The Tug Valley Lady Panthers earned a sectional championship on Thursday by defeating the Tolsia Lady Rebels, 42-39, on Thursday at Tolsia High School.
The Lady Panthers (6-18) jumped out to a 17-13 lead in the opening quarter, but Tolsia (11-12) stormed back in the second period by outscoring Tug Valley, 13-5, to take a 26-22 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
Tug Valley fought back and took a 33-31 lead into the final quarter. After a nip and tuck final quarter, a Tolsia 3-point shot was off the mark as time expired to send the Lady Panthers into the regional round as a host.
The team then had a special celebration on Friday morning as WSAZ visited for ‘Fired Up Friday.’ The community came out to celebrate Tug Valley High School, and the girls team was able to walk out with the trophy to the roar of the crowd.
Haven Deskins led the Lady Panthers with 17 points. Bailee Hall followed with 13 points. Katelynn Richardson added 12 points.
For Tolsia, Emily Artrip led all scorers with 20 points. Kilee Preece and Jacey Crum followed with 7 points each. Olivia Kelly finished with 5 points.
The Lady Panthers will host a regional championship game on Tuesday.
