By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
The Tigers slashed ahead 21-15 in the first half, then the Cougars roared to life for a comeback rally to defeat Union 45-38 in the Baker Den on Thursday.
Chloe Miller scored a game-high 20 points for East Hardy in the win, followed by Brooklynn Tinnell with 15 points.
Union was led by Sophie Carr with 18 points, while Lexi Stahl and Chanelle Sutton contributed eight points apiece.
“Defense turned the game around, plus we hit some key shots. We shot 31 percent in the second half, better than 11 percent in the first half,” East Hardy coach Calvin Mangold stated.
Carr scored eight points in the opening frame as the Tigers grabbed a 12-9 lead.
Tinnell pitched in four points for the Cougars in the first period, Xavia Barber knocked down a 3-pointer and Addison Armentrout notched two free throws.
Early in the second period, Armentrout and Sutton blocked shots and East Hardy missed five field goals.
Union’s Lexi Stahl noted a jumper at 5:17 to extend the lead 14-9.
Armentrout drew a foul and made one free throw on the ensuing Cougars possession.
Stahl completed an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Tigers up 17-10 at 4:51.
East Hardy responded with a perimeter basket by Chloe Miller at 4:37.
Armentrout collected a defensive rebound, but the Cougars missed the next attempt with Barber and Sutton battling for the board.
Barber crashed to the floor with an injury and was carried off the floor by referee Bobby Sites.
East Hardy would miss the next ten field goals to close out the first half which would account for the 11 percent first half shooting.
Carr netted two field goals for the Tigers in the final minute which sandwiched a pair of free throws by Chloe Miller as Union took a 21-15 lead into halftime.
The Cougars roared back in the third period going on a 10-nil run to grab a 25-21 lead.
Carr snatched a defensive board, then Chloe Miller made a block and steal.
After an East Hardy miss, Tinnell swiped the ball back and scored on a breakaway layup at 6:56.
There were a combined missed shots over the next couple minutes and a steal by Armentrout.
East Hardy’s Chloe Miller nailed a 3-pointer at 4:40 to close the gap to 21-20.
Sutton and Miller traded steals with the latter resulting in an old-fashioned three-point play catapulting the Cougars into the lead 23-21 at 3:22.
The run would continue with a steal by Tinnell leading to a layup from Miller at 2:37 for a 25-21 edge.
Sutton ended the run with a jumper for the Tigers at 2:16.
The Cougars responded by rattling off a 9-0 run starting with a 3-pointer made by Miller with 2:00 left in the third frame.
East Hardy’s Brooklyn Miller created a steal, then Tinnell kept the possession alive with two rebounds before drawing a foul and making both charity stripe buckets.
Tinnell swiped the ball and took a demonstrative stop in the paint as Sutton flew by on the chase and netted the jumper for a 32-23 lead with 45 seconds on the clock
Tinnell stole the ball again and dished to Chloe Miller with 23 seconds to go, 34-23.
Sutton knocked down a jumper for Union with nine seconds remaining as the Cougars carried a 34-25 lead into the final stanza.
East Hardy commenced the fourth period with a steal by Tinnell and Sutton deflected the ensuing pass.
Chloe Miller made an inbound pass assist to Addison Armentrout to put the Cougars up 36-25 at 7:45.
Tinnell got another takeaway and added one free throw.
Carr drilled a 3-pointer for the Tigers at 6:17, then collected a defensive carom.
Union’s Bailey Casteel recorded a putback at 5:33 to close the gap to 37-30.
After a scramble down the court with the ball going off the Cougars, Armentrout blocked a shot.
Union’s Chanda Gaither stole the ball, then Sutton drew a foul and made both shots from the line at 4:28, 37-32.
East Hardy hit the rim twice, then Stahl drilled a 3-pointer for the Tigers to pull within one possession at 37-35 with 3:40 remaining.
Armentrout made a layup for the Cougars on the next series.
Tinnell and Sutton traded steals with the latter resulting in a missed shot, then East Hardy stalled possession.
Tinnell garnred a layup to boost East Hardy’s lead to 41-35 with 1:35 to go.
Union missed two field goals, then Tinnell hit a jumper for the Cougars with one minute left.
The Tigers fueled to connect at the line, then Armentrout grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Chloe Miller.
Miller sealed the win with two free throws with 23 seconds remaining as the Cougars took a 45-35 lead.
Carr hammered a 3-pointer for the Tigers with 14 seconds left, but not enough to climb out of the hole with the Cougars gathering the 45-38 win.
