PREP ROUNDUP

Hawks create a buzz

University fans joining the fun

BY JUSTIN JACKSON The Dominion Post
ROUND 2 tonight between Morgantown and University girls in basketball. Page 3-B. 
    You will not find the University High boys’ basketball team in the state rankings. The Hawks probably won’t even get a vote when the new rankings come out Monday, not with the 8-7 record they own after Thursday’s 54-44 victory against East Fairmont, at the UHS gym.
    Jedd Gyorko doesn’t care, he thinks that since the additions of center Grant Meadows and forward Dallion Lewis, the Hawks rank with the best.
    “If the season was starting right now, we’d be up there with anybody,” Gyorko said, after leading UHS with 14 points against the Bees. “Unfortunately for us, the season isn’t just starting, so we really have to keep things going.”
    Optimism is up — a rarely filled UHS student section was indeed filled on this night. Players like Gyorko and L.C. Jefferson and Matt Lemine can remember when times were different.
    “Times are so much different, where before it was a struggle for us to win a game,” Gyorko said. “Now, we’re out there running and having fun. Before, we were playing slow-down, but now we’re out on fast breaks. I don’t think there’s a word that can describe the fun the players on this team are having now.”
    It’s that kind of talk UHS coach Bruce Clinton likes to hear.
    “When we talk to Dallion in the locker room, it’s like he’s obsessed on getting to Charleston (for the state tournament), and not as a spectator,” Clinton said. “Hearing Jedd say that really tells me that the guys are all playing with confidence.”
    While the Hawks have always had a good guard presence with Gyorko, Jefferson and Lemine, Lewis and Meadows seem to complete the puzzle.
    “Before, we had just about everybody playing out of position and it was frustrating,” Gyorko said. “I mean, guards were having to worry about getting five or six rebounds per game. Dallion and Grant really get us going now and they get our fast-break game going with those rebounds. They do so much for this team.”
    Lewis finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, after missing much of the first half with foul trouble, while Meadows scored 10 points and added six rebounds.
    Both had intimidating blocks and Lewis added some style points with an offensive goaltending call when he slammed in a missed shot from a flat-footed start underneath the basket.
    “I can’t really say we’re all the way there, yet,” Gyorko said. “I mean, what’s it been, three games that we’ve had both of them playing together? There’s still some things we need to work on.”
    In the second half, Gyorko hooked up with Lewis for an alley-oop dunk on an outof-bounds play. Gyorko and Jefferson also ran a two-on-one fast break to near perfection.
    “That was textbook,” Clinton said. “A few times, Dallion had L.C. open on some breaks, but he kept it. He’s got to figure if he gives it up to L.C., he’ll get it right back, so we’re still working on little chemistry things like that, but we’re getting closer with each game.”
    In another boys’ game:
    RACHEL — No. 6-ranked Morgantown High dominated the third quarter and breezed past North Marion, 74-50. MHS (12-2) shot 73 percent (11-of-15) and outscored North Marion, 29-9, in the third.
    Chris Carey led the way with 16 points and six assists, while Marlan Robinson added 13 points and eight rebounds. The five MHS starters combined for just four turnovers.
    Quinn Law added 11 points for MHS, in what coach Tom Yester called one of his best performances.
    “Quinn really started taking it to the glass and was a lot more aggressive,” Yester said. “We certainly need that from him and it was a great game on his part.”
    Dusty Kerns added nine points and six assists for the Mohigans, who play host to Wheeling Park at 3 p.m. Saturday. The game time was changed because of the WVU men’s basketball game.
Girls’ basketball
    BLACKSVILLE — Mallory Menendez poured in 23 points, including two key 3-pointers in the second quarter, and Notre Dame battled past Clay-Battelle, 40-32.
    Menendez made five 3-pointers in all, but C-B coach David Joyce pointed to two of them as a turning point. “We were leading in the second quarter, 12-11, when Menendez hit two 3s. It was pretty much that difference the rest of the game.”
    Thomasine Campbell scored eight points to lead the Cee-Bees, who have added a makeup game to their schedule — at 7:30 p.m. Monday, at Cameron.
    HUNDRED — Felicia Kimble tallied 21 points, Michelle Mackey had 17, and 10thranked Hundred was never challenged after running up a 27-6 first-quarter lead en route to a 68-39 victory against Trinity.
    Kara Boczek was the Warriors’ high scorer, with 17.
    KINGWOOD — Fairmont Senior gained the advantage with an 18-6 edge at the free throw line and defeated Preston, 57-51.
    Amber Kisner led the Knights (5-9) with a game-high 18 points and Jessie Ayersman added 11 points. The Knights were still missing their leading scorer, Amber Riley, who was out with an injured elbow.
Freshman boys
    Four players scored in double figures as 15-0 Morgantown routed North Marion, 94-33. Tyrell Rembert netted 19, Jay Fletcher 13, Lunden Ryan 12 and Sidney Price 12.
    Preston (9-4) pounded Keyser, 65-50, with Steven Groves scoring 22 and Zack King 16. Scott Smith led Keyser, with 23.
    Roger Jeffreys scored 13 points and University (11-6) eased past East Fairmont, 32-28.
Freshman girls
    Natalie Manna scored 11 points and Heather Speelman 10 to pace East Fairmont past University, 42-35. Alexa Waugh led the Hawks, with 10.
Middle school girls
    Brooke Andrews scored 16 points and Teyanna Boyd 10 as Suncrest 8s edged Cheat Lake, 42-41. Sky Assif, Mona Rowe and Kate Laird had 10 each for CLMS. Suncrest 7s also won, 37-21. Chelbey Carey scored 10 for the Seals, Amber Smith nine for CLMS.
    Westwood and South split a pair of games. South 8s won, 70-27, with Stephanie Michael scoring 25 points and Amanda Peoples 23. Tia Triplett led Westwood, with eight points. Westwood 7s won, 34-28. South was led by Cienna Chefron’s nine points.
University 54 East Fairmont 44
    EAST FAIRMONT (3-13)
    Cleveland 0 0-0 0, Janicki 4 0-0 8, Moore 6 3-4 17, Price 3 1-2 8, Sevier 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, Wilson 1 1-2 3, Slusser 3 0-1 6. Totals 18 5-9 44.
    UNIVERSITY (8-7)
    Gyorko 5 3-4 14, Woods 0 3-4 3, Tarry 2 0-0 6, Jacobs 0 0-1 0, Jefferson 2 2-2 7, Lemine 0 0-0 0, Michael 0 2-2 2, Flemming 0 0-0 0, Bailie 0 0-0 0, Lewis 5 2-2 12, Romain 0 0-0 0, Meadows 4 2-2 10. Totals 18 14-17 54. East Fairmont 13 8 9 14 — 44 University 13 14 10 17 — 54
    3-point goals—East Fairmont 3 (Moore 2, Price 1), University 4 (Tarry 2, Gyorko 1, Jefferson 1). Rebounds—East Fairmont 30 (Janicki 8), University 35 (Lewis 12).
Jonah Myers/The Dominion Post
University’s Dallion Lewis skies for a layup over East Fairmont’s B.J. Moore. Lewis had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.