Basketball Game Preview: East Hardy Cougars vs. Tygarts Valley Bulldogs

The East Hardy Cougars will square off against the Tygarts Valley Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. East Hardy is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.

On Wednesday, East Hardy ended up a good deal behind Pendleton County and lost 50-34.

Meanwhile, Tygarts Valley came up short against Pendleton County on Tuesday and fell 60-53.

East Hardy will need to focus on slowing down Nevaeh Cooper, one of several Tygarts Valley players who made an impact when they last played. She went 5-for-6 to rack up 12 points and three steals. Cooper continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Emily Smith was another key player, going 6-for-13 en route to 12 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Tygarts Valley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.

Tygarts Valley's defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-9. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.3 points over those games. As for East Hardy, their loss dropped their record down to 9-11.

East Hardy was able to grind out a solid victory over Tygarts Valley in their previous matchup on February 7th, winning 43-35. Will East Hardy repeat their success, or does Tygarts Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.