WILLIAMSTOWN - It came down to the last minute with two of Scott Sauro's three starting sophomores providing the game's final four points as Williamstown won a 70-68 shootout over visiting Doddridge County in an LKC North battle Friday night.
However the young Yellowjackets, now 3-0, first had to quell a 6-0 fourth-quarter start by Doddridge, playing its season opener. Williamstown led 57-55 after three periods, but Clayton Yeager scored two of the three baskets in the Bulldogs' opening fourth-quarter spurt to put his team ahead 61-57 with 5:28 to play.
The 'Jackets' Gage Wix, though, who finished with a game-high 34 points, responded with a three-point play and followed with two free throws at the 4:44 mark to propel his team back on top, 62-61.
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Photo by Michael Uhl
Williamstown’s Gage Wix goes for a layup against Doddridge County Friday. Wix scored 34 points in the Yellowjackets’ 70-68 win.
The lead then changed hands three times before Dillon Alexander, who led Doddridge with 18 points, made three free throws to two foul shots by Williamstown's Josh DeBolt to keep the Bulldogs ahead 68-66 with just 1:22 remaining.
Wix, a sophomore, hit a turn-around jumper in the lane at 58.5 seconds to pull the 'Jackets even at 68-all before Doddridge missed a 3-ball from the corner and Hunter Neely, another Williamstown soph starter, stepped to the line with 11.3 seconds left after being fouled on a break.
Neely banked in his first shot on the double bonus to untie the score and he sank the second shot too. With the clock clicking down, Doddridge missed a jumper from just inside the foul line and Wix got his hands on the rebound as the buzzer sounded.
Doddridge led 28-21 after one period of play, but Williamstown came back, sparked by Wix's 10 second-stanza points, with a 20-11 advantage in quarter No. 2 to lead by two, 41-39, at the half. An even 16-16 third period left the 'Jackets in front by two heading into the final eight minutes of action.
Jarric Hoskins added 13 points for the 'Jackets while Jeff Bonnell netted 13 points and Yeager 10 for the Bulldogs.
''We may start three sophomores, but in total, we played six sophomores tonight, and they all contributed,'' said Williamstown head coach Sauro. ''We weren't great throughout the game by any stretch, but in that last four minutes, I think we learned some things about how to close out a close game at the end.''
