The second ranked (Class A) Tug Valley Panthers took control early and continued to pull away as they defeated the visiting Mingo Central Miners, 69-39, on Tuesday in Naugatuck.
The Panthers (13-3) jumped out early, taking a 19-6 advantage in the opening period. The two teams battled back and forth in the second frame as the Miners (5-12) trailed 32-18 at the intermission.
Tug Valley took full control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring Mingo Central, 21-14, to stretch out its advantage to 53-32 going into the final quarter. The Miners never threatened from there.
Braydun Ferris led the way for the Panthers with 17 points. Kaden Hale followed with 16 points. Ashton Davis poured in 12 points. Buddy Marcum added 6 points and 10 rebounds. Brady Brewer tallied 5 points. Bryson Elia scored 4 points and dished out 8 assists. Carson Newsome netted 3 points. Cameron Slone, Preston May and Jace Hale chipped in with 2 points each.
For the Miners, Ethan Thomason paced the scoring with 15 points. Kendan Trent scored 9 points. Caden Porter scored 6 points. Bo Hatfield had 3 points. Aidan Burke, Zander Phillips and Colton Smith finished with 2 points each.
Tug Valley will next play Webster County in the Par Mar Shootout at West Virginia State University in Institute on Wednesday at 7 pm.
Mingo Central will host Bluefield on Saturday at 2 pm.
Photos Courtesy of Karen Watts
