BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
The Tug Valley Lady Panthers swept three games this past week defeating Tolsia at home, Ripley on the road and River View at the Williamson Fieldhouse.
Tug Valley 60, River View 33
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. – After a slow start, the Tug Valley Lady Panthers downed River View 60-33 in a game Saturday, Jan. 18 at the Williamson Fieldhouse.
The River View Lady Raiders came in ranked No. 7, while Tug Valley is ranked No. 4 in Class A.
The Lady Panthers led 7-5 after one quarter and the game was tied 16-16 heading into the dressing room at the half.
Coach Seth Ooten apparently made the right speech at halftime and some good adjustments. His squad came out with full-court pressure and outscored River View 34-9 in the third quarter to take a commanding lead. The Lady Panthers turned defense into offense forcing several River View turnovers and turning them into points.
Ooten cleared his bench in the closing minutes and made it a long drive back to McDowell County for River View. Gilbert native Gherig Justice coaches the Lady Raiders.
Kenzie Browning scored 21 points to lead Tug Valley, while Haven Deskins added 12 and Bailee Hall 11. Katie Hall chipped in eight, Kylie DeBoard six and Katelyn Richardson two for TV. Bailee Hall pulled down 19 rebounds, while Richardson had seven and DeBoard five. DeBoard also had three steals, Deskins came away with five steals and B. Hall four. Browning and DeBoard both had four assists.
Kaci Hatfield led River View, finishing with 16 points.
“Our defense made the difference (in the third quarter),” Coach Ooten said. “We started seeing our shots fall in. We may have been a little tired.”
Tug had made the long drive to Fairmont the night before.
“We settled down and got back into the game after the slow start,” Ooten added.
Tug Valley was scheduled to host Shelby Valley and Scott this week weather permitting.
Score by quarters:
River View: 5 11 9 8 – 33
Tug Valley: 7 9 34 11 – 60
Tug Valley 54, Tolsia 31
NAUGATUCK, W.Va. – The Lady Panthers of Tug Valley cruised to a 54-31 home-court win over visiting regional rival Tolsia on Jan. 15.
Kenzie Browning fired in 20 points to lead the way for Coach Seth Ooten’s team. Bailee Hall was next in line with 14 points to go with her 14 rebounds. Haven Deskins added nine points, Katie Hall five, Katelyn Richardson four and Kylie DeBoard two. DeBoard also had seven rebounds, four steals and four assists.
Emily Artrip led the Lady Rebels of Tolsia with 11 points.
Tug Valley jumped out to a 27-13 lead at halftime and continued to outscore Tolsia.
Tug Valley now has an impressive 10-2 record on the season.
Score by quarters:
Tolsia: 7 6 9 11 – 31
Tug: 15 12 17 10 – 54
Tug Valley 41, Ripley 37
FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The Lady Panthers got a good road victory on a neutral court Friday as they defeated Class AAA Ripley 41-37. The game was played as part of a one-day event at East Fairmont High School.
“That was a good win in a tough environment,” Tug Valley coach Seth Ooten said. “But we like that. It helps to get you ready for the tournament. It was a good test for us. It was a physical game and we pulled it out.”
Tug Valley trailed 19-15 at halftime but battled back in the second half to pull out the victory.
Bailee Hall led Ooten’s team with 14 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. Hall also had five steals.
Haven Deskins scored 10 points and dished out six assists, Kenzie Browning added eight points, Katelyn Richardson five and Katied Hall 4. Katie Hall pulled down seven boards and Browning handed out five assists.
Bristol Smith led the Lady Vikings of Ripley with nine points.
Score by quarters:
Tug: 6 9 13 13 – 41
Ripley: 3 16 7 11 – 37