BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

LOGAN, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Panthers had an exciting weekend in the Willie Akers Classic tournament played at the Logan Memorial Fieldhouse on Middelburg Island in Logan.

Tug 69, Logan 68 (OT)

Panthers junior forward Kaden Hale hit two free throws with 8 seconds left on the game clock in overtime to help Tug Valley to a 69-68 win over the host school, 6th-ranked Class AAA Logan Wildcats on Friday. Tug Valley went into the event ranked No. 3 in Class A.

The Panthers improved to 7-0 with the victory, while the Wildcats dropped to 4-5.

Tug led 17-16 after the first quarter and 33-30 at the half.

The Panthers held a 59-52 advantage with just two minutes left in the game, but the Wildcats battled back.

Tug’s Braydun Ferris hit a free throw to make it a 60-58 score with 1:07 left. Logan’s Julius Clancy then drove to the basket and scored to tie the game at 60-60 with 38 seconds left. The Panthers had a couple of shots in regulation to go ahead, but they did not fall.

Hale was fouled with 8 seconds left and made both free throws to give the Panthers the lead. Logan had one more chance, but the final shot was short.

Ashton Davis led the Panthers with 20 points and six rebounds. Ferris scored 18 points, while Bryson Elia scored 12 and pulled down 11 rebounds. Hale finished with 10 points, including the final four points of the game. Big Buddy Marcum had seven points and 10 rebounds and Carson Newsome finished with two points.

For Logan, Cole Blankenship and Ivan Miller led the way with 17 points each, Julius Clancy followed with 16 points and 14 rebounds and McCormick Ilderton added 12 points.

Score by quarters:

Tug Valley: 17 16 13 14 9 – 69

Logan: 16 14 14 16 8 – 68

Championship game:

CC 57, Tug Valley 44

Tug Valley lost its first game of the season Saturday, falling 57-44 to Class AA Charleston Catholic in the finals of the Willie Akers Classic at the Logan Memorial Fieldhouse. The Irish (12-0) beat the Panthers (7-1) after leading from the start.

The Irish led 13-8 after the first quarter ended and 31-17 at the half. CCHS used second-quarter runs of 7-0 and 11-1 to build the halftime lead.

The Panthers outscored CCHS17-10 in the third quarter but still trailed 41-34 after three quarters in the battle of the unbeaten teams.

The Irish outscored TVHS 16-10 in the final period to pull away with the victory in the championship game.

Kaden Hale scored 15 points and Braydun Ferris had 12 points for the Panthers. They were the only Panthers in double figures. Hale was a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point land. Ashton Davis chipped in nine, Buddy Marcum five, Carson Newsome two and Bryson Elia added one to round out the Tug Valley scoring.

Jayallen Turner had a game-high 27 points to lead the Irish. Max Wilcox added 12 for CCHS.

Tug Valley had a cold shooting night from the floor with 36% but shot 57% from behind the arc, making 8-14 3s. The Panthers were 8-14 at the foul line for 57%.

Former WVU basketball coach Bob Huggins, a Hall of Famer, attended the tournament and spoke briefly before the game, honoring legendary Logan Coach Willie Akers at center court.

The Panthers were scheduled to travel to Van on Tuesday, weather permitting, and will play host to Sherman on Thursday.

Score by quarters:

Tug Valley: 8 9 17 10 – 44

Char. Cath: 13 18 10 16 – 57