OPENING UP — Oak Glen’s Zach Taylor opens the game with a layup over Weir High’s Luka Haught on Tuesday. (Joe Catullo)

WEIRTON — Ethan Travis had a monster game in leading Oak Glen to a 61-51 victory Tuesday that gave the Golden Bears a sweep of the two rivalry games with Weir High.

It not only was a rivalry game, but the teams also went into it state ranked (Oak Glen 10th and Weir High 12th).

Travis literally carried the Golden Bears on his broad shoulders, scoring 24 points and hauling down a career-high 24 rebounds.

“I had some extra motivation this game,” said the 6-foot-3 senior after the game. “There was a lot of talk before this game. It’s always fun to play against Weir High. We have a big game Saturday against East Fairmont, and we just have to keep winning.”

The win gives the Golden Bears a modest two-game win streak after being upset last week at Shenendoah and improves their record to 10-3.

Despite holding Weir High to four points in the second quarter, the Golden Bears went to the fourth quarter with just a two-point lead at 45-43. A 15-3 run to open the finale put the game away. The Red Riders were able to score just eight points.

“It seemed like Travis got every rebound tonight. He either got a hand on them or tipped them,” Golden Bears coach Jerry Everly said. “Every time a rebound comes down, you just assume he’s going to get it. He did a heck of a job.

“Then, Wyatt Wylie stepped up for us tonight. He took care of the ball. He had only one turnover and hit 3 for 5 on 3s. He played a really good game. Sean Smith (a three-year Oak Glen starter) was a bit under the weather, so Wyatt, Gage Patterson and Blake Perez stepped up for us handling the ball in the fourth quarter.”

The Golden Bears romped over the Red Riders, 81-57, in the season-opener on Dec. 4.

“We went zone on them and that might have surpriesed them a little bit,” Everly said. “They were hitting shots whenever they wanted to in the first quarter, so we decided to mix in the zone. I don’t like to play zone, and we don’t do it much, but sometimes a change of pace works. We wanted this game. We wanted to prove the first win we had over them to start the season was no fluke.”

The Red Riders jumped out to the early lead and were ahead 21-17 when the first quarter ended. Oak Glen’s zone defense took the momentum away, allowing only two Tanner Mikula layups. That armed the Golden Bears with a 27-25 halftime lead.

The Red Riders got it going in the third, tying the game three times, but were unable to get the lead back. At the end of three quarters, the teams had five lead changes and eight ties, but the Red Riders were plagued with some cold shooting and could make just 1 of 5 free throws going down the stretch. The Golden Bears drained 9 of 11 from the foul line.

“We made a heck of a run at them and tied the game near the end of the third quarter, but Oak Glen did an exceptional job,” said veteran Weir High coach Mike Granato, whose club now is 10-4. “We’re a team that makes runs, and Oak Glen didn’t allow that to happen tonight. That’s a credit to their ball handling. We didn’t turn them over nearly as much as we normally turn teams over.

“Then, they stepped up and made some shots. I thought they had a heck of a shooting night tonight. I tip my cap to Jerry and his team. I thought they played a complete game for 32 minutes.”

Mikula led the Red Riders with 15 points. Luka Haught drove the lane several times to challenge the big players in the Oak Glen lineup and finished with 13 points. Elijah Gillette hit two 3s and scored 10 points. Reed Reitter, who had the unenviable task of guarding Travis in the post, scored eight points and led his team with five rebounds.

“We had a lot of missed opportunities,” Granato said. “We missed a lot of bunnies tonight that we normally make. I think what happened was that once we missed those shots, we started thinking about them. I was disappointed in the offensive aspect of our game tonight.

“And, Ethan is a heck of a player. He’s an all-state player. He’s worked hard and really improved over the past three years. When he went outside and hit a 3, that wasn’t anything new. He’s been doing that all year. He’s a complete player.”

Wiley backed up Travis with 14 points, including three from behind the arc. Patterson and Zach Taylor each scored nine points in Oak Glen’s balanced attack.

The Red Riders will be busy the rest of the week, hosting Indian Creek on Friday and traveling to North Marion on Saturday.

The Golden Bears also play on the road Saturday at East Fairmont.

GAMES NOTES

¯ The Oak Glen reserves made it a sweep with a 50-40 win. Konnor Allison scored 16 to lead the Golden Bears, while Anthony Cross led the Red Riders with 14.

Oak Glen 61, Weir High 51

Oak Glen 17-10-18-16 — 61

Weir High 21-4-18-8 — 51

OAK GLEN (10-3) Wiley 5 1-2 14, Perez 0 0-2 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Patterson 3 2-3 9, Gittings 1 2-2 5, Travis 7 9-13 24, Taylor 3 2-2 9. TOTALS: 19, 16-24: 61. 3-POINT GOALS: 7 (Wiley 3, Patterson, Gittings, Travis, Taylor); REBOUNDS: 39 (Travis 24); TURNOVERS: 18.

WEIR HIGH (10-4): Spencer 0 0-2 0, Haught 5 2-2 13, McUmar 0 0-0 0, Gillette 3 2-2 10, Trupiano 1 1-2 3, McCoy 1 0-0 2, Reitter 4 0-0 8, Mikula 6 1-4 15. TOTALS: 20, 6-12: 51. 3-POINT GOALS: 5 (Gillette 2, Mikula 2, Haught); REBOUNDS: 21 (Reitter 5); TURNOVERS: 10.