Final.. great game, easily one of Ashland's most competitive games of the year, up there with the Raceland Derby final against Fairview. Tug Valley is #6 ranked in West Virginia.
Tug Valley (WV)---27--15--19--15---76
Ashland-----------19--21--24--15---79
Players listed in order of points scored. Starters shown in bold.
Tug Valley:
----------Pts--Fls
Preece-----20---3
Evans------16---3
Vance------15---4
Brewer-----13---5
Pack--------8---2
Varney------4---2
TOTALS-----79--20 (incl. 1 technical)
Ashland:
----------Pts--Fls
Delaney----15---1
Withrow----14---2
Skaggs-----12---1
Whetsel----12---2
Gregg------12---4
Hunter------6---1
Griffith----4---1
Johnson-----2---4
Swift-------2---0
Royalty-----0---1
TOTALS-----79--19 (incl. 1 technical)
Technical fouls: Ashland bench (6:59 3rd), Preece (1:05 3rd).
Fouled out: Brewer.
Ashland (13-2) at Mason Co. - Tuesday 1/19
Tug Valley, WV at Williamson, WV - Tuesday 1/19
The Preece kid is one heckuva guard. He did a great job against the press, was excellent at distributing the ball, and played very solid defense. He picked up the technical when his temper got away from him, but other than that, he was almost flawless for Tug Valley.
The Tug Valley coach also did an excellent job, having his team ready to play.
This was a good game for Ashland. They need to play more teams of this caliber. At the risk of retribution by Squid, I must state the obvious. Ashland won because of its depth and excellent coaching. They win by wearing down opponents rather than by overwhelming others with individual talent. Surely that is a positive observation.
Nice post, Truth.
Good points about the game, and it is also important to note that that was only the fourth game for Tug Valley. It looks like the weather has really put a damper on their schedule - even more so than the teams in the 16th Region.
Tug Valley's coach was an assistant for University Heights when they won the All A and Sweet 16. Also he was an assistant for Williamson in 2001 when they won a state title. Weather has hampered Tug Valley because of the weather. As of Last Wednesday Tug had 2 games and 35 practices. Good game for both teams. Tonight Tug plays South Charleston. This tough schedule will pay off.
I like Tug Valley's team, Joe. I'd like to watch them in the playoffs in West Virginia.
As the big kid in the middle (Pack) gets more experience, this team will become better and better. They have solid guard play, and their two forwards are skilled and strong. I don't know how often the people in Tug Valley see a team that is this complete come along, but they really need to enjoy this team while they have them.
I too was impressed with Tug Valley, even though the printer managed to make it 'Rug Valley' on the schedule card. The number 6 ranking seems deserved to me. They executed well on both ends of the court and it looked like they had close to 10 run outs. Preece had 2 treys on the iron in the last 12 seconds for the tie. Good thing Ashland had a game under their belt with Russell prior to this game. No offense intended but, TV has to be considered a tougher out with their size and speed. 12 days off & facing TV could have been a different outcome considering the 3 point margin of victory.
Basketball gets a later start in West Virginia than it does in Kentucky. Tug Valley is a good Class AA school but, as with most smaller schools, it has a short bench. Most teams with short benches will have trouble with Ashland because if its ability to run people in and out.
Squid Wrote:I like Tug Valley's team, Joe. I'd like to watch them in the playoffs in West Virginia.
As the big kid in the middle (Pack) gets more experience, this team will become better and better. They have solid guard play, and their two forwards are skilled and strong. I don't know how often the people in Tug Valley see a team that is this complete come along, but they really need to enjoy this team while they have them.
Pack is only a soph. hopefully he has a bright future ahead of him.
Old School Wrote:Pack is only a soph. hopefully he has a bright future ahead of him.
He definitely has the frame and the athleticism. From here, it is up to him on how hard he works. He needs to play all summer long with a well coached AAU team, lift weights, and work on his low post play.
I don't know if he is done growing, but man, he has a couple of tools to start with.
Truth Wrote:Basketball gets a later start in West Virginia than it does in Kentucky. Tug Valley is a good Class AA school but, as with most smaller schools, it has a short bench. Most teams with short benches will have trouble with Ashland because if its ability to run people in and out.
I agree with you, getting fresh legs into the game is hard to deal with but, I thought they had a reasonable sub rotation during the game. It hurt them when Brewer went out, his size and skill just wasn't replaceable from the bench at that critical time of the game. Their guards looked like they had another period in them easily.
Coach Thompson is a very, very good coach.