MARTINSBURG — When Central got a basket in the final minute to make the score of its non-conference game against Williamsburg 65-41, the gymnasium began to buzz with excitement.

When the Scarlet Dragons pulled down the rebound after Williamsburg’s final possession and there were still 25 seconds left, a few screams of “one more basket” rang out.

Alas, Central coach Paul Frederick put his arms up to signal for his team to hold the ball until the final buzzer, denying the possibility the Scarlet Dragons could finish the game with 67 points.

“Yeah, I’ll hear it from my nephews and some of these kids I have been around for years,” said Frederick with a smile. “I’ll deal with the repercussions after I get home.”

Although Central did not add to the 6-7 phenomenon that many youth are into, the Scarlet Dragons did add another solid win to their resume, which includes a 10-4 record and a spot as the current top seed in the District 6 Class 4A playoff field.

“I am tickled with the way our kids have played 14 games in,” Frederick said. “We lost a lot of experience from last year. We have a lot of guys who have been waiting their turn to come in and play varsity minutes, and they have done a really good job. I think that showed tonight. We played a lot of guys who scored and played defense. They have shown good leadership, and I’m proud of the season we have put together so far.”

Central made 11 3-pointers on Wednesday, four of them by Dylan Hoover — one of the players taking advantage of extended minutes. Hoover finished with a game-high 20 points, including 16 in the first half as Central pulled away.

“We have to clean up our turnovers. We have games where we turn it over too much,” Frederick said. “We have had games where we have struggled to shoot 3-pointers. We have had some better nights lately. Tonight we shot the ball really well. We have to be more consistent shooting the basketball and can’t turn it over as much as we have been.”

Though Williamsburg came out on the losing side, the Blue Pirates were outscored by just one point in the second half.

“In the second half, I don’t know if the initial shock wore off, but we responded in the second half,” Williamsburg coach Jeff Detwiler said. “I was pleased with our effort in the second half. We obviously dug ourselves a hole in the first half, and against a team like that, it’s very difficult to come back.”

Williamsburg is currently the top-ranked team in Class 1A and also is in contention for the Inter-County Conference North championship with Moshannon Valley and Juniata Valley.

“I think right now, there’s three teams tied for first in the (ICC) North, and we’re one of them,” Detwiler said. “We have a big game coming up Friday against Moshannon Valley. They beat us up there, and we have a lot riding on that game. This was a good test here tonight. Hopefully we got better and bounce back and respond like I know we can on Friday.”

Ethan Reffner scored 11 points, and Andrew Clark added 10 points for the Blue Pirates.

“This was a good test, and it kind of had a playoff feel to it,” Detwiler said. “Central is certainly a playoff-caliber team, and we knew it was going to be a challenge tonight. They are a good team, very athletic and very well coached. They play their butts off. Hopefully we got better out of this.”

In addition to Hoover’s 20 points, Central got 17 points from Christian Heuston and 12 points and 11 rebounds from Jesse Muthler.

On a night the weather was bad, attendance was not. Many people from both communities made it in to see the Blair County rivals compete.

“It’s a community game,” Frederick said. “It means a lot to a lot of people in this gym and even outside of the gym. It’s a big game for both communities. Williamsburg is having a heck of a year. Coach Detwiler is doing an awesome job, and they have played great. They are a very good team and will be a tough out in the playoffs.”

WILLIAMSBURG (41): P. Isenberg 1 0-0 3, Zehner 1 0-2 2, Uplinger 0 1-2 1, Harker 3 1-1 9, Reffner 3 4-5 11, Clark 5 0-0 10, Mock 0 1-2 1, Brumbaugh 0 0-0 0, Becker 2 0-0 4, R. Isenberg 0 0-0 0. Totals — 15 7-12 41.

CENTRAL (65): Muthler 5 1-2 12, Heuston 7 0-0 17, Hoover 7 2-2 20, Beltz 0 0-0 0, Rhodes 0 0-0 0, Decker 1 0-0 3, Dickson 3 0-0 7, Reynolds 0 1-2 1, Kason 2 0-0 5, Schenk 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0. Totals — 25 4-6 65.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Williamsburg 9 7 15 10 — 41

Central 23 15 13 14 — 65

3-point goals: Williamsburg 4 (Harker 2, Isenberg, Reffner); Central 11 (Hoover 4, Heuston 3, Muthler, Decker, Dickson, Kason).

Records: Williamsburg (12-3); Central (10-4).

Officials: Mike Andrews, Todd Parker, Tom Fountaine

JV: Central, 49-25. High scorers–Ty McCall, W, 7; Lincoln Mauk, C, 9.