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No. 10 Wheeling Park reigns supreme over Brooke

WELLSBURG — After a slow first half of basketball, Wheeling Park, the 10th- ranked boys basketball team in West Virginia, got its offense going better and cruised to a 56-36 win over Brooke Tuesday night inside the Brooke Wellness Center.

The Bruins (5-9), who now have lost four of their last five, slowed the game down in the first half. After a very low-scoring first quarter (6-5), they were down by seven at the half, 20-13.

Patriot coach Michael Jebbia made some adjustments at the break, and his team was able to get the game to more of the tempo he wanted in the second half.

“Our defense was solid in the first half. We just shot ourselves in the foot a little bit with some miscues on fast breaks and shooting a couple quick jump shots,” said Jebbia, whose club now is 9-2 with a red letter date Friday at top-ranked Parkersburg South. “I thought without those offensive mistakes we could have been up by 10 or 12 at the half instead of seven, but that’s a credit to Brooke for battling us the first half.

“We made some adjustments like spreading out a little more and getting some drives to the hoop. Then Keondre’ (King) hit a couple of threes that I thought broke the game open.”

King hit four from 3-point land in the game, all in the second half and all from the baseline area, and he finished with a game-high 17 points.

“It’s frustrating because at halftime and even into the third quarter, we were right there ready to make a move, but we just never capitalized on it,” said Bruin coach Cam Koehler, whose team lost to Park by nine points, 66-57, on Jan. 18. “Keondre’ is a nice player. We knew that coming in. He had a sloppy game against us the first time and didn’t shoot the ball real well. His knocking those shots down boosted Park’s team morale and they began playing faster and more aggressive.”

With King hitting two from behind the arc in the third quarter, Park expanded the lead to 39-26 going into the fourth. Then, with 5:43 left in the game, King knocked down another 3 and was fouled on the shot. He canned the free throw for a 4-point play then came right back on Park’s next possession with his fourth three to give the Patriots a commanding 48-28 lead.

“It’s a nice win, and it’s never an easy game up here,” Jebbia said. “Jack Stakem should get more credit for our success because he guards the other team’s point guard, he distributes the basketball and takes care of it. He has really been a key for us all year.”

Stakem, a 5-9 junior, finished with only four points, but he had 10 assists and four steals. Park’s 6-4 sophomore Alex Vargo worked hard inside and flashed outside for a couple of 3s to finish with 16 points and three rebounds. Park’s other sophomore starter, Travis Zimmerman, scored 12 points.

“We executed our game plan defensively pretty well in the first half,” Koehler said. “We knew who their scorers are. They do what they do pretty well. Michael (Jebbia) has done a good job with them this year executing some offensive stuff to get those guys open. We tried to limit their possessions and shot opportunities and in the first half I think we did that.”

Justin Shelton led the Bruins with nine points, while Logan Williams backed him with eight.

The Bruins return to the hardwood Friday at rival Weir High.

Game notes:

¯ The Patriot junior varsity defeated Brooke 59-32 in the preliminary game. Dustin VanSickle topped the scoring with 24 points. Alex Lilly paced the Brooke jayvees with 13 points.

Wheeling Park 56, Brooke 36

Wheeling Park 6-14-19-17 — 56

Brooke 5-8-13-10 — 36

WHEELING PARK (9-2): Stakem 2 0-2 4; Dunlevy 0 1-2 1; McWhorter 0 2-2 2; King 5 3-3 17; Vargo 4 6-6 16; Goddard 1 2-4 4; Zimmerman 6 0-0 12; VanSickle 0 0-2 0. TOTALS: 18 14-21 56. Three-pointers: 6 (King 4, Vargo 2): Rebounds 20 (King 4); Turnovers: 8.

BROOKE (5-9): Moore 3 0-0 6; Shelton 4 0-0 9; Williams 3 0-0 8; Cuomo 2 1-2 6; Pennybacker 2 0-0 5; Pauls 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 15 1-2 36. Three-pointers: 5 (Williams 2, Shelton Cuomo, Pennybacker); Rebounds: 18 (Shelton 4); Turnovers: 13.

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