Notches in the win column are getting hard to come by this season for the local basketball teams with the Silver Knights and Wildcats each looking for success. With the old year winding down, both teams are looking for a better 2012 under the basket.

Silver Knights

Tyler Consolidated played host to Parkersburg Catholic on Dec. 16, taking the fall in a big way to the Crusaders, 84-46.

The visitors had the advantage from the get-go, outscoring the home team 22-10 in the first period and leading 45-20 by the half.

“We played very lethargic against them,” said head coach J.C. Kimble. “We just gave up to many easy baskets.”

Dylan Romine led all Knight scorers in the contest with 13 points. He also had two rebounds, two assists and four steals. Dylan Reynolds added 12 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal; Darren Heintzman scored seven, blocked one, and had seven boards; Evan Cline, six points, two rebounds; Drew Casey, four points, four rebounds; Alex Doak, two points, four rebounds; Scott Sole, two points, one steal one rebound; Cole Kocher, four rebounds, three steals; and Justin Carpenter was credited with one steal.

At home on Dec. 20 the Silver Knights and Blue Devils of St. Marys were pretty evenly matched with the Knights trailing by four at the end of the first, 17-13. In the second period of play both teams pushed the envelope in physicality, each allowing 14 points to be put up on the scoreboard by the other.

The Blue Devils pulled ahead in the third, taking on 26 points. The Knights made a comeback in the fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors by six totaling 24 points, but it was too-little-too-late to capture the win, which the Devils pocketed, 75-63.

Junior Darren Heintzman lit up the scoreboard with 22 points and 12 rebounds to highlight the evening for the Knights. Reynolds scored 11 points, including two three pointers, had four rebounds and two assists; Cline scored 10, had eight rebounds, one assist; Romine, 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists; Kocher, six points, one assist; Carpenter, four points, four rebounds; Casey, two rebounds; Sole, one rebound, one assist.

“We played a lot better against St. Marys, we just need to cut down on turnovers,” Kimble said. “Our defense stepped up and moved and rotated very well. Had we not started off by giving them 13-0 lead, it might have been a lot closer game.”

The Silver Knights will action on Friday night when they host Doddridge County at home. On Dec. 27 the team will play at Magnolia and finish up the old year at Oak Glen on Dec. 30.

Wildcats

Turning in excellent third and fourth periods, the Cameron Dragons pushed hard and turned up the heat on the Wildcats at Cameron on Dec., taking the win, 66-37 when all was said and done. The Dragons held the Green and White to 13 points in the second half while adding 35 of their own for the win.

Freshman Kennedy Cain led all Wildcat scorers in the game with 13 points. He also pulled down 10 boards, had one block, two steals and two assists in the game. Zach Heasley scored nine, had five rebounds, one block, one steal and three assists; Jamie Billiter added eight points, had two rebounds, and one assist; Geoffrey Bidwell, three points, one rebound, one steal; Drew Bidwell, two points, six rebounds, one steal and one assist; Brandon Cross brought down two rebounds; and Levi Meadows had one rebound.

Paden City was outmatched by Beallsville at home on Dec. 17, with the visitors holding the ‘Cats to only 15 points in the first half while dominating the scoreboard with 35 points of their own on the way to the 69-39 win.

The Wildcats big quarter came in the third when they put 13 notches on their side of the scoreboard.

Heasley led all Wildcat scorers with 12 points, two boards, one steal and two assists; Cain put up 11 points, had two rebounds, three steals; Geoffrey Bidwell added eight points, had two rebounds, one steal; Drew Bidwell, three points, two rebounds, one steal, two assists; Craig Allen, three points, one steal; Billiter, two points, two rebounds, one steal; Kane Pyles, two rebounds, one steal; Cross, one rebound; and Allen, one steal.

The ‘Cats are 1-4 thus far in the season, with games played against Hundred on Dec. 20 at home and vs. Clay Battelle on Dec. 22.

After the Christmas break, Paden City will play at Valley on Dec. 30.