By Stephen Smoot
To be the best, one must play the best.
Donnie Kopp, who has coached the best, has put that maxim to work for his Wildcats early in the season. Pendleton County followed a season opening victory over Union by taking the two hour trip to Romney to compete in the Hampshire Tip-Off Tournament against quad and triple A competition.
Friday night, the Wildcats challenged Musselman. One of the most important stats to keep in mind is 1,713 to 385. Those are the student populations of the two high schools. The Applemen held a significant height advantage and enjoy a lineup composed almost entirely of battle tested juniors and seniors.
Goliath also enjoyed the crowd’s affection over the fighting and feisty Davids.
Head coach Kopp, however, got almost everything he was asking for from the contest. He said, “I just kept telling them to play it till the end.”
The Wildcats, true to their moniker, came out attacking. Musselman raced ahead to a 9 to 1 lead, but had to work for that. Pendleton County’s press, through the hands of Avery Townsend, Kiera Heavener, and Nataley Hedrick, took three steals from Musselman in the first 1:10 of the game.
Julia Mongold then buried a three-pointer, followed by a layup by Gabby DePue after wrestling away an offensive rebound with about two minutes left. The Applemen extended the lead to 12 to 6, but Jameigh Miller hit a three to pull her squad back within three with 1:41 left in the first quarter.
Musselman then put a tall and rangy player at the top of their defense to slow down the Wildcat point guards, a challenge that Hedrick and Townsend adapted to.
Early in the second quarter, Musselman took a 19 to 9 lead, but two free throws by Mongold cut that to an eight point advantage.
Pendleton County’s press took their opponent out of their offensive rhythm, especially in the first half. Townsend picked the Applemen’s pockets the entire game. The Wildcats also played strong inside, with DePue picking up three blocked shots and all of the players battling on both ends of the court for rebounds.
At the end of the first half, Pendleton County found themselves down by 15, but as a result of a strong and determined effort against powerful odds.
Musselman used their advantages to wear down Pendleton County in the second half to build a substantial lead. Kopp said that “I don’t ever like to lose, but if they don’t fold it up and quit, that’s a benefit.”
Kopp’s team kept attacking on offense and defense. Townsend, Mongold, Miller, and Jenna Smith started working to make plays on offense. Kopp also noted that “Gabby DePue had a bunch of blocks and rebounds.”
The last plays of the contest included a steal from Townsend, an assist to Miller, and a block by Susan Vincell, showing that the team did indeed stay aggressive until the end
Another aspect of the game that Pendleton County could count as a “win” lay in the play of four underclassmen. Heavener, a sophomore, played very well on defense and rebounded strongly. Olivia Gonshor, Jessica Parker, and Vincell held their own against much more experienced competition.
The final score of the game was Musselman 67 to Pendleton County’s 28.
The following day, the Wildcats took on Hampshire in the consolation game. The Trojans took the win 68-33. Pendleton County also fought in this game, making a run to cut the score to a two point deficit midway through the second quarter.
Townsend scored 11 points against Hampshire and earned all-tournament honors. The team played against Tucker County and Buckhannon-Upshur earlier this week and take on Moorefield on Friday.
