Tucker holds off Lady Colts’ comeback
PHILIPPI — Tucker County junior guard Sydney Nestor started the season off with a double-double on Friday, helping the Lady Mountain Lions stave off the Philip Barbour Colts’ defense, as TCHS picked up a 42-32 victory on the road.
Nestor banked three shots from behind the arc in the first half and went 10 for 15 from the foul line to garner 19 points. She also caused several steals, and recorded 15 rebounds.
Tucker took a 19-4 lead to the half, before PBHS won the third and fourth quarters, though it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.
The Lady Colts pulled to within five points while trailing 35-30 in the fourth, before Tucker pulled off a 7-2 run to end the contest.
“A win is a win, and we stepped up to make plays when we needed to,” TCHS coach Jim Ambrose said. “To get a win in the first game of the season is always good. We played pretty good defense, and we are going to watch tape in order to get better.”
Also putting up scores for the Lady Mountain Lions was Elizabeth Nichols with 6 points and 10 rebounds. Terra Kuhn picked up another of Tucker’s 10 boards, while getting 5 in the scoring column.
Turnovers were decimating for both squads, as Tucker recorded 30. Philip Barbour gave the ball up 23 times. Tucker went just 16 for 31 in the foul line’s shooting opportunities.
Philip Barbour starters Chelsea Mayle and Adriana Christopher picked up early early fouls and had to sit for a portion of the first half. Reserves on the Colts’ roster stepped in to keep the game alive during a standoffish second quarter that only saw 7 points scored by a capable Tucker team. PB only notched 3 points in order to be behind 19-4 at intermission.
The Colts won the third quarter, 13-8, and edged TCHS 16-15 in the fourth.
Philip Barbour junior Sarah Jones came off the bench and was solid down the stretch, nabbing a three-pointer and going 5 for 6 at the stripe to total 8 points.
Mayle finished the contest with 8 points and 7 boards, while Kasey Neville took down 10 rebounds along with dropping in 5 points. Christopher and Annie Ferguson both added 4 points each for PB.
“We couldn’t get shots to fall in the first half, but things worked a little better in the second half,” Colts coach Curtis Bodkins said. “The defensive effort was very solid for us. Tucker is a tough team. They obviously have played all summer and fall, and that’s what you have to do to be good.
“It makes it tough and handcuffed us a bit to have to sit some starters in the first half,” he said. “We have faced two pretty tough opponents in two days’ time, and the girls have stepped up and played hard. They have a good rapport as a team, and they will get better.”
Philip Barbour (0-2) will resume play on Tuesday at Ritchie County. Tucker County (1-0) will host their home opener on the mountain Wednesday against Pocahontas County.