By: Adam Freeman
The Tucker County Lady Mt. Lions had a busy schedule over the holiday break. Tucker hosted its annual holiday tournament, in which they would finish second place overall. Tucker took on Clay County in the first-round matchup, the Lady Mt. Lions held Clay County to one point in the first quarter and only five points in the second, holding a 39-17 lead at halftime. Tucker would cruise in the second half to a commanding victory with a final score of 57-22.
Shaffer 16 pts, 10 reb, FT 4-7; Matthews 12 pts, 10 reb, FT 2-4; Helmick 8 pts, FT 2-3; Gross 5 pts, FT 1-2; Hicks 5 pts; Herron 4 pts; Moats 3 pts; Kitzmiller 2 pts, FT 0-2; Cross 2 pts
3 Point Goals 4-18: Helmick (2) Moats (1) Hicks (1)
Tucker would then take on the undefeated AAA squad in Hurricane High School for the tournament championship. This matchup was a back-and-forth contest throughout as a one-point lead was held by HHS at the end of the first, then a one-point lead was held by TCHS going into the break. Again, TCHS had a one-point lead at the end of three quarters. Hurricane would prove to be too much in the fourth, outscoring Tucker 17-10 taking home a 45-39 win for Hurricane. Tucker would finish second in the tournament respectively.
Gross 15 pts, 6 reb, FT 3-6; Matthews 9 pts, 20 reb, FT 1-4; Moats 9 pts, FT 2-2; Kitzmiller 5 pts, 5 Reb
3 Point Goals 2-10: Moats (1) Kitzmiller (1)
Tuckers final game of the break would come via an OT win against the East Hardy Lady Cougars. The contest was tied at the end of the first half with a score of 22 all. Tucker would take a slight lead at the end of the third quarter holding a 32-26 advantage. The Lady Mt. Lions, however, would only muster one point in the final period allowing East Hardy to tie it up at 33-33 at the end of regulation. Tucker would hold the Lady Cougars scoreless in overtime taking the win 37-33.
Gross 9 pts, 15 reb, FT 4-8; Herron 9 pts, FT 1-2; Moats 6 pts, FT 2-2; Matthews 5 pts, 6 reb, FT 1-2; Shaffer 4 pts; Pase 4 pts
3 Point Goals 3-20: Gross (1) Herron (2)
The Lady Mt. Lions will return to action on January 9th, 2025, as they travel to Gilmer County to take on the #1 ranked team in Single A, tipoff is set for 5:45pm.