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For: September 09, 2010
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Bears Stunned by Bees
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Rivalry upset
Bees stun Polar Bears
BYNICK CAMMUSO TIMES WEST VIRGINIAN
PLEASANT VALLEY — If one can expect anything out of an East-West game, whatever the sport, it’s to prepare for the unexpected.
“When you play your rivalry game, anything can happen,” East Fairmont’s Matt Perrella said.
When the Bees and Bears tangle, records aren’t merely thrown out the window; they’re sitting at the bottom of the Mon River.
David Retton and his Fairmont Senior players most certainly knew that heading into Saturday’s road showdown with East Fairmont. And the Bees, well below .500 and essentially playing out the string, still had to believe victory was possible.
In the end, the latter played out and the Bees pulled the upset of the season with a 56-53 win.
“We had nothing to lose,” East Fairmont junior guard Tyler McCutchan said.
And everything to gain coming into the contest at 5-10 overall, and fresh off a 68-50 loss to the Polar Bears in the team’s first meeting in January.
The difference on this night? The Bees played together ... and did so for 32 minutes.
They didn’t flinch when Fairmont Senior (12-3, 7-2) led by eight after the first quarter and further stretched its lead with a 16-2 run. And after cutting the advantage to five, 25-20, at halftime, didn’t panic when the Polar Bears took a fivepoint lead late in the third quarter.
“We just played smart,” East coach Tyrone Asterino said. “We had guys come off the bench and give us a spark. We had a guy who hadn’t been a leading scorer before for us step up and give us huge minutes.
“It came together and it worked out, and I’m extremely proud of my players and coaches.”
Down with three minutes left in the fourth, the Bees got a layup and 3-pointer from Joe Casalinuova to take a 52-50 lead at the 2:27 mark.
The teams then traded free throws, the last two coming from Casalinuova with 19.6 seconds left for a 56-53 lead.
The Polar Bears had one last shot, but Ryan Sevier’s three pointer from top of the key missed at the buzzer.
Travis Nuzum paced the Bees with 21 points. Jacob Bower added 11 and Bobby Bartholow had 10.
Fairmont Senior’s Ty Garrison led all scorers with 24 points.
WFHS TV NEWS thanks the Times West Virginian for the collaborative partnership since 1999.
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