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Magnolia Thrashes Ritchie County Rebels, 91-57

By Staff | Dec 19, 2012

Mark Winters scored a game-high 33 points, including a pair of trifectas, and hauled in eight boards to power the Magnolia Blue Eagles to a 91-57 victory over the Running Rebels of Ritchie County, Dec. 13 in Ellenboro.

Winters picked off a Rebel pass and slammed it home to give the visitors a 2-0 lead to open the game. The Big Blue proceeded to score eight of the game’s next 11 points to grab a 10-3 lead. However, the Rebels closed the gap to a bucket before Magnolia made a 10-2 run to take a 24-14 lead after the first period of play.

Ritchie made one last run at the Blue Eagles in the second period, scoring 14 of the period’s first 22 points to pull to within three, 32-28, with a little more than three minutes remaining. But, that’s as close as Ritchie would get the rest of the way.

With Magnolia on top 43-32 to open the second half, Winters & Co. would tally 28 points in the third quarter to grab a commanding 73-45 advantage with eight minutes remaining in regulation.

The explosive Eagles scored 20 points in the final period, while their defense held Ritchie to a dozen markers to end the contest.

Winters paced the Blue Eagles with 33 points, while Zach Wilhoite landed his first double-double of the season, 18 points and 12 rebounds. Preston Boswell tacked on 17 markers and dished out six assists.

In addition, Kyle Elliott drilled a pair of threeballs and a free throw, while Stephen Rogalski contributed six points. Eric Smith and Kyle Ritz each knocked in a triple, while Mike Winters and Garrett Emch each netted a deuce.

After a game with Monroe Central Tuesday evening in Woodsfield, Magnolia will stay on the road Dec. 21 when they take on Logan at George Washington High School. Then, on Dec. 22, they will meet Nitro at Charleston Catholic gymnasium.

Magnolia 65,

Wheeling Central 60

BY R.J. GOODE

For The Wetzel Chronicle

Senior Mark “Special K” Winters scored the first 19 of the Magnolia Blue Eagle points on Dec. 11 to lead the Eagles with 34 points in a thrilling 65-60 come-from-behind win over the Wheeling Central Maroon Knights at the 13th street gymnasium in Wheeling.

The Knights held a 19-9 lead after one quarter. In the second frame, Winters scored the first 10 Blue Eagle points of the quarter.

The Knights drilled a triple before Winters netted a deuce to end the first half of scoring with the Knights up 29-23.

A Preston Boswell deuce was sandwiched between a pair of Winters long balls and the Eagles held their first lead of the game, 31-29, with 6:50 to go in the third quarter of play. Boswell added five more points as the Eagles ballooned their lead to seven, at 36-29.

The Knights got the next four points to cut the lead to 36-33, when Winters drilled yet another threeball, followed up by a Zach Wilhoite deuce to make it 41-33 Eagles with 2:24 to go in the third. Wilhoite’s bucket was the first score by someone other than Winters or Boswell.

After the Knights got the next five points of the quarter to cut the MHS lead to 41-38, senior Stephen “Rogo” Rogalski got in on the act by drilling a triple.

The Knights answered with their own triple and the teams traded buckets to end the third 46-43, Eagles.

That set up a wild fourth quarter. The Knights got the first three points of the frame for the first of three ties in the quarter.

A Knight deuce was sandwiched between a deuce and three from Blue Eagle junior Drew Keller that moved the score to 51-48, Eagles. After a Knight twoball, the Eagles got the next five points to go up 57-50.

The Knights then got 10 of the next 13 points to tie the game one last time at 60-60. Mike Winters then stepped to the line and knocked in the back end of a two-shot foul. Boswell followed that with a deuce to put the Eagles up 63-60.

The Knights quickly got the ball into the front court and called a time out to set up a three pointer. This time, it was Mark Winters who came up with a big steal, pushed it ahead to Boswell for a basket with three seconds left in regulation to put the game away.

Winters lead the Eagles with 34 points. Boswell had 18 in his first career game. Keller had five markers and Wilhoite claimed four, while Rogalski had three points and Mike Winters had one marker.