Paden City grabbed a first round win in the West Virginia Hometown Invitational Tournament (WVHIT) on their home floor Jan. 20, defeating Harman High School with a 70-59 final score. The Wildcats put together a strong second quarter Saturday to take a 31-21 lead into the locker room; Paden City then extended the lead to 16, after three quarters, to coast to the win.

Harman started out strong and finished the first quarter up one, 13-12, before the Wildcats’ pressure and hot shooting became too much for the visitors to handle. The Wildcats finished with four players in double figures. Garrett Cross led the way with 18. Trey Slider, who knocked in four three-point shots, finished with 16, while Seth Bohrer added 12. Matt Saxon got 10. Harman hit eight three-pointers, to keep within striking distance. However, Paden City countered with good defense and a strong inside game.

The big story of the game was the play of junior guard Matt Saxon, who finished with a triple double. Saxon, at 5’7,” was all over the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds to go with his 10 points and 10 assists. He also added four steals for good measure. G. Cross added six rebounds and Slider grabbed five.

The Wildcats also got five points from guard Ethan Cross, and four from Anthony Newman. Promising freshman Ty Cain hit a three-pointer to round out the scoring.

The Wildcats struggled at the free throw line, making only 9-19; however, they canned 29 of 58 field goals. The Wildcats are 3-6 on the season with the win.

“The boys had a tough one on Friday against Magnolia, but this is a never-quit team, and they came out today, played good solid defense, hit the boards well, and made plays,” said Coach Jeff Hohn.

“I am proud of how well they bounced back in such short notice. We continue to work hard, and they want to win. We have a couple more big games this week so hopefully we can add to the win column,” said Hohn.