BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
RED JACKET — The Tug Valley Panthers defeated county rival Mingo Central in a road contest Jan. 10 up on Miner Mountain to improve to 8-4 on the season.
TVHS came into the game ranked No. 4 in Class A.
Last season the Miners defeated the young Panthers squad twice. That was the first time since the school was formed after consolidation that they had defeated Tug Valley two times in a season.
Tug Valley led 17-10 at the end of one quarter after trailing early at the start of the game. Sophomore Joey Gollihue fired in 10 points in the first eight minutes to help the Panthers get some breathing room. The talented guard hit two 3-pointers.
TVHS came out with full-court pressure, which helped the Panthers force some turnovers and get a couple of easy baskets.
The Panthers led 32-23 at the half after outscoring the Miners 15-13 in the second period.
Mingo Central, coached by Stan Elkins, was never able to regain the lead. Tug outscored the Miners 10-7 in the third and the teams were even in the final quarter at 16 each.
The second half went by quickly as few personal fouls were whistled by the officials.
Gollihue finished with 20 points, while senior Parker Davis got into double figures with 12. Jonathan Wagoner came off the bench to bank in eight points and Ashton Davis scored seven for Coach Garland “Rabbit” Thompson’s squad.
“We just looked a little lethargic today. I thought we looked a little slow,” Thompson said of his Tug Valley squad. “I don’t know why. We’re quicker than that; I know we are. So I’ll fix that.”
Tug Valley shot 44 % from the field, including 7-15 from behind the arc for 47% and was 5-8 at the free-throw line for 63%.
Jacob Cline led the Miners with 14 points, while Matt Hatfield scored 13.
The Miners were cold on offense only shooting 36% for the game and making 2-13 from behind the arc for 15%. They were 8-9 at the charity stripe for 89%.
Tug Valley’s next game was scheduled for the 24th at Tolsia. The Panthers are set to host Spring Valley on Saturday.
Score by quarters:
Tug: 17 15 10 16 – 58
Mingo:10 13 7 16 – 46