(BDT) Hurley survives scare by Twin Valley

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Hurley survives scare by Twin Valley

 

By LLOYD COMBS Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Thu Feb 24, 2011, 12:06 AM EST

 

HURLEY, Va. — Every team that wins a major post-season tournament gets a scare at some point along the way.

 

A determined Twin Valley squad threw a major one into Hurley, before the Rebels overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win, 51-45, in the opening round of the Region D, Division 1 quarterfinals Wednesday night.

 

The number one seed in the tourney, Hurley (22-3) advanced to a semifinal meeting with J.I. Burton Friday night at Lebanon, but just barely.

 

Three straight buckets, one by Daniel Hobbs and two by Chance Moore, staked Twin Valley, to a 43-39 lead early in the fourth quarter. It was the first lead of the night for the Panthers, the number eight seed, as they battled back from a double-digit, first-half deficit.

 

“I expected Twin Valley to come over here and play hard and challenge us, and give coach Moore and his kids credit, they did,†Hurley coach Mark Cooper said. “Twin Valley is used to a great atmosphere, and a winning tradition, and they fought tooth and nail to uphold that.â€

 

Hurley got the ball inside to Dustin Waynick on its next two possessions to tie the score, and Tyler Cooper got the ball to his brother Austin in transition to take the lead back, 45-43, with three minutes remaining, and the Rebels ended the game on a 12-2 run.

 

A hard-nosed Twin Valley defense made it difficult for the Rebels to get the ball inside much of the night. Hurley made just three of its first 20 shots from the field in the second half before its final run.

 

“Our defense was a lot better than it was the last time we played over here,†Twin Valley coach Brian Moore said “We did a good job keeping them from getting the shots they wanted.

 

“We knew we needed to keep the score in the 40s to have a chance, and we put ourselves in a position to have a chance at the end. I’m as proud of this bunch of kids as I’ve been of any team I’ve ever coached.â€

 

Daniel Hobbs, who fouled out with 2:41 remaining, led Twin Valley (9-14) with 13 points. The junior sharpshooter scored seven points in the second quarter as the Panthers cut a 26-15 deficit to 26-23 just before halftime.

 

Moore finished with nine rebounds, while Logan Cantrell, Cody Hubbard and Shannon Adams made key defensive plays in the second half for the Panthers.

 

While Waynick and Austin Cooper sat out much of the first half in foul trouble, Tyler Cooper scored 16 of his game-high 22 points. Waynick finished with 18 points, Austin Cooper with eight boards and Thomas Allen had four steals for the Rebels.

 

Hurley made just 5-of-11 free throws after a technical on the Twin Valley bench with 2:03 remaining.

 

“I hope it’s the mark of a good team to withstand a big run and come back and win,†Cooper said. “We’ve got to learn from this, and we’ve got to do a better job at the free throw line.â€

 

 

 

At Hurley

 

TWIN VALLEY (45)

 

Hobbs 6 1-2 13, Adams 3 0-0 6, Case 2 0-0 4, Cantrell 4 1-2 9, Hubbard 1 0-2 3, Fletcher 1 0-0 3, Moore 3 1-2 7, Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals – 20 3-8 45.

 

HURLEY (51)

 

ACooper 2 0-4 4, T. Cooper 9 4-4 22, Waynick 6 6-8 18, Allen 0 0-0 , Peck 2 0-1 5, Brown 0 0-0 0, Hurley 0 2-2 2, Hensley 0 0-0 0, Charles 0 0-0 0, Ramey 0 0-0 0, Stacy 0 0-0 0. Totals – 19 12-19 51.

 

Twin Valley..............12 14 11 8 — 45

 

Hurley.....................22 11 6 12 — 51

 

3-point goals-TV 2 (Hubbard, Fletcher), Hurley 1 (Peck). Total fouls-Twin Valley 21, Hurley 11. Fouled out-Hobbs, Moore. Technicals-Twin Valley bench.