Tigers drop heartbreaker at home, 45-43
ELKINS — The Elkins Tigers closed out the regular season Tuesday with a 45-43 loss to Big 10 Conference rival Bridgeport in boys varsity basketball action.
“It was a tough one,” EHS coach Brandon Simmons said. “We had it, but we lost it down the stretch. It was a tight game all night. It was back and forth, back and forth.
“We had a six-point lead in the second quarter and we were up at the half. Then we let it slip away down the stretch,” he said.
“We had it down to the wire … We had our chances,” Simmons said. “That’s the good thing. We know can play with these guys.”
Three Tigers reached double digits in scoring.
Dalton Hamrick led the pack with 13 points, while Matt Wilson notched 12 points and Elliot White added 10 points.
Kyle Riggleman and Devan Ricottilli rounded out the scoring with 4 points each.
Dylan Purcell was the top scorer for Bridgeport with 16 points.
J.T. Harris contributed 8 points and Jake Bowen chipped in 6 points.
Elkins jumped out to a 14-11 lead after the first quarter and carried a 22-20 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
After the intermission, Bridgeport returned to the floor hot and took the lead in the third quarter after outscoring EHS 19-15 for the period.
Both teams played to an even 6-6 fourth quarter, but the Tigers couldn’t bounce back from the third quarter deficit.
Elkins (8-14) is set to host Liberty on Saturday in the first round of the Class AA Region II Section 1 tournament.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.