By Stephen Smoot
Tucker County’s basketball squads appear to be once again playing at their usual form – which means trouble for their Potomac Valley Conference rivals.
Pendleton County made the trip to the top of the mountain last Friday night to tangle with Tucker. They put up a spirited fight to the end, but the Mountain Lions prevailed.
The home team took the first points about a minute and a half into the action, dropping the ball into the post for a short jump shot. They followed that exactly 30 seconds later with a baseline 15-foot shot.
Jameigh Miller answered at the six-minute mark, however, with a three-point bucket to pull within one at 4-3. Miller then snagged a steal, which led to an Avery Townsend layup and a brief 5-4 lead.
The Mountain Lions took the lead back with a layup and both teams’ defenses prevailed for the next two minutes. Tucker County then went on a 12 to one run over the next three minutes down to the end of the quarter.
Donnie Kopp, head coach, substituted quickly to keep his players fresh, especially as they worked hard to hound the Mountain Lions. At times, they utilized a full court zone press which occasionally gave Tucker County fits.
The second half started with Pendleton County down 30-11. They defended the high-powered offense of Tucker County fairly well, but the Mountain Lions athletes limited Wildcat scoring opportunities the entire game both outside and inside.
Wildcat players got their best chances to score in transition, such as in the second quarter when Townsend scored on a fast break with a finger roll layup, then stole the ball and scored again.
Despite the effort on defense Tucker County pulled away, powered by precise outside shooting. They hit five in the game.
The rest of the year features a veritable murderer’s row of opponents. Last Monday, they took on the improving Pocahontas County Warriors in Dunmore with a contest the very next night at East Hardy.
Friday, Moorefield comes to Franklin, followed by Frankfort on Dec. 30.
