(Photo of Isaak Jones of Keystone, who was named the Hager Paving Player of the Game

The Panthers (15-2 overall, 6-1 KSAC South) led by three, 23-20, at halftime but outscored the Gremlins (11-7, 5-2) 41-23 after the break.

Relisten to the game:

“We switched up our defense,” Keystone senior Isaak Jones, who was named the Hager Paving Player of the Game after scoring 12 of his game-high 16 points during a game-changing 18-5 second-half run said. “

Jones nor Keystone head coach Greg Heath were too keen in saying what that defensive switch was.

“(It) was one that locked down the two best players,” Jones said.

Heath wasn’t much more forthcoming, afterall, there is a chance Keystone and Karns City could meet again in the District 9 Class 2A playoffs.

“We just went to a little hybrid defense,” Heath said. “A little combination man and zone. That’s all. We wanted to try to make it more difficult for for Chase (Beighley) to get his shots, and (Ethan) Elroy hurt us in the first half, too. So we wanted to try to limit him as well.”

Whatever the defensive change, it worked. The Gremlins were held to just seven third-quarter points allowing Keystone to building a 39-27 lead after the third quarter that expanded to 46-29 in the early parts of the fourth quarter.

Keystone limited Beighley to a season-low 11 points, a drastic difference for the Karns City junior who had scored at least 30 points in each of his last four games while averaging 25.4 ppg coming into the contest.

“We just made sure we had a lot of help (on him),” Heath said. “Alex (Rapp) is pretty good at sticking with him. He hurt us a few times with some deep penetration, a little step back jumper in the lane there and a fader, but we were able to get some help for Alex their in the second half.”

The defensive effort for Keystone led to points on the offensive end with Jones right in the middle of the action hitting a pair of 3-pointers during the second-half run that helped the Panthers gain separation. He scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime.

“Isaac’s a very, very, very capable scorer,” Heath said. “He’s capable of doing that every game. He’s a very good offensive player. If he can continue to play like that the rest of the way out, it’s going to make us pretty tough.”

Prior to Jones going off in the second half, the game had been nip-and-tuck through the first 18 minutes with the lead changing hands nine times with three ties.

Keystone found itself ahead by four, 28-24, following a basket by Karns City’s Caiden Corbett with 6:16 left in the third quarter.

That’s when the Panthers took flight starting with a Jones basket at the 5:26 mark that started a third-quarter ending 11-3 run that pushed the lead to 39-27 at the end of the quarter.

Andrew Lauer had a pair of baskets off Troy Johnson passed during the spurt, and Jones ended the quarter with a driving layup followed by a 3-pointers off a feed from Alex Rapp.

The run continued to start the fourth quarter with Colin Say hitting a shot followed by another 3-pointer by Jones and a Jones two off a Say pass that pushed the lead to 46-29 with 6:52 to play.

“I was just building off my confidence on the shots,” Jones said. “I was taking shots I knew I could hit.”

Watch Jones’ full postgame interview.

Keystone put three other players in double digits with Marc Rearick adding 14 points, Johnson contributing a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds — he also had two steals — and Lauer adding 12 points.

Karns City got the services of Nathan Waltman back after the big fellow missed five games with a mouth injury suffered in practice, and he delivered with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Ethan McElroy chipped in nine points, all in the first half on three 3-pointers, for the Gremlins while Micah Rupp grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two points.

The win had enormous implications in the KSAC South, as Keystone now leads Karns City by a full game in the South race. The defending South champion Panthers also own the tiebreaker over Karns City having swept the season series giving them in essence a game-and-half lead in the KSAC South with three games left. Keystone can clinch the South with wins in two of its next three games.

“I guess it puts us in a pretty good position,” Heath said. “But, we have to remember, there are some good teams we have to play. We have to finish strong. There isn’t anybody we are playing the rest of the way out that can’t get us.”

Keystone returns to action Friday at Moniteau, while Karns City hosts Cranberry Friday.

THE COACH AND THE SCRIBE POWERED BY THE REHAB CENTRE

Jess Quinn (The Coach) and Chris Rossetti (The Scribe) broke down the game and talked about Ridgway’s win over C-L Monday and Wednesday’s ECC/DuBois game on the Jan. 28 edition of The Coach and The Scribe Powered by the Rehab Centre. The Rehab Centre has six locations serving you, including in Clarion, Brookville, and Kittanning. The Rehab Centre, Chiropractors Caring for Health.

KEYSTONE 64, KARNS CITY 43

Score by Quarters

Karns City 8 12 7 16 — 43
Keystone 11 12 16 25 — 64

KARNS CITY — 43

Caiden Corbett 3 0-0 6, Cole Sherwin 0 0-0 0, Gage Cowaski 0 0-0 0, Micah Rupp 1 0-2 2, Chase Beighley 4 2-4 11, Logan Fleeger 0 0-0 0, Ethan McElroy 3 0-0 9, Luke Garing 1 0-0 2, Nathan Waltman 5 3-4 13, Michael Neff 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 5-10 43.

KEYSTONE — 64

Troy Johnson 4 4-8 12, Marc Rearick 6 0-0 14, Nate Ion 0 0-0 0, Isaak Jones 7 0-0 16, Alex Rapp 2 0-0 5, Andrew Lauer 6 0-1 12, Gavin Hogue 0 0-0 0, Jayden Blazosky 0 0-0 0, Brandon Pierce 1 0-0 3, Colin Say 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 4-9 64.

Three-pointers: Karns City 4 (McElroy 3, Beighley). Keystone 6 (Rearick 2, Jones 2, Rapp, Pierce)