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For: September 08, 2010
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Polar Bears impress Wheeling Park coach
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BYNICK CAMMUSO TIMES WEST VIRGINIAN
FAIRMONT — While the Fairmont Senior boys’ basketball team fell short on the scoreboard, it earned an admirer after Saturday’s hard-to-swallow 70-69 home loss to No. 5 Wheeling Park.
Patriots coach Michael Jebbia came away impressed with the Polar Bears, who had his squad on the ropes for much of the game, building leads of 11 points in the third quarter and nine midway through the fourth.
“Fairmont’s very good.
This is the best team they’ve had in a long time,” he said. “(Ty) Garrison is very good, (Ryan) Sevier is very good and they’ve got great role players around them.”
The Polar Bears, though, couldn’t close the deal and nab a huge non-conference win.
Wheeling Park’s Bubby Goodwin took over late, scoring 11 of his team-best 22 points in the fourth quarter. He hit two 3-pointers in the frame, and provided the game-winning points with a pair of free throws after being fouled in the lane with 4.3 seconds left.
“They’re a good team.
They’re a top five team in the state and went to the state tournament last year,” Fairmont Senior coach David Retton said of the Patriots, who were playing without starting junior forward Marqez O’Neal.
“There’s no moral victory in the game. I know our guys hurt.”
Added Jebbia: “We’re just trying to chip away and all of a sudden we take the lead. Bubby got going there late with a couple shots and we started picking up the press.
“(It was a) really good high school game. I’m not going to be surprised if we see them in March again.”
Until then, win or not, the Polar Bears have something to build upon.
• They outplayed Wheeling Park for 30 minutes, building a doubledigit lead and answering nearly every Patriot rally with a score of their own.
• They hung tough on defense, blocking shots, making stops and holding Goodwin in check for three quarters.
• They received big contributions from their role players. Andrew Marra and Logan Moore combined for 15 second-half points, with Marra scoring five in the final period.
• They again got plenty from their stars. Garrison continued his outstanding season with 26 points, 16 before halftime, and hit five 3-pointers. Sevier added 17 and briefly gave the Polar Bears a one-point lead, 69-68, with a layup in the game’s waning seconds.
“They played their guts out. That’s what makes it tough,” Retton said. “I hurt for our players because they played their hearts out for 30 minutes. They played their hearts out the last two minutes, too, we just didn’t close the game.”
Still, the veteran coach likes what he sees from his team, now 10-2 and ranked 10th in the latest Class AAA state rankings, heading into a stretch of three straight home games. The Polar Bears’ next road game is a key conference showdown Feb. 10 at Preston.
“We’re disappointed we lost the game. We want to win that game,” Retton said. “At the same time, we feel like we’re improving and getting better.”
NOTE: In Sunday’s edition, Goodwin was credited with scoring 20 points with nine in the fourth quarter. The Times West Virginian regrets the error.
WFHS TV NEWS thanks the Times West Virginian for the collaborative partnership since 1999.
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