by Gregg Meadows
Tri-Valley junior Brady Kaufman made his first varsity start a memorable one.
The two-sport Scottie guard swished a three-point bomb from deep in the left corner with just 25 seconds left in regulation for the go-ahead basket in a thrilling 53-50 win for Tri-Valley over defending Muskingum Valley League champion Maysville, Tuesday night, Dec. 19 before a packed house in Dresden at The Dawg House.
The Scotties squandered a 16-point second half lead to the visiting Panthers, who edged past the home team twice in the game’s final minutes before Kaufman’s heroics. The big win – TV’s fifth straight to open the 2023-24 season – improved Coach Todd McLoughlin’s troops overall record to 5-1, and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. Maysville fell to 3-2 overall and 2-2 in MVL play after the loss.
The Scotties – who scored the game’s first eight points – led 10-7 at the first break, thanks to six points from senior Terrell Darden, and four from junior talent Nohah Nichols. Tri-Valley sophomore Keaton Hahn provided a spark for the home team, coming off the bench in the second stanza to score six points and Nichols added four more to go along with a Max Lyall trey, as the Scotties took a 27-14 lead to the halftime lockerroom. Maysville senior Alex Bobb scored all but two of his team’s first half points.
Tri-Valley’s lead stretched to 16 points in the third quarter at 33-17, but that’s when the Panthers started their comeback, outscoring the Scotties 17-6 to close the third quarter and trail just 39-34 headed to what would be a wild final period. Wesley Armstead’s 10 third period points and eight more from Bobb led the Panther rally.
The home team hung tough in the fourth frame with buckets from Darden, Nichols, Hahn, and senior Erik Neal, but the Panthers edged ahead twice in the final minutes on Bobb and Armstead buckets before Kaufman’s big shot and a Neal free throw sealed the deal for the black and gold.
Terrell Darden led the winners with 13 points, with Nohah Nichols and Keaton Hahn right behind with 12 counters each. Alex Bobb’s 26 points were tops for the Panthers, who also got 12 from Wesley Armstead.
Tri-Valley won the JV game 66-57 thanks to 19 and 17 points respectively from Scottie juniors Kade Hindel and Kam Karns. Landon Iden’s 25 points led Maysville, who also got 20 from Gavin Ferguson. The Scotties tipped off the triple-header of action with a 42-20 win in the freshman game. Colton Rollison’s 14 led the winners, who also got nine from Jaxson Marshall, seven from Lucca Gargasz and six from Corbin Ryan.
Tri-Valley closes out the calendar year 2023 with a non-conference home date vs. Hilliard Bradley on Dec. 28.
Back on Friday night, Dec. 15 in Dresden, the Scotties defeated the visiting Philo Electrics 76-41. Nohah Nichols led the winners with 17 points, and Terrell Darden added 14. Philo junior Talon Preston and freshman Rusty Trout each scored 11 points to lead the Electrics in scoring.
Tri-Valley won a tightly contested junior varsity game by a 54-46 count. Scottie sophomore Ryan Lamonica led the winners with 18 points, followed by junior Kam Karns with 14. Masen Runkle’s 14 points led Philo.
Back on Dec. 12, the Scotties defeated visiting John Glenn by a 62-38 count. Max Lyall’s 16 and Terrell Darden’s 14 points led the winners, who also got seven each from Erik Neal (two treys), Nohah Nichols and Brady Kaufman. John Glenn’s sophomore guard CJ Dolan’s trio of treys and 11 points led the Muskies, who also got eight from senior Noah Winland (two treys). Coach Chris Garber’s Tri-Valley junior varsity team also picked up a victory on the night with their 46-23 victory over the John Glenn reserves. Scottie junior guard Kade Hindel scored points in every quarter, and led the winners with 15 points, while sophomore southpaw guard Angelo Haddox had the hot-hand from long-range for the home team, banking in a 30-plus footer ahead of the second stanza buzzer as part of his 11 points, which was matched by junior standout Kam Karns’ 11 points as well. Hayden Gensor’s nine counters led the JG JV’s in scoring.
Tri-Valley dropped the freshman contest, falling to the Muskie frosh by a 45-26 count. Jaxson Marshall’s six points were tops the Scottie freshman, who also got five points from Braylon Every. Wyatt Roe’s game-high 17 points led the winning Muskie effort.
