ORRVILLE — Keith (3-0) continues to find ways to win.

The Bears found themselves in a one score game in the fourth quarter again Friday night, the third time in seven days they’ve been in that situation. Like the first two times, Keith made the plays it needed in a 62-47 victory over Wilcox Central in front of a sold out arena in Orrville.

John Pettway had 26 points to lead the Bears, including a fast break dunk in the fourth quarter that helped the Bears start to pull away from the Jaguars.

“I’d probably give the crowd [credit for] the first 15 points,” said Keith head coach Tommy Tisdale. “I told the guys when the hype died down, we were going to have to continue to play.”

Wilcox definitely made the Bears earn it Friday.

With a big crowd behind them, Keith opened up an early 16-6 lead behind two 3-pointers from Pettway, who had 11 points in the first quarter. Mark Young also drilled a first quarter 3-pointer, which helped Keith build a 21-12 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

The Bears led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, but Wilcox Central refused to go away quietly. The Jaguars pulled within 34-25 at the break and scored the first four points of the second half to get within five.

Another three by Young, who finished the night with nine points, helped Keith take a 40-33 lead in the third quarter. Pettway followed that with a drive to the basket through contact, resulting in his own 3-point play.

For a few minutes, it looked as if the Bears might pull away.

Jahyree Bennett, who led the Jaguars with 19 points, had other plans.

Bennett consistently knocked down deep two-pointers throughout the night and kept Wilcox in it. He spearheaded a 7-0 run that continued into the fourth quarter to pull the Jagurs within 43-40.

At that point, Wilcox had all the momentum. The Jaguars were using a box-and-one on Pettway and the Bears’ offense had bogged down after a hot start. Keith responded by using defense to jumpstart its offense and to get momentum back on its side.

After a pair of free throws by Jimmie Powell, Pettway’s steal and dunk pushed the lead to 49-41. Justyn Pettway kept the run going with a steal and a reverse layup with 4:30 left to play to put Keith up 10.

Tisdale said credit for the game deciding run should go to the Bears’ bench, which had a big night. Ten players got into the game for the Bears, which helped Keith’s starters stay fresh when they needed to have energy left.

“When the key to your car is fresh, you can do some damage,” Tisdale said. “Guys came off the bench and contributed well.”

Following a technical foul on Wilcox head coach Mark Dukes, the Bears led by 11 points. Pettway tacked on a jumper from inside the lane to put the finishing touches on a 16-4 run that allowed Keith to hang on for the win.

Keith found itself in a similar situation at Selma High School last week and needed a Morris Collins layup to beat R.C. Hatch on Tuesday. Tisdale is hoping all of these close calls are building a toughness in his team that will help it down the road.

“Hopefully it’ll pay off in the long run,” Tisdale said. “That’s why we do this. If you look at our schedule and take our name off of it, you’d probably think we were 7A or 6A.”

Keith will play in Mobile in a Thanksgiving Tournament starting Monday.

 

Keith 66, 

Wilcox Central 57 (Girls)

Keith (2-1) attacked the basket Friday night against Wilcox Central and it paid off in a big way.

The Bears defeated Wilcox Central 66-57 Friday night while only attempting one 3-pointer the entire game.

Every shot Keith made was right around the basket, which allowed for an ultra efficient 24-for-39 shooting night.

“We got a lot of fast break points and attacked the basket,” said Keith head coach Cecil Williams.

Attacking the rim also helped the Bears attempt 36 free throws, although Williams wasn’t happy with how many freebies his team missed from the charity stripe. Keith made only half of its 36 free throw attempts.

Harriet Winchester attempted a majority of those free throws on a night where she missed only one shot from the field. She hit layup after layup and finished the game with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five steals and five assists.

“She’s just an all-around ball player,” Williams said. “Her resume and her work speak for itself.”

Shatavia Moore joined Winchester in double figures with 14 points.

Keith never trailed in the game and led 41-24 at halftime. Wilcox hit a late 3-pointer to pull within single digits for the first time since the first quarter.

The Bears will play in a Thanksgiving Tournament next week in Mobile.