vs. Harrison Central (3/5)
On Thursday night in Dover, the Tornadoes took on the Huskies in a playoff showdown. West Muskingum was up for the challenge, as they pummeled Harrison Central, taking a 22 – 5 lead at the end of the first period. Things didn’te get any better for the Huskies as the West M boys kept the pace, building a 39 – 11 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was almost a clone of the second, with the Tornadoes pounding out 17 points in a short period of time to increase their standing to 56 – 16 after three. With the second string in play during the final minutes, the Huskies had a little bit of a breather, but they still couldn’t make a dent, and the Tornadoes won the game 63 – 24.
For the game, senior Kyle Porter led the scoring with 19 points, sophomore Noah Morrison had 13 points for the Tornadoes, and junior Carter Smith had 12.
Vs. Sandy Valley (2/28)
West Muskingum boys basketball team hosted the Cardinals on Saturday. Sandy Valley put up a good fight in the first few minutes of the game, but the Tornadoes took a 13 – 11 edge at the end of the first quarter. As the first half continued, West M drove past the Cardinals again and again to build a 36 – 22 wall of points by halftime.
The intermission only slowed the inevitable for the Cardinals, with West coming out of the locker room to take over the court again, stacking points to 55 – 30 as the last quarter rolled in. Sandy Valley spent the entire second half just trying to mitigate the damage, unsuccessfully, as the Tornadoes blew through to take a 72 – 38 win.
Sophomore Noah Morrison led scoring for the Tornadoes with 19 points, while senior teammate Kyle Porter had 15 points.
Vs. Fairless (2/24)
The Falcons stepped into Gary Ankrum Gymnasium to face the Tornadoes on Tuesday. Blurring by after the first whistle, West took immediate control of the ball and went right for the glass as they pushed out a quick 16 – 6 lead at the end of the first period. Fairless dug in as they stepped back on the court in the second period, driving through the Tornado defense to take a 17-point period, but it was not enough as the Tornadoes stormed through to a 36 – 23 lead at halftime.
Back in action, the Falcons didn’t give up in the second half, throwing up another 20 points, but West just kept trucking, leading 52 – 43 with a minute left in the third. The score waivered back and forth in the last minutes of the game, but the Tornadoes kept the Cardinals at a distance, winning 73 – 53.
Vs. Tri-Valley (2/20)
The Scotties stopped by West Muskingum High School on Friday to face their MVL rival, the Tornadoes. Tri-Valley took control of the game in the first minutes as they positioned themselves for a 19 – 15 lead heading into the second period. The Tornadoes fought back in the second period, closing the gap quickly and then jumping ahead to hold a one-point, 30 – 29 lead heading into the locker room.
Tri-Valley came out of the locker room determined to take a win from the Tornadoes, but West couldn’t be slowed down, pumping out shots left and right and pulling ahead 40 – 36 before the third quarter ended. The Scotties tried to rally in the last minutes of the game, but were unsuccessful, and West Muskingum finished out the game strong with a 58 – 48 win to end their regular season with a 17 – 5 record overall.
CAPTION: West Muskingum senior Kyle Porter shoots over Fairless | CREDIT: Matthew Dotson, Dresden Buzz
