BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — Tug Valley turned up the defense and turned the game around as they downed visiting Bluefield 74-54 Friday night at the TVHS gym.
The Panthers came into the game ranked No. 1 in Class A in the Mountain State, while Bluefield was ranked No. 4 in Class AA.
Bluefield led 19-15 after one quarter of play and kept a slim lead for most of the second period.
Tug Valley took the lead at the buzzer at the end of the first half as Aiden Copeland hit a layup on a nice pass from Zade Rash to take a 32-31 lead at intermission.
All-State point guard Braydun Ferris scored 10, while Zade Rash had seven and Aiden Copeland came off the bench to add seven points in the first half.
Big Greyson Parris banked in 14 to lead Bluefield in the first half, while Jace Smith scored eight.
That momentum rolled over into the third frame as the Panthers outscored the athletic Beavers squad 24-6 in that stretch. That gave Tug Valley a 56-37 lead at the end of the quarter.
Coach Garland “Rabbit” Thompson’s squad held on to pull away. They outscored the visitors 18-17 in the fourth quarter for the victory.
Ferris finished the game with 24 points, four assists and four rebounds. Cam Slone scored 13 and grabbed five rebounds. Rash finished with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Copeland contributed nine, Carson Newsome had eight, Preston May added six points and six boards and Lleyton Brumfield scored two points.
Parris led Bluefield with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith finished with 14 points.
TVHS shot 41% from the floor and improved at the free-throw line, making 13-15 for 87%.
The Panthers defense forced 15 turnovers against the talented Beavers. Many of those led to easy baskets on the other end of the court.
“It was a good win,” Coach Thompson said. “Anytime you beat a Bluefield team, it’s a good win.”
He said he made some adjustments on defense at the half and his squad stepped up.
Tug Valley improved to 6-1 on the season, while Bluefield fell to 4-2.
The Panthers are scheduled to hit the road this week, traveling to Wyoming East Tuesday and up U.S. 52 to take on regional rival Tolsia Saturday.
Score by quarters:
Bluefield: 19 12 6 17 – 54
Tug Valley: 15 17 24 18 – 74