Indians win fourth straight game
It wasn't easy, and it wasn't always pretty, but the Berkeley Springs High School Boy's Basketball Team won their fourth consecutive game by defeating Faith Christian Academy, 41-31, on February 2, in Martinsburg.
"As ugly as it was – and it was ugly at times – a win is a win," said Berkeley Springs Coach Jeremy Horvat. “I think it was really important for us to win a game like this. I am really proud of our kids."
Leading by a single point, 27-26, heading into the final quarter of play, Berkeley Springs finally capitalized from the free throw line and pulled away for the 10 point win.
"We missed a lot of free throws tonight," Horvat said. “But, in the fourth quarter the kids stepped up and made plays when we needed them most, including cashing in from the free throw line. We were able to build our lead, slow things down and came away with a big win. This should be a big confidence builder for us going forward."
The Indians held an 11-7 lead after the opening eight minutes, but FCA bounced back to tie the game 18-18 at the half, thanks in part to Berkeley Springs’ struggles from the charity stripe (the Indians only made 2-7 free throws in the second quarter).
Berkeley picked up the defensive pressure after the intermission and built a 25-20 lead before the Falcons went on a 6-2 run to close out the third quarter and cut Berkeley's lead to 27-26. The Indians maintained their composure and returned home with their eighth win of the year.
"Like I said it wasn't pretty, but you have to give them (FCA) a lot of credit," Horvat said. “They forced us into a half court game and that is something that not too many teams have been able to do this year. They had a good defensive scheme; they were well prepared."
Zach Wise led the Indians with 11 points, Brady Spielman added nine, Dylan Whipple seven, Jared Spielman six, Michael Kearney five and Richard Recio three to Berkeley Springs total.
Alex Vocature from Faith Christian Academy led all scorers with 13 points.
The 8-9 Indians traveled to Frankfort last night and will host Keyser in another important sectional game this Friday, February 10. The Tribe will also host FCA on February 14, before ending the year with road games at Hedgesville and Musselman, respectively.
"Sectional seeding is still up in the air, so this is a very big week for us," Horvat said of the games against Frankfort and Keyser.
The Berkeley Springs JV improved to 8-3 with a convincing 56-37 win over the Faith Christian Academy.
Brandon Malone led the Tribe with 22 points, Michael Kearney added 10 points, Kyle Appel nine, Jake Truax seven, Tyler Zinzow five and Bailey Mills three.
