BY KYLE LOVER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

MADISON, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Lady Panthers triumphed in their season opener with an exciting come-from-behind win over the Scott Lady Skyhawks on Thursday, Dec. 5.

Coach Seth Ooten got a balanced scoring attack led by Kenzie Browning with 25 points. Katie Hall added 15 points, Kylie DeBoard 11, Haven Deskins eight, Bailee Hall seven and Katelyn Richardson chipped in five for the Lady Panthers.

Hall led TVHS with 11 rebounds and Deskins pulled down six boards. Kylie DeBoard dished out nine assists and Browning had five.

The Lady Skyhawks led 18-16 after one quarter. However, Tug Valley outscored the home team 24-14 in the second period to take a 40-32 at halftime.

“They showed a lot of heart,” Ooten said of his squad. “There was a lot of adversity, but the girls kept their heads down and leaned on each other to get the win. Would have been easy to give up at different times during the game, but these girls are a determined group and love to compete.”

Scott battled back in the third quarter and held the Lady Panthers to only eight points to regain the lead. But Tug Valley outscored Scott 24-18 in the final quarter to pull out the exciting road win.

Kelsey Harper led the Lady Skyhawks with 25 points and fired in six 3-pointers. Ricki Bailey added 23 for the home team.

Tug Valley will have a busy slate this week. The ladies travel to Huntington St. Joe on Tuesday, host Van on Wednesday, travel to Tolsia on Thursday and then to Prestonsburg on Saturday.