, they were lights out in the first half,” Jebbia said. “Helms and Snyder were incredible in the first half. It was the two Marshall County boys that were carrying them. They had 26 of their 36 at halftime. One of my assistant coaches, Gene Ammirante, thought maybe we should put [Josh] Huffman on [Preston] Watkins and move [Jay] Bordas to Helms. So we were able to slow them at least, I mean, we had to do something to Helms.”

Jebbia gave credit to the job Bordas did vs. Helms in the second half.

“Jay Bordas has turned into– he’s always been a good defender, but he has gone to another level over the last three weeks,” Jebbia said. “We’ve been putting him on the other team’s top scorer. Watkins had hit some threes on us, but as I said, my dear friend Gene Ammirante said that maybe we make the switch to Jay on Helms. Helms still gets some buckets. He still gets six points in the second half. But if Helms gets 13 again, we’re not winning that game.”

John Marshall led 36-24 at halftime, and the two teams went back-and-forth throughout the start of the second half, answering each other shot-for-shot as the lead stayed around 10 until Wheeling Park made their move late in the third quarter.

Wheeling Park shrunk the Monarchs’ lead down to three, 44-41, with 1:36 on the clock after JD Williams nailed a 3, plucked a steal on the other end, and soared in for a breakaway layup.

The see-saw picked up speed from there. Helms put down a 3-pointer, Williams answered with another longball on the other end of the court, but Snyder followed by converting an and-one layup to put John Marshall ahead 50-44 with 27 seconds left in the third. Josh Huffman scored with an impressive spin move through the lane, and Park trailed by just four, 50-46, going into the fourth.

Both teams had hot hands on offense. Wheeling Park shot 18-23 on 2-pointers, while John Marshall shot 18-31. Park shot 8-19 from distance while the Monarchs shot 7-13.

JD Williams continued to take over as the fourth quarter started, making two more 3-pointers and a driving layup in the first three minutes of play. Wheeling Park took a 51-50 lead after a strong move inside by Beck-James, and while Snyder scored to give John Marshall the lead back briefly, Huffman scored inside to put Wheeling Park ahead once again, 53-52 with 5:45 to go. Park would lead the rest of the way.

“I just thought if we could get it to single digits going to the fourth quarter, we’d have a crack,” Jebbia said. “And I think we got it to four. Just credit to our kids. John Marshall was a good team and there’s a lot of emotions with this game for multiple reasons, but they played their hearts out. Our kids did not give up. You know, being down 15 points in the third quarter, they just kept playing. There’s no 12-point bucket, there’s no 15-point bucket.

“But JD Williams and Jordan Beck-James, in terms of putting the ball in the hole, were incredible tonight. JD got it going. And Jordan inside with his athletic ability, multiple hoops when we needed him.”

Park stretched their lead out to eight on a couple of free throws by Beck-James, but John Marshall was not going down easily. Bryar Haught and Preston Watkins each scored to bring the Monarchs within two, 60-58, with under three minutes to play.

Bordas found Beck-James open along the baseline for a slam dunk to tick Park’s lead up to four points, but Watkins nailed a contested 3-pointer to trim the lead to one, 62-61 with 1:45 on the clock.

Kolten Whitmire stepped up and scored on a hard drive to the basket, and after a miss on the other end, the Monarchs had to start fouling. Wheeling Park made enough free throws to lead 66-63 with 16 seconds to play. John Marshall couldn’t score on their last try, and the comeback was complete.

“For the first time playing them since I’ve been the head coach, we came out and we had a lead and we never usually do,” John Marshall head coach Michael Thomas said. “Just kind of playing with that lead and trying to keep it– Park did a nice job. They made shots at key moments, got a couple stops when they needed to to make a little run. We had a chance at the end. It just didn’t happen, but it was a good game overall.”

“I think once they kind of got back into it, got the game close and took the lead, that’s where it kind of unraveled a little bit.”

With the win, the Patriots preserved a win streak vs. the Monarchs that stretches back to February 29, 2008.

“There’s been some close games and this is what high school basketball was supposed to be,” Jebbia said. “You know, all the students here, all the adult followings from both schools. Our kids know their kids. I thought it was cleanly played. There were times where I thought ‘it’s their night.’ When number 12, [Aiden] Clegg, hit a 3, I thought it may be their night tonight. But we just kept playing.”

JD Williams led all scorers with 27 points. Jordan Beck-James had 17 with three blocks. Josh Huffman scored 10 to join his teammates in double figures. Jay Bordas led the team with six assists and three steals.

Landen Snyder led John Marshall with 20, while Jackson Helms was right behind him with 19 points.