The Paw Paw Pirates will venture away from home to challenge the Tygarts Valley Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Paw Paw is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.8 points per game this season.
Paw Paw is coming into the matchup on the come-up as their season has now been buoyed by two straight victories. They simply couldn't be stopped last Monday as they easily beat Bishop Walsh 65-38. Given the Pirates' advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 117th in West Virginia, while the Spartans are ranked 290th in Maryland), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Donavan Tanouye
| 02/24/25 vs Bishop Walsh | 31 |
| 02/22/25 @ Hancock | 34 |
| 02/19/25 @ Union | 29 |
| 02/14/25 @ Berkeley Springs | 20 |
| 02/13/25 @ Calvary Christian Academy | 31 |
| + 10 more games |
It was another big night for Donavan Tanouye, who dropped a double-double with 31 points and 17 boards. His evening made it 15 games in a row in which he has scored at least 16 points. Braylen Paul was another key player, going 5-for-11 to rack up 12 points and four steals.
Paw Paw smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've posted since back in December of 2024.
Meanwhile, Tygarts Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were five points away from ending the streak, but they lost an 83-78 heartbreaker at the hands of South Harrison. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Paw Paw will have to keep a close watch on Jacob Wamsley and Kendall Armstrong, a pair of players who had a big impact on Tygarts Valley's prior game. Wamsley shot 67% from the field en route to 25 points, while Armstrong went 8-for-12 on his way to 17 points and six rebounds. Wamsley is on a roll when it comes to shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 50% in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Ian Harris, who shot 56% from the field to rack up 12 points and six assists.
Tygarts Valley's loss dropped their record down to 12-9. As for Paw Paw, their win bumped their record up to 8-14.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Paw Paw has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 22.5 boards per game. However, it's not like Tygarts Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 26.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Paw Paw might still be hurting after the 77-53 defeat they got from Tygarts Valley in their previous meeting back in December of 2019. Can Paw Paw avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
