West Union’s Tegan Knox earned Player of the Game honors for his 21-point performance in the Dragons’ 68-29 win over Robertson County on December 14. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Four in double figures in win over Robertson County
Senior Trae Grooms poured in 19 points for West Union as the Dragons picked up their second win of the season, 68-29 over the Robertson County Black Devils. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
West Union’s Billy Flaugher (14) goes up for two of his 10 points in the Dragons’ 68-29 win over Robertson County on December 14. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
There has been no in-between thus far in the 2024-25 basketball season for first-year head coach Adam Barr and his West Union Dragons. Sitting with a record of 2-5 at press time, the two wins have been by an average of 32 points while the five losses have been by an average margin of 36.4 points. After dropping a 60-33 decision to Eastern Brown on Friday night, the Dragons jumped right back into the fire at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Saturday morning saw Coach Barr and his troops on the hardwood at the historic Mason County Fieldhouse, facing the Robertson County Black Devils in the US Bank Mike Murphy Champions Classic, an all-day affair honoring the memory of “Murph” and all his contributions to the local sports scene. For West Union, it was a memorable experience as they rolled to a 69-29 win to split their weekend contests.
The Dragons really had no problems on Saturday once they got their bearings at the Fieldhouse. West Union broke an early 4-4 tie with a 9-0 run that gave them the lead they never relinquished, but only continued to build upon. That run included back-to-back three-point goals from point guard Tegan Knox, who was eventually named the US Bank Player of the Game. After Robertson County cut the lead to 13-7, the Dragons finished the first period with a Gavin Jarvis trey and a steal and resulting “and one” from Knox to lead 19-7 after one.
In the second stanza, the West Union green began to pull away and put some serious distance between them and the Black Devils. An offensive board and score by Logan Caldwell followed by a steal and score from Trae Grooms made it 27-9 and then the Dragons went on an “and one” spree. West Union raced off on a 12-0 run, all of them coming via the old-fashioned three-point play – the first by Knox and then three in succession by Grooms as he defensively dominated the Robertson County point guard. Another three-point play, this one by Jarvis, closed out the first half and gave the Dragons a commanding 46-13 advantage.
Knox opened the third quarter with a three-ball on the first West Union possession as the lead continued to balloon. The Dragons got another three-point play from Grooms and ended the third quarter with a 61-26 lead, thereby enforcing the running clock rule for the entirety of what turned out to be a rapidly played final quarter.
West Union’s Billy Flaugher nailed a three to begin the fourth frame and Jake Thompson repeated that later as the Dragons finished off their second win of the season, downing the Black Devils 68-29.
The victorious Dragons placed four starters in double figures, led by Tegan Knox’s 21-point performance. Often turning his defense into instant offense, Trae Grooms scored 19 while Gavin Jarvis and Billy Flaugher added 10 apiece. Off the bench, Jake Thompson scored 6 for the winners.
The Dragons were back on the Ohio side of the river on Tuesday, December 17, on the road for a non-conference match up with the Green Bobcats, following that up with their final outing before a long holiday break, a trip to Lynchburg in conference play on Friday, December 20.
