Telegraph Staff Writer
Keystone Heights High School opened the fourth quarter with a 13-4 run, which helped the Indians defeat visiting Baldwin 56-53 in a boys basketball matchup on Dec. 9.
Three players scored in double figures for the Indians, who won their third straight game. Zeke Pelham scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and had all 11 of his points in the second half.
Baldwin led by one before scoring seven of the first nine points of the second quarter. The brief run included a three-pointer and two baskets overall by Kaden Clarke.
Seth Gagnon grabbed an offensive rebound for Keystone and was fouled on the putback attempt. He made both free throws to leave the Indians trailing 20-16.
Keystone’s Garrison Teague missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity, but Wil Rogel rebounded the miss. He passed the ball to Gagnon, who then gave it back to Rogel. Rogel knocked down a three-pointer to make it a one-point game.
Baldwin was able to increase its lead to five before Keystone closed the half with two straight baskets. Gagnon scored off an offensive rebound, while Andru Siemer scored on a runout, catching a long pass from Pelham, who rebounded a Baldwin miss.
Teague would block a shot, giving the Indians an opportunity to take the lead before halftime, but Baldwin’s Clarke blocked a shot on the other end, which allowed the visitors to go into halftime leading 26-25.
Keystone took the lead for good early in the third quarter when Pelham scored on a drive to the basket and made an ensuing free throw, putting Keystone ahead 31-28.
A rebound putback before the buzzer by Baldwin made it a one-point game in favor of Keystone heading into the final quarter. Keystone began giving itself a cushion, thanks to aggressive play by Pelham. He scored on one drive to the basket and was fouled on another, making both resulting free-throw attempts. A rebound putback by Cartez Daniels and a basket by Siemer, who was left all alone underneath the basket following a change of possession helped put Keystone up 47-42. Pelham then grabbed a defensive rebound and passed the ball to Rogel, who drained a three-pointer for an eight-point lead.
Baldwin got a late basket as well as two free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining to make it a three-point game in the end.
Gagnon led Keystone with 17 points, while Siemer had 13. Rogel added six points, while Daniels and Teague had four and three, respectively. Connor Guy had two points.
The Indians (4-2) entered the game off a 63-49 win over host Crescent City on Dec. 8 in which Gagnon’s effort in the first half alone would’ve amounted to him finishing as the game’s leading scorer. He scored 20 of his team’s 32 first-half points, helping Keystone enter halftime with a 13-point lead.
Gagnon finished with 27 points, while Rogel and Pelham almost reached double figures with nine and eight points, respectively. All of Rogel’s points came from beyond the three-point arc.
Keystone travels to play Ridgeview on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. and will host Interlachen on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The Indians host Union County on Friday, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m.
