By Stephen Smoot
The Wildcats’ trek up the mountain did not end in the result that anyone wanted, but don’t let the 70-25 setback mask the strides taken by the girls’ basketball team this year. Tucker County turned in a dominant performance with its experienced team. Pendleton County’s young team fought back, but could not overcome a relentless pressing defense (no matter the score) and deadly accurate outside shooting from the home squad.
For a brief moment early, the visitors took a lead when Lexi Tingler found Jess Parker for a layup that doubled the lone free throw made by the Mountain Lions. Tucker County pushed to a 7-2 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter, but Jameigh Miller cut into that with a drive and a long swooping finger roll that put the score at 7-4.
The press forced the Wildcats into the unusual situation of Susan Vincell and Miller often bringing up the ball. One of head coach Travis Heavner’s concerns from the previous matchup against Paw Paw lay in his team hesitating to take open shots. Pendleton County did work the ball to open spots and took good opportunities, but too few went in the basket to keep up with the home team’s pace.
Early in the second quarter, Tucker County held a 25-9 advantage. Tingler at the 5:20 point found Parker with a pass to score a layup to lift their team to 11 points, but the Mountain Lions hit a 17-foot step in shot seconds later.
Almost a minute later, Vincell took the ball from the foul line to the basket against the defense. She scored the layup and drew a foul. With a minute left, Vincell made the same move, missing the layup, but hitting one of her free throws. Tucker County went into halftime with a 41 to 17 lead.
In the third quarter, Tucker County struggled to score for the first half of the period. The Wildcats pushed hard to surge back into the game in the first five minutes, holding the Mountain Lions to a single basket in that period. Miller, Vincell, Parker, and Tingler all forced turnovers during those minutes. Good defense, however, did not translate to points at the other end of the floor.
Pendleton County started the season with both questions and youth. Young players who had only known victories for the past two years got hard lessons in varsity basketball. That said, Tingler emerged as a powerful rebounder who showed more ability to make plays as the season progressed. Tia Heavner at times showed the scoring punch she brought to the middle school team last year. Lauren Williams is a gamer who could come off the bench and bring both defense and rebounding to the floor when needed. Lily Brogan took great strides during the year as well.
Also, Shayne Clutter found a niche coming off the bench as a fast, quick, and relentless defender.
They benefited well from the experience of the girls who went to states last season. Miller led the team in three-point shooting and scored second on the team with almost 10 points per game. Vincell led in scoring with 16 points per game at a 45 percent percentage. She also averaged 12.5 rebounds per contest.
Parker and Katie Heavner both brought hard-nosed play to each game. Parker’s strength and toughness fueled aggressive play that helped her team on both ends of the floor. Olivia Gonshor, like Clutter, used her athleticism at times to help stop offensive playmakers.
While the season had its high and low moments, the team can hang its hat on one fact that always makes Pendleton County fans happy. Hardy County schools enjoyed no victories over the girls this season. That dominance over those tough rivals, along with the team and players evolving and expanding their skill sets means that they will be a group to look out for next season.
