BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — The Tug Valley High School Panthers lost a close season-opening battle to Wyoming East on Dec. 17 at home. On Dec. 20 they rebounded to take down Shelby Valley in the Coalfields Legends Classic.

Tug Valley-Wyoming East

It was not the season opener Tug Valley wanted or expected. The Panthers went into the game with a 21-game winning streak dating back to last season. They were ranked No. 1 in Class A in the preseason poll, while their opponent Wyoming East was ranked No. 2 in Class AA.

When all was said and done, the Warriors edged the Panthers 63-62 at the TVHS gym in Naugatuck on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The game had been postponed from the previous Friday due to inclement weather and school closures in Mingo County.

Tug Valley got off to a slow start and Wyoming East took advantage of that going ahead 7-0 early in the opening quarter. The Panthers of Coach Garland “Rabbit” Thompson battled back, but trailed 17-13 at the end of the first 8:00 minutes of play.

The visitors kept their lead in the second quarter and went into the dressing room at the half with a 36-29 advantage.

Talan Muscari fired in 14 points to lead East, while Braxton Morgan scored eight. Big man Konnor Fox, a 6-foot-5 center, sat much of the first half due to foul trouble.

Carson Newsome had nine first-half points for TVHS, while Braydun Ferris scored eight and Zade Rash and Preston May scored six each for a balanced attack.

The Warriors held a slim 2-point lead by the end of the third quarter 49-47 as the two teams continued to battle.

Tug Valley took a 51-50 lead on a layup by Rash with 6:43 left. From that point the game seesawed back and forth. Ferris had nine points in the final quarter to try to help his team pull out the win.

Muscari was fouled driving to the basket with the game tied 62-all with 2.1 seconds left in the game. He made 1-of-2 from the line, but a last-second heave by Tug Valley fell short and the Warriors improved to 2-0 on the season.

Muscari led Wyoming East with 21 points, Keagan Davidson had 15, Fox 10, Brady Johnson 9 and Morgan 8.

Ferris led Tug Valley with 19. Newsome was close behind with 17 points, Rash finished with 14, May 10 and Cam Slone 2.

East shot 47% from the floor and made 12-20 at the charity stripe for 60%.

Tug Valley shot 46% from the field, but only made 2-9 from behind the arc for 22%. The Panthers were 8-12 from the free-throw line, shooting 67%.

Score by quarters:
East: 17 19 13 14 – 63
Tug: 13 16 18 15 – 62

Tug downs SV in Coalfields Legends Classic

Tug Valley got back on the winning track Dec. 20 with a 77-69 victory over Shelby Valley (KY) in the Coalfields Legends Classic at the Williamson Fieldhouse.

The Panthers trailed 20-18 after one quarter, but took a lead into halftime, outscoring the Wildcats 17-11 in the second quarter.

TV outscored Shelby Valley 27-22 in the third quarter and held on to win the fast-paced game.

Senior All-state point guard Braydun Ferris led Tug Valley with 30 points. He also dished out eight assists. Zade Rash, playing in his second game for the Panthers, added 23 points. Carson Newsome got into double figures, scoring 13, and dished out four assists. Preston May added four points, Jace Hale three, Cam Slone two and Jackson Jewell two.

Caden Johnson led the Cats with 24 points, Jonah Bartley had 18, Brady Johnson 12 and Gavin Hamilton 10.

The Panthers shot well from behind the arc, making 10-16 for 63%, and 28-49 from the field for 57%. They were 11-21 at the foul line for 53%.

The free-throw line hurt Shelby Valley as they only made 2-12 for 17%. They were 27-49 from the field for 56%, including 13-16 from 3-point land for 50%.

Tug improves to 1-1 on the season. The Wildcats drop to 4-4.

The Panthers will take on Class A foe Huntington St. Joe on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Score by quarters:
Shelby: 20 11 22 16 – 69
Tug: 18 17 27 15 – 77