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December 5, 2009

Smith powers TV past Bulldogs

By LARRY HYPES

TAZEWELL, Va. — Under the towering basket the valley Smith(y) stood.

Josh Smith’s play was rugged poetry for Twin Valley as the Panther powerhouse poured in 35 points to lead TVHS to a 76-58 non-district win over the battling Bulldogs (1-1) from Tazewell Friday.

Smith, a career 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound star at Twin Valley, scored the first nine Panther (1-0) points and kept up the pressure much of the game. That effort was enough to counter a trey by Tazewell’s

Quentin Harris, who also hit three quick free throws and a three from Blake Hash.

Tazewell popped in 8 three-pointers in a effort to offset the Panthers’ inside defense while Twin Valley cashed on a physical contest by hitting 21-of-29 free throws.

With Lucas Shortridge going inside offensively midway through the first half, as well, Twin Valley began to pull away with a fast break attack.

After the early tie, Tazewell was able to pull within three, at 27-24 on Blaine Hancock’s bucket early in the second quarter. Right before halftime, however, Twin Valley bolted to its biggest lead of the first two quarters, 44-30, when Joe Mullins scored.

“Our motto is pound the paint early, and the outside will open up,” noted Smith. “I was able to get some inside shots early tonight. That helped Lucas (Shortridge), Brandon Viers, and Cody Hubbard to get freed up. I was also real proud of the way Daniel Hobbs came on tonight in his first game. This was a big win for us.”

The Bulldogs battled back, often from the outside, hitting some treys in the closing moments against the confident Panthers, who bolted to a 20-point lead in the fourth stanza.

“They (Twin Valley) just got us down low early on,” said Harris, who finished with a game-high 11 points for THS. “They out-rebounded us and played at their tempo. I felt pretty good early in the game. I was just able to let the ball go smoothly and it was going in.”

Tazewell center Jeremiah Jessee was hampered by early foul trouble and had to take a seat in the fourth quarter, finishing with nine points.

Shortridge also sparkled for Twin Valley as he scored 18 points and played solid inside defense for the winners, as a key helper for Smith, who was also 11-of-12 at the free throw line, in the victory.

“Josh (Smith) is the epitome of what we want all our players to be,” noted Panther coach Brian Moore. “He does everything he can to help us win and works just as hard in the off-season in the weight room and conditioning to make himself better.

“We didn’t necessarily want to run the ball tonight but as things opened up, that helped us get ahead so we took what they (Tazewell) were giving us.”

Lathel Mountain and Hash chipped in with 10 points apiece for Tazewell and John Walker added a pair of treys for the Bulldogs.

“We knew what a good player Smith is,” said THS coach Lee Walker. “I saw him in the state playoffs last year. Twin Valley is tough inside and outside.

“Still, our players have a right to some inside position, too.”

Tazewell plays next Thursday at Grundy in Southwest District action. Twin Valley plays Friday at Graham.

TWIN VALLEY (1-0)

Brandon Viers 4 0-1 8, Cody Hubbard 0 0-2 0, Lucas Shortridge 6 5-7 18, Joe Mullins 1 0-0 2, Daniel Hobbs 1 5-7 7, J.D. Street 1 0-0 2, Cody Prater 0 0-0 0, Josh Smith 12 11-12 35, Chris Hughes 2 0-0 4. Totals 27 21-29 76

TAZEWELL (1-1)

Lathel Mountain 3 3-4 10, Blake Hash 4 0-0 10, Kyle Lewis 0 0-0 0, Brad Rhudy 2 0-0 5, John Walker 2 0-0 6, Jalen Jordan 2 0-0 4, Quentin Harris 3 33 11, Blaine Hancock 1 1-5 3, Jeremiah Jessee 4 1-3 9, Jon Hodges 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-15 58

Twin Valley........................21 23 19 13 — 76

Tazewell............................15 15 12 16 — 53

3-point goals: Twin Valley 1 (Shortridge 1); Tazewell 8 (Hash 2, Walker 2, Harris 2, Rhudy 1, Mountain 1. Fouled out: Jessee.

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