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The Scott Skyhawk boys basketball team ran its season record to 10-6 with a win and two losses last week.

Coach Nick Cabell’s squad entered the week ranked sixth among Class AA teams in the state. Facing arguably the top team in Double A, the Hawks gave Bluefield all they wanted Thursday at Madison before falling at Sissonville to end the week on Saturday. Earlier, Scott edged Class AAA Lincoln County in Boone County last Tuesday.

In a make-up game at Sissonville Saturday evening, the Hawks fell to their hosts, 66-59. The contest was originally scheduled for Friday but was postponed due to inclement weather in the Kanawha Valley and the coalfields.

Sissonville took the opening tip and swished a two-pointer at the 7:46 mark. Cody Brown put the Skyhawks on the board 19 seconds later and the score was tied. Trent Stowers answered with a deuce to give the home team a 4-2 lead as the first quarter clock reached the seven-minute mark.

A three-pointer by Anthony Sigmon gave Scott the lead but a bucket and a trey put Sissonville up, 9-5, with 5:36 twinkling on the clock. Stowers, playing like a tiger under the boards, made one of two free throws to put the Indians ahead by five. A Logan Webb layup cut it to 10-7 with 4:46 remaining in the half.

Sissonville reeled off four points before a layup by Eric May stopped the run and cut the margin to 14-9 with 1:48 left. Cabell then called a timeout and the Hawks returned to the floor in a full-court man-to-man press.

Austin Crawford and Matt Dolan traded buckets to end the first stanza with Sissonville up, 16-11.

With 5:48 left in the opening half, the Indians led, 21-11. Webb ended the Scott drought with a bucket at the 5:37 spot. Three quick Sissonville layups gave the Indians a 27-13 lead as Cabell signaled timeout at the 4:10 mark.

Dolan quickly drilled two treys and the margin was 27-19 with 3:18 twinkling. After Anthony Bess sank two free throws, Dolan swished another three with 31.1 seconds showing and the lead was cut to 29-22. A desperation shot as Nathan Miller fell to the floor was ruled too late and the teams went to their locker rooms with Sissonville holding its seven-point lead.

With 6:29 twinkling on the third period clock, the hosts had stretched their lead to 35-24 on a basket by Stowers. After a turnaround bucket in close by Webb, Sissonville ripped off four points to make it 39-26 with 3:52 to go in the third.

After Cody Brown and Crawford traded baskets, May scored back-to-back deuces. The squads again exchanged deuces before Bess made a foul shot to make it 44-34 with 1:50 remaining in the third.

With their tight press clearly bothering the Indians, Scott made a comeback. May started it with a trey, Brown hit a short jump shot, Dolan completed an old-fashioned three-pointer and Sigmon made two free throws to bring the count to 45-44, Indians as the third canto ended.

Webb fouled Stowers to start the final quarter. When he made one of two free throw tries, the Indians were up, 46-44. Dolan brought the Skyhawk fans to their feet by knotting the score at 46-46 with 6:38 left in the game.

When Stowers converted two free throws after being fouled by Dylyn Brown, Sissonville led by two with 6:22 remaining. A putback by Sigmon with 6:13 on the clock tied the game for the last time.

Sigmon was whistled for draping himself over Bess’s back. One made freethrow put the hosts up, 49-48, at the 5:21 slot. Fifteen seconds later, Scott took the lead by one on a bucket by May. Sissonville took the lead for good on a Bess deuce with 4:02 on the game clock. Three free throws followed by an acrobatic layup by Zack Noll made it 56-50 in favor of the home team.

Brandon Lafauci made just one of three free throw tries with 1:35 left. After Sissonville scored two from the line, Scott cut the lead to 58-53 and Cabell signaled timeout with 55 seconds showing.

The Indians made their free throws in the last 50 seconds to secure the 66-59 victory.

Dolan led the Scott offense with 22 points. May added 15; Webb, six; Cody Brown and Sigmon, four each; Lafauci, three; and Kirk Price and Dylyn Brown, two apiece for the Hawks.

Scott-56; Lincoln County-53

Scott eked out a hard-fought victory over visiting Lincoln County on Tuesday, January 22.

Panther T.J. Arbaugh put on a career performance, leading game scorers with 31 points. In fact, the LCHS senior hit nine three-pointers and nearly tied the game at the end with two Scott defenders smothering him.

In fact, Cabell said after the game that his only defense plan against Arbaugh was “to deny him the ball. We put a box-and-one on him and he still nearly beat us.”

Cody Brown hit the opening bucket and a Webb deuce gave the home team a 4-0 lead at the seven-minute turn. Arbaugh wasted no time, connecting on his first trey at the 5:57 mark. Three layups by Webb brought the score to 10-3 and a potential Hawk blowout appeared imminent. Arbaugh and Webb traded buckets before the Panthers rolled off three points to cut the lead to 12-10.

May made it 15-10 with 1:13 flashing but Arbaugh zipped a pair of treys in the closing minute to end the first period with Lincoln County ahead, 16-15.

The teams traded buckets to start the second quarter before a driving layup by Dolan put Scott up by one with 4:41 remaining in the half. Then Arbaugh took over, sinking two treys and it was 26-21, LCHS as 2:38 twinkled. After Dylyn Brown scored a deuce, Arbaugh hit an NBA-length trey and it was 29-23 with 1:56 remaining.

Arbaugh was not done, hitting a three-pointer from the side. Then T. Bragg sank a bucket at the buzzer and the teams hit intermission with Lincoln County looking good, 34-25.

Doubling up on the Panther shooting ace, the Hawks worked their way back in the second half. Sigmon put back his own miss to start the scoring. C. Wiley and A. Davis made buckets to stretch the LCHS lead to 38-27 with 6:31 left in the third. Two jumpers by Dolan and a deuce by Sigmon cut the margin to 38-33 with 4:18 on the clock.

After a Lincoln County timeout, May drilled a trey and the lead was down to two. With 3:30 to go in the third, Davis stole the ball and drove full-court for a Panther score. Another basket by Davis made it 42-36 with 3:17 remaining. Six straight points delighted the home fans and it was 42-42 when May drove home a putback at the 1:51 mark.

May drilled a trey then Arbaugh hit a short jump shot to end the third canto with Scott ahead, 45-44.

The teams traded possessions with no scoring until K. Holton connected on a three to put the Panthers up, 47-45. A layup by Webb put the Scott edge at 52-47 with 1:07 left. Arbaugh continued his magic touch with a trey at the 52.2 mark and it was 52-50. Cody Brown made two free throws and it was 54-50.

Arbaugh then zipped a trey with two Scott defenders draped over him. After Dolan made two foul shots to bring it to 56-53 with 16.4 seconds remaining, Arbaugh gave it a game try as he fired up another three-pointer at the end of the game. Smothered by Scott defenders, the ball banged around the rim before falling harmlessly off.

Dolan topped the Scott scoring with 17 points. Webb added 12; Cody Brown, nine; May, eight; Sigmon, six; and Dylyn Brown, four for the Skyhawks.

Bluefield-68; Scott-63

The top-ranked Beavers improved their season record to 10-1 with the hard-earned win at Scott on Thursday. The game was tied at 46 after three periods, meaning the Beavers won the game in the fourth quarter.

Bluefield led, 17-16, after the opening quarter and 31-26 at the half. Scott outscored the Beavers, 20-15, in the third canto to tie the game. The visitors took the final frame, 22-17, for the win.

Dolan led the game scoring with 28 points. Sigmon tossed in 16; May, eight; Webb, six; and Cody Brown, three for the Skyhawks.

Anthony Eades topped Bluefield with 22 markers.

The local lads return to action this Friday, February 1, at Chapmanville Regional High. Tuesday, February 5, they host Herbert Hoover. Tipoff for both games is 7:30 p.m.