The Tygarts Valley Bulldogs will square off against the Paw Paw Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Tygarts Valley is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. 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.
Jacob Wamsley
| 03/04/25 @ South Harrison | 67% |
| 02/27/25 vs Tucker County | 50% |
| 02/25/25 @ Petersburg | 71% |
Tygarts Valley's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Jacob Wamsley, who went 10-for-15 on his way to 25 points, and Kendall Armstrong, who shot 67% from the field to rack up 17 points and six boards. Wamsley is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, 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 went 5-for-9 en route to 12 points and six assists.
Even though they lost, Tygarts Valley was working as a unit and finished the game with 26 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Paw Paw hasn't had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They took their game last Monday with ease, bagging a 65-38 victory over Bishop Walsh. With the Pirates ahead 40-11 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Tygarts Valley better keep an eye on Donavan Tanouye. He was instrumental in Paw Paw's win, dropping a double-double with 31 points and 17 rebounds. That makes it 16 consecutive games in which Tanouye has scored at least a third of Paw Paw's points. Braylen Paul was another key player, shooting 45% from the field on his way to 12 points and four steals.
Tygarts Valley's defeat 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: Tygarts Valley has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.9 boards per game. However, it's not like Paw Paw struggles in that department as they've been averaging 22.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Tygarts Valley's way against Paw Paw in their previous meeting back in December of 2019, as Tygarts Valley made off with a 77-53 victory. Does Tygarts Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will Paw Paw turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
