Sports

The final score is deceiving, but Berkeley Springs lost its bid for a state tournament berth on Friday, March 9, at East Hardy High School in the Class AA Region II title game to Petersburg 41-27. The Indians came into the contest an underdog, but took the fight to Petersburg, before a late rally gave the Vikings the double-digit victory.

"We had about a two minute mental lapse that really cost us," said Berkeley Springs coach Chad Brinegar. "I thought we had a good plan and did a very good job of implementing it, until we lost focus for a brief period of time. Petersburg came into the game averaging more than 60 points a game. We took away their outside game and did a good job of being patient on offense. We were right there, but just could not quite get it done. Give Petersburg some credit, however. They did a good job of handling the ball and making free throws in the final minutes of the game."

If the Minor Division Biddy Buddy Championship game played on Saturday, March 3, was any indication of the future of Morgan County's basketball program, good things are sure to come. The championship featured the Mountaineers and the Tar Heels who both went into the game with 6-1 records. Their only loses were to each other in closely played contests during the regular season with the difference of only three collective points between the two games.

The Mountaineers jumped out front with an early lead and never looked back as they went on to win the game by a final score of 8-11. Both teams played hard and demonstrated some very good basketball skills that they developed. Aggressive team defensive play was the key factor in the Mountaineer win. In claiming the 2007 Championship, the Mountaineers finished the season with a 7-1 record. The Tar Heels were the division runner ups, followed by the Blue Devils and Terrapins. All participants were awarded trophies.

With six minutes and 40 seconds remaining in their sectional championship game against Frankfort, in Berkeley Springs on Thursday, March 1, the Indians held a 14-point lead, 45-31. However, the Falcons went on a furious run and tied the game at 47-47 with 2:34 remaining in regulation, before Berkeley Springs reasserted themselves and pulled away for a 58-51 victory and the opportunity to play Petersburg in the Region II championship game tonight, March 7, at East Hardy High School.

"We had things under control and kind of let it get away," said Berkeley Springs coach Chad Brinegar. "But, our kids settled down and pulled out the victory. Keeping their composure like that at the end of the game says a lot."

Berkeley Springs High School crowned their first state wrestling champion since 2003, when junior Cody Reed pinned Ryan Fickiesen from St. Mary's in 2:48 of the 189 pound Class AA-A final at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington on Saturday, February 24. Reed's victory, his 52nd of the year against only two losses, lifted the Indians to a ninth place finish in the team standings.

Oak Glen easily won their 11th consecutive team title, despite crowning no individual champions. The Golden Bears scored 168.5 points to easily outdistance runner-up Point Pleasant. The Black Knights scored 86.5 points followed by Williamstown 79.5, Herbert Hoover 75, Grafton 74, Calhoun County 72, Shady Spring 72, Clay County 71.5, Berkeley Springs 70.5, and Greenbrier West which scored 69 points to round out the top ten.

The Berkeley Springs girls basketball team was hoping for a little magic, the type they experienced two years earlier when they upset Frankfort to win the Region 2, Section 2 championship, despite being thoroughly dominated by the Lady Falcons during the regular season. A similar stage was set when the two met for the sectional title on Thursday, February 22 at Hampshire County High School.

Of course Frankfort was aware of the history and intent on not letting their guard down, not going into the game overconfident. They were concerned, but prepared and it showed as they ended the Indians' season with a 60-44 win to claim the Section 2 title.

Shepherd University placed fifth in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association's Mid-Atlantic Conference championships held over the weekend in Maryville, Tennessee.

The Rams had four individual place winners. Tom Green was the runner-up at 285 pounds, Kyle VanSice (149) and Tyler Reedy (157) each placed third and Zach Winters (141) was fourth.

Three Indians scored in double figures and three more at least six points, leading Berkeley Springs to a 61-50 victory over Clear Spring on Wednesday, February 21 in Berkeley Springs.

"We really had some balanced scoring tonight," said Berkeley Springs coach Chad Brinegar. "Anytime you can get everyone involved in the offense it makes things really tough on opposing defenses. Tonight we were able to do that."

Where will they land?

With two games and less than a week to go in the regular season, West Virginia University's status for the basketball post season is anything but settled. Two things would seem certain, those being WVU will qualify for the Big East Basketball Tournament and the Mountaineers will advance to play either in the NCAA or NIT tournaments. Beyond that, the possibilities are seemingly endless.

Derek Hovermale (103), Tyson Bennett (160) and Cody Reed (189) brought home top honors from the Class AA-A Region II wrestling tournament held in Grafton on Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17. The trio will be joined by Josh Connor and Brad Reed, who placed second in the 112 and 119 pound weight classes, respectively, along with Jake Stotler who finished third in the 285 pound class.

"I thought our kids did a good job," said Berkeley Springs coach Darrell Bennett. "We brought eight kids to the regional and five made it to the finals. Even though I'm pleased, it could have been even better because we lost a close match in the semifinal and had a good opportunity to claim two more individual titles."

For the second time in less than a year, former Berkeley Springs High School standout Tone Belt has been named the Big East's Most Outstanding Male Field Performer at the conference track and field meet.

Belt led the Cardinals to a second place finish with victories in both the long jump and high jump. He also competed in the Triple Jump and earned a third place finish, to score 26 points at the Big East Conference Track and Field Championships held in Akron, Ohio on Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18.