By Stephen Smoot
“Coach Wamsley’s got a well-coached team,” said Pendleton County head coach Jeremy Bodkin, if anything understating the discipline and effort brought to the sectional title game by Tygarts Valley last week.
A little more experience and a little better execution helped the home team prevail in an aggressively, but cleanly, played contest.
Scores from all games played by the Wildcats against the Bulldogs this year belie the difficulty in defeating the team from Randolph County. They play with intensity, execute fundamentals extremely well, and bring pride to every contest.
Tygarts Valley also bused in enough fans to fill the visiting bleachers, bringing a true postseason atmosphere. Their students even loudly sang along to the Miley Cyrus songs played during warmups.
The Bulldogs bit first, taking the opening tip and quickly drawing a foul from Pendleton County. They hit one of two free throws, followed by two jump shots to push out to a 5-0 early lead. Tygarts Valley almost went up 7-0 after a steal, but a Wildcat stepped in to take a charge and get the ball back.
With a few seconds less than three minutes remaining in the first, the Wildcats got on the scoreboard as Chase Owens took a pass from Dusty Smith and sank a three-point basket. Tygarts Valley answered with a layup, followed by a 10-foot shot from Josiah Kimble.
Pendleton County took the lead at 10-9 when Wyatt Franklin and Kimble combined on a steal which led to a Cashton Kisamore layup. Another Owens three set the first quarter score at 13-9.
Great defense on both sides made points a premium through much of the first half. The Bulldogs came within one at the 6:47 mark by hitting a three, but a Franklin reverse layup set up by a Jaydon Hess drive and pass put the score at 15-12. At the five minute mark, the Bulldogs wrested away the lead with a steal and a layup. But once again Smith found Owens, whose three gave his squad the lead again.
From midway through the second, the Wildcats carefully constructed a lead. With 4:11 to play in the first half, Hess again found an open Franklin near the basket. His layup gave his team a 20-16 advantage. With 1:25 left, Franklin found Kimble, who hit from greater than 20 feet.
The Wildcats took a 26-18 lead into the half.
Pendleton County opened the second half with a big play as Kimble passed the ball nearly the length of the floor to Owens cutting to the basket giving them a 10 point lead.
Just when the Wildcats seemed about to take control of the game, Tygarts Valley roared back. Over the next four minutes, they outscored the home team 11 to two.
Now only down 30-29, Tygarts Valley seemed to have momentum, but they fouled Kisamore, then Kimble shortly after. The two converted two of four free throws. Franklin then found Owens open in the right corner to hit a three to extend the lead back to six.
Over the remainder of the third and through the early minutes of the fourth, Owens put the team on his back in every way he could. Between 2:20 in the third and 5:30 in the fourth, he scored 10 points, blocked a shot, and scored on an offensive rebound. During the same time frame, the Bulldogs only scored four for their cause.
Pendleton County enjoyed a 47-36 lead at this point, but never played as if they believed the game lay in their hands. Bradey Bowers got a key steal at the 4:35 point, followed quickly after by a Kimble three. Combined, Kimble and Owens would account for the final five points scored by Pendleton County on the night.
What failed to make the statistics was the effort needed to prevail in the game by the entire team. Zykijah Wright played outstanding defense and hauled down rebounds. Hess also gave the team a high energy performance, handling the ball and defending well.
After the game, Bodkin stressed that “we have been working all year on how to overcome adversity.” He told them as the third quarter opened that “it’s zero to zero” and to play accordingly.”
Of the Bulldogs, Bodkin said, “They’ll be a devil for Tucker County to handle.”
“I couldn’t be more happy with them,” he concluded.
