By: Adam Freeman
The Mt. Lions of Tucker County High School had a busy schedule last week. They started the week with a home matchup against Elkins, where Tucker trailed at the end of every quarter except the fourth. Tucker trailed 36–27 heading into the final period of play when the Mt. Lions went on a 20–7 run to finish the game and complete the season sweep of Elkins with a 47–43 victory.
Marks: 11 pts, 4 reb, FT 2–3; Mitchell: 11 pts, 1 reb, FT 2–3; Arnold: 10 pts, 2 reb; Cummings: 4 pts, 3 reb, FT 4–4; Lambert: 4 pts, 2 reb; Black: 1 pt, 1 reb.
3-Point Field Goals (1–4)
Mitchell (1)
Tucker then hit the road to take on the other Randolph County school, Tygarts Valley High School. Tucker found themselves struggling a bit from the field again and trailed 27–22 at the half. Tucker knotted the game at 39 each going into the final frame, where the Mt. Lions again had their best quarter of the night when it mattered most, outscoring the Bulldogs 19–12 to take the 58–51 win.
Marks: 22 pts, 9 reb, FT 2–4; Mitchell: 12 pts, 6 reb, FT 2–4; Arnold: 11 pts, 5 reb, FT 1–2; Cummings: 6 pts, 2 reb, FT 2–2; Dearborn: 3 pts, 2 reb; Lambert: 2 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast; Black: 2 pts.
3-Point Field Goals (3–21)
Mitchell (2) Dearborn (1)
Tucker then traveled northwest to New Martinsville for the Rotary Classic at Magnolia High School. The first matchup pitted Tucker against the host Magnolia Blue Eagles. Tucker put together its best offensive performance of the season with four players in double figures; as a team, they hit 10 triples, and 10 different players found the bottom of the net. The Mt. Lions scored 25 points or more in three of the four quarters and scored a season-high 90 points to take the first-round game 90–36 over the Blue Eagles.
Arnold: 18 pts, 3 reb, FT 3–4; Simmons: 12 pts, 3 reb; Black: 12 pts, 3 reb; Dearborn: 11 pts, 3 reb, FT 1–1; Lambert: 9 pts, 9 reb, FT 2–3; Cummings: 8 pts, 5 reb, FT 2–2; Ricotilli: 7 pts, 3 reb, FT 1–3; Marks: 5 pts, 7 reb, FT 1–1; Mitchell: 4 pts, 4 reb, FT 2–2; Davis: 4 pts, 4 reb, FT 0–2.
3-Point Field Goals (10–21)
Arnold (3) Dearborn (2) Black (2) Simmons (2) Lambert (1)
Tucker finished the big week with a matchup against the defending AA state runners-up from Williamstown High. Tucker was in a dogfight after one quarter, holding a narrow 12–11 advantage. The Mt. Lions went on an 18–9 spurt before the half to take a 10-point lead at 30–20. Tucker remained in control of the game, never trailing in the second half and securing the win and the Rotary Classic Title with a final score of 64–51.
Arnold: 18 pts, 3 reb, FT 1–2; Marks: 12 pts, 6 reb, FT 1–1; Cummings: 12 pts, 4 reb, FT 2–5; Lambert: 12 pts, 6 reb; Mitchell: 7 pts, 4 reb, FT 5–6; Dearborn: 3 pts, 2 reb, FT 1–2.
3-Point Field Goals (8–19)
Arnold (3) Lambert (2)Cummings (2) Marks (1)
Pending the weather, Tucker is scheduled to play Pendleton County during the school day at 1:00 p.m. at Tucker County High on Tuesday, January 27. With four straight wins, Tucker’s record improves to 10–5 on the season.
