By Stephen Smoot
Only three years ago, the Tygarts Valley Bulldogs watched helplessly as Pendleton County’s Ana Young dropped 50 points on them. Since then, the Bulldogs have improved their fortunes, rising from doormat to dominance. Along the way, they won 11 and dropped six.
One of those 11 wins came at home against the Wildcats, 48-38. Seven weeks later, however, fortunes have changed. Last week, Pendleton County defeated the visitors from Randolph County 56-43.
Neither side could put the ball in the basket for the first 2:50 in the game. Then Tygarts Valley hit a 17-foot shot to take the two to zero advantage. Almost precisely one minute later, Tia Heavner took a baseline drive to the hoop and hit her team’s first bucket. The Bulldogs edged ahead on a single free throw and Heavner put her team ahead again with a 12-foot basket.
At the 2:50 point, the Tia Heavner show continued with a three. A minute after that, she slung a pass inside to Lexi Tingler for a nifty reverse layup. Tingler and her twin-on-the floor, Jess Parker, play in a style reminiscent of Indiana University legend Damon Bailey. They can shoot, handle the ball, and defend as guards, but feel just as comfortable scoring or fighting for rebounds under the basket. This youthful dynamic duo has developed confidence and played with toughness all season.
Pendleton County played well on defense early as well. Jameigh Miller took a steal early, then repeated the feat with a minute left in the first. At the 2:23 mark, four Wildcats got their hands on the ball before taking control, making it a team steal. The Bulldogs could only record seven points against the home team effort in the first.
For a time, the second quarter seemed a mere extension of the first. It was Miller time from deep as she hit a three at the 7:30 point for a 15-7 advantage. Susan Vincell took a Shayne Clutter pass to the post and scored the first two of her 19 total with a layup at 6:36, then repeated the feat shortly after to put her team up 20-7 with about six minutes remaining in the half.
For the Bulldogs, it looked less like the game on Jan. 6 and more like the bad old days facing Young and Avery Townsend’s relentless offensive play. The second Clutter to Vincell connection put the center on the line to hit two and push the lead to 14.
The Bulldogs then bit back. Through the remaining minutes of the half, they found another gear. Defensive players that were a step behind started to swarm Wildcat ballhandlers. They started contesting for offensive rebounds more while also experiencing more than their share of good fortune in luck.
From the 5:50 mark in the second to a minute into the third, Tygarts Valley went from being down 23-9 to a one-point deficit at the 5:42 point in the third when a three-foot shot of pure old-fashioned slop left the Bulldog player’s hand and somehow found its way into the basket.
Vincell then declared “enough of that” with her next play. She took a pass with 5:40 left in the third, stepped to the top of the key, and hit a rare (for her) three-point basket and extended the lead to 32 to 28. Free throws again whittled the lead to two, but Vincell powered her way to grab an offensive rebound and score again, setting the score at 34-30.
Travis Heavner, head coach, has worked his lineup, at times, to move Vincell to different areas of the floor. Additionally, Katie Heavner or Lauren Williams bring their toughness and talent to the post and allow Vincell to expand her offensive role.
Coach Heavner adjusted his defense to counter Tygarts Valley’s adjustments. They used ball movement and cutters to spread the man-to-man defense and find open shots near the basket. He put the Wildcats into a zone defense, mainly the three-two. This forced the visiting team into a less dynamic high-low offense and slowed their scoring.
Williams’ offensive rebound drew a foul and put her on the line where she calmly connected on her two charity shots to extend the lead to six. Early in the fourth, she pushed the lead to seven with an offensive rebound and a made layup to set the score at 41-34. At the 6:21 point, Miller fired a pass deep to Tia Heavner. She blew by three defenders and softly laid the ball in for a nine-point lead.
Tygarts Valley dialed up the pressure with a more intense press to attempt to disrupt the Wildcats, but the strategy played into the home team’s hands. Repeatedly, the Wildcats quickly used three passes to whip the ball downcourt, each time finding a player on the post for an open score. Both Parker and Vincell scored on these press breaker plays.
The Bulldogs scored the first and last points of the game, but the Wildcats took the 56-43 win.
Vincell scored 19, Tia Heavner 16, Tingler seven, Miller and Williams five, and Parker four. Vincell and Miller both hauled in double-digits in rebounds with 14 and 13 respectively while Miller led the squad with eight assists.
The big win was a team effort. Katie Heavner and Olivia Gonshor pulled in key rebounds while Clutter and Lilly Brogan’s defense contributed well.
Moreover, the two-game series between the schools shows how far Pendleton County has progressed. The 23-point turnaround from early January has come as a result of work, determination, belief, and the resilience to battle through growing pains, hitting their highest level of play all season long only days before the start of the regionals.
