by Jamie Harris
The Paw Paw Pirates faced off against the #2 ranked Southern Garrett Rams from Oakland, Md., in a thrilling matchup at the Western Maryland Classic hosted by Garrett College. Despite a valiant effort, the Pirates ultimately fell 79-63 in a hard-fought contest.
Southern Garrett started strong, taking an 18-14 lead after the first quarter. Undeterred, Paw Paw rallied back with a 15-11 run in the second quarter to tie the game at 29-29 going into halftime. The third quarter saw the Rams edge ahead with a 23-20 run, building a 56-49 lead heading into the final quarter. Despite their best efforts, Paw Paw couldn’t maintain the pace against Southern Garrett’s depth, leading to the final score.
Leading the charge for Paw Paw was Donnie Tanouye, who delivered a standout performance with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Taylor Carder contributed 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, while RJ Ryan and Nathan Dick played crucial roles on the boards with 5 and 4 rebounds respectively. Braylen Paul also contributed 2 points to the Pirates’ effort.
Reflecting on the game, Pirates head coach Adam Carder expressed pride in his team’s performance:
“We surprised Southern. Donnie put on a clinic. We had a lot of people from the college and the directors of the tournament come up to me and compliment me and the team on how well they presented themselves and their no quit attitude.”
Earlier in the week, Paw Paw had a mixed bag of results, securing a commanding 71-35 victory over Hyndman, Pa., but falling short in a close 80-71 contest against Turkeyfoot Valley Area, Pa. No detailed stats were available for these matchups.
The Pirates (4-9) have a packed schedule with a game against Timber Ridge (Va.) at home on Monday, February 3, followed by a road trip to Turkeyfoot Valley Area on Wednesday, February 5. On Friday, February 7, they will face the Union Tigers in Mount Storm, before returning home to host Paden City on Saturday, February 8 at 2:30 p.m.
Paw Paw continues to showcase resilience and determination as they navigate through their season, aiming to build on their recent performances and make their mark in the competitive realm of high school basketball.