The Paw Paw Pirates scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Friday. They came out on top against Hancock by a score of 78-67. The win was just what Paw Paw needed coming off of a 81-46 loss in their prior matchup.
Paw Paw got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Donavan Tanouye out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 34 points and nine rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Tanouye has scored at least a third of Paw Paw's points. Ayden Crabtree was another key contributor, scoring 24 points along with two steals and two blocks.
Despite the defeat, Hancock saw an underclassman step up: Ethan Hill scored 21 points. It was the first time this season that Hill scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden McCarty, who scored 12 points.
Paw Paw has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6 record this season. As for Hancock, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-13.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Paw Paw will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on East Hardy at 6:00 p.m. on February 16th. Hopefully Paw Paw focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 22 on Friday. As for Hancock, they will head out on the road to square off against Fannett Metal at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hancock is coming into the contest with five straight defeats on the road, meaning Fannett Metal will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory.
