By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
It was a tale of two cats as the Cougars held the lead for most of the second half of the WVSSAC Class A state boys basketball tournament semifinal game during a defensive battle, but the Mountain Lions got the last meow with a 10-nil run to close the game for a 42-36 victory to advance to the championship in Charleston.
This was the third meeting of the season between Region II and Potomac Valley Conference representatives East Hardy (20-6) and Tucker County (21-2) and the Mountain Lions roared to victory all three times.
The first two games were double digit losses for the Cougars, but this time East Hardy had a healthy lineup ready to pounce into battle and nearly clawed to the win.
It was an intense fight on defense as East Hardy forced 12 turnovers, while Tucker County countered with 14 turnovers.
“It was ugly, but I’m proud of the way we kept battling and grinding. I couldn’t be more proud of this team. Ugly or whatever, I’ll play in a state final anytime. A typical EastHardy – Tcuker County game. He knows us and we know them,” Tucker County coach Daniel Helmick commented.
East Hardy’s Gideon Good just came off a quarterfinal game with 11 blocks, but was only able to record two against the Mountain Lions and made up for it with 10 rebounds including seven defensively.
Tucker County had 10 blocked shots, led by Garrett Wilfong with four denials.
Trevan Bonner notched a game-high 16 points for the Mountain Lions, followed by Ethan Cummings with 14 points.
The Cougars were paced by Evan Hamilton and Jordan Teets with 12 points apiece, followed by Joseph Price with eight markers.
“I’m really tired of seeing Trevan Bonner. I can tell you that. That kid made plays when he had to and was clutch. I wish I could’ve drawn up one more offensive set. I feel like I let them down not having one more play call to get them in a better position to be successful. A heck of a game and somebody has to come out on the bottom end, and unfortunately it’s us. If you didn’t see kids with hearts 10 times the size of their bodies, I don’t know what you watched There wasn’t a kid on either team that didn’t leave everything they had out there tonight,” East Hardy coach Chris Hahn remarked.
East Hardy lost the opening tipoff out of bounds, then created a trap forcing Tucker County into a walk.
Tucker County’s Xander Lambert intercepted a pass, but the ensuing shot went awry and the Cougars’ Jordan Teets corralled the rebound before a block by Lambert.
East Hardy’s Gideon Good snatched a defensive rebound, but Tucker County’s Mikey Mitchell stole the ball and netted a layup for the initial lead at 6:00.
East Hardy equalized the game on a putback by Joseph Price on the next possession at 5:37.
Good collected a rebound, but a charge was called on Teets crashing into the paint.
Tucker County went up 5-2 on a 3-pointer by Trevan Bonner at 4:35.
Lambert stole the ball and dished to Bonner for a jumper to extend the lead 7-2.
Tucker County’s Sam Marks made a steal, but lost control of the ball and Teets recovered it and Price finished off the play with a jumper at 3:45, 7-4.
Mason Hamilton swiped the ball for the Cougars and drew a foul.
Both teams hit the rim with rebounds by Mitchell and Teets with the latter resulting in a layup by Price off an assist from Hamilton at 2:41, 7-6.
Good, Price and Evan Hamilton made steals over the next two minutes, but there were turnovers each time.
Good blocked a shot, then Price grabbed an offensive rebound and found Evan Hamilton, who completed an old-fashioned three-point play putting East Hardy ahead for the first time 9-7 with 32 seconds left in the opening frame.
Price hauled in a defensive carom, then Evan Hamilton twisted around Garrett Wilfong for a jumper and was called for a walk prior to the Mountain Lions missing the final shot.
Teets crashed into the paint drawing a foul to start the second period and added one free throw for the Cougars at 7:43, 10-7.
Mitchell collected an offensive rebound before losing the ball out of bounds, then Wilfong blocked a shot.
Mitchell drained a 3-pointer as Tucker County knotted the game at 10-all at 6:30.
East Hardy lost the ball out of bounds, but Evan Hamilton stole it back before the ensuing attempt went awry with a rebound by Bonner.
Teets stole the ball, but the next shot was blocked by Tucker County’s Cole Carr and Mason Hamilton stepped out of bounds corralling the ricochet.
Both teams missed a couple buckets, then a steal by Evan Hamilton led to a foul and one free throw for the Cougars for an 11-10 lead at 3:53.
Price collected a defensive carom, but the next attempt was off the mark and Teets couldn’t juggle the ball along the baseline.
Teets knocked the ball loose and Evan Hamilton secured it for the steal before being fouled.
Wilfong grabbed a defensive carom, then Ethan Cummings drilled a 3-pointer as the Mountain Lions regained the lead 13-11 at 2:14.
Wilfong collected another rebound, then Bonner drew a foul and made one free throw at 1:55.
There were a couple turnovers and a handful of missed shots to close out the first half before Good drew a foul with under a second left and made both free throws for the Cougars to close the gap to 14-13.
Evan Hamilton tied the game with a free throw at 6:47 in the third period, then gave East Hardy the lead with a 3-pointer at 5:56 coming after a defensive rebound by Mason Hamilton, 17-14.
Tucker County lost the ball out of play, but Mitchell stole it back leading to a second chance bucket from Bonner.
Evan Hamilton scored on a layup for the Cougars on the ensuing series at 4:47, 19-16.
Mason Hamilton blocked a shot, then both teams missed opportunities at the rim.
Cummings knocked down a 3-pointer as the Mountain Lions tied the game at 19-all with 3:53 left in the third period.
Cummings and Price traded steals.
East Hardy regained the lead 21-19 at 3:32 on a jumper by Teets.
A steal and score by Evan Hamilton extended the Cougars lead to 23-19 at 3:02.
Cummings drilled a trey at 2:40 to close the gap to 23-22.
Both teams missed shots, then Good and Wilfong blocked attempts.
Teets drilled a perimeter basket to put the Cougars up 26-22 with 51 seconds left in the third period.
The Cougars got the defensive rebound, but lost the ball out of bounds during a trap as Mason Hamilton tripped.
Bonner closed out the frame with a jumper to pull Tucker County to within one possession entering the final stanza, 26-24.
Starting the fourth period, East Hardy’s Gideon Good made a layup, plus the harm and missed the attempt at the line for a 28-24 lead.
Tucker County responded with a layup by Sam Marks at 7:34, 28-26.
The Cougars missed two shots with a rebound by Evan Hamilton, then a save by Cummings which would transpire into a steal by Mason Hamilton before another miss and rebound by Mitchell leading to a jump ball.
Tucker County missed the rim and an offensive foul was called during a rebound by Bonner.
Wilfong and Good traded blocks on each other with the latter also creating contact sending Wilfong to the line making one free throw at 6:19.
The Cougars responded with a jumper by Price at 6:02.
Teets snatched a defensive carom, then netted a jumper to put East Hardy ahead 32-27 with 5:15 remaining.
Bonner made a layup on the ensuing series within 13 seconds.
East Hardy answered with a jumper by Teets at 4:38 for a 34-29 lead.
Mason Hamilton grabbed a defensive rebound and timeout was called.
There was a scramble for the ball with Mitchell making the recovery and was fouled.
Tucker County’s Ethan Cummings sank a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to 34-32 at 3:27.
Teets drew a foul during a collision, then moments later there was another Tucker County foul away from the ball.
After a deflection, Teets hit a jumper to put the Cougars up 36-32 with 2:31 to go.
Tucker County answered with a layup by Marks at 2:13.
Teets fell and maintained the dribble, but the ensuing pass was deflected out as Bonner flew over him.
East Hardy’s Aubrey McCullough drew a foul and missed both shots at the stripe at 1:45, then Wilfong made the save and it was intercepted by Mason Hamilton.
The Cougars hit the rim and Mitchell collected the carom.
Bonner garnered a layup to tie the game at 36-all with 1:24 remaining.
Bonner punched the ball loose from Hamilton and completed an old-fashioned three-point play giving the Mountain Lions a 39-36 edge with 41 seconds left.
East Hardy hit the rim and the ball bounced out of play with 27 seconds.
Cummings was fouled and added two free throws for Tucker County, 41-36.
Bonner snatched a defensive rebound and was fouled, then notched one free throw for a 42-36 lead with 19 seconds on the clock.
East Hardy had one final attempt go awry as the Mountain Lions advanced to the state championship game with a 42-36 victory.
Tug Valley defeated Tucker County for the Class A title 65-45.
The Class A All-Tournament Team selections were: Tug Valley’s Braydun Ferris (MVP), Ashton Davis and Bryson Elia, Tucker County’s Trevan Bonner and Garrett Wilfong, East Hardy’s Evan Hamilton and Jordan Teets, and Greater Beckley Christian’s Drew Fitzwater.
