No. 5 Keyser came close, but it couldn’t pull off the biggest upset in this year’s high school basketball state tournament Friday.
The Golden Tornado lost to top-seeded Oak Hill 66-65 in the semifinal round of the Class AA bracket.
Keyser led 20-17 after the first quarter, but a 11 second-quarter points from senior forward Kalif Wright propelled the Red Devils to a six-point halftime lead, 36-30.
At halftime, Wright had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Once the final horn sounded, Wright had accrued a game-high 33 points and 17 boards.
Wes Washington led Keyser with 24 points and seven rebounds. He also dished out eight assists.
Oak Hill managed to build a nine-point cushion in the third quarter. That gave the Red Devils enough room to fend off repeated runs from Keyser.
Keyser was able to cut the lead to two with a minute remaining, but good free throw shooting ensured a victory for the Red Devils. Oak Hill hit seven of its last eight attempts from the line down the stretch.
With eight seconds on the clock and Oak Hill leading 66-62, Keyser took the ball up court and hit three, but time expired.
Oak Hill will now face No. 2 Scott in the state championship game Saturday. That game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center