DELBARTON -- The fifth-ranked Matewan Tigers had no trouble beating the Burch Bulldogs Saturday night, 75-55, in Delbarton.

The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 26-4 in the first quarter and led 42-15 at the half. Burch outpointed Matewan in the third quarter, 22-13, but the Tigers held onto their sizeable lead and finished the Dogs off in the fourth quarter by outscoring them 20-17 to get the 20-point win.

Matewan was led in scoring by Brandon Burgraff with 22 points, 12 of which came from four 3-pointers. Next was Max Whitt with 13 points, while Colton Copley scored 12 and Nathaniel Mitchell added 11. Matt Kennedy netted eight, Robert Chafin scored five, Josh Sammons scored two and Jacob Staton and Cory Daniels each chipped in a free throw.

Kennedy had 11 rebounds and Copley finished with eight boards.

The Tigers scored 23 field goals, including five 3s. From the foul line, Matewan made 24-of-50 free throws.

“That was a good win for us because they came out and beat Gilbert the night before,” Matewan Coach Phillip Mitchell said. “We were ready for this game and things we well for us. Burch is a good team and well coached. This keeps us in the driver’s seat for the sectional tournament.

“I think our defense was the difference. We’re stepping up our defense and we controlled the boards on them. Brandon Burgraff came back into form tonight and shot the ball well. We also distributed the ball well.”

Burch was led in scoring by Ryan Hatfield with 14 points. He also grabbed five rebound, gave four assists and got a steal. Next was Jacob Stratton with 11 points, two rebound and two steals. Keith Hill added seven points, on shot block, one rebound and an assist to the Bulldog totals. Dave Hatfield scored six, grabbed three rebounds and gave an assist. Corey Cook netted five, dished off six assists and grabbed two rebounds and a steal.

Cody Williamson scored five points, grabbed four rebounds, gave two assists and blocked a shot. Cody Crum scored three and grabbed a rebound. Chase Dotson and Zac Runyon scored two each. Gabriel Vinson pulled down two rebounds and handed off an assist.

The Bulldogs netted 15 field goals, including five 3-pointers. From the foul line, Burch sank 18-of-22 free throws.

“I thought we were ready, but apparently we weren’t mentally,” Burch Coach Kevin Hatfield said. “It reminded me of the Tolsia game where we came out flat and didn’t play hard. But, the good thing about this sport is that one game doesn’t ruin a season. We’ve got nine games left in the season and a month to get ready before sectionals. Maybe I’m the craziest guy in Mingo County, but I believe we can whoever we play.

“I’ve watched Matewan play eight different times and that’s probably the hardest they have played other than when they played Tug Valley.”

The win improves Class No. 5 Matewan to 13-1 on the year. They return to action Tuesday in a girls/boys double-header at Gilbert with the girls game tipping off at 6 p.m. and the boys game starting 20 minutes after the first contest's conclusion.

Burch falls to 5-9 on the season and will travel to Van for a girls/boys double-header on Tuesday night. Tipoff for the girls game is 6 p.m. at Van High School and the boys game will begin 20 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.

GIRLS — Burch 56, Matewan 5

DELBARTON -- The Burch Lady Bulldogs rolled over the winless and struggling Matewan Lady Tigers Saturday night, 56-5, at Burch High School.

The Lady Bulldogs outscored Burch 16-0 in the first quarter and 10-1 in the second to take a 26-1 lead at halftime. Burch continued to control the game in the second half, outscoring Matewan 15-0 in the third quarter and 15-4 in the fourth.

Burch Coach Melvin Cunningham put in his bench players early in the game and rotated every player in and out throughout the game. He said the game was a good way to give every player several minutes of playing time.

“It was a good opportunity to get everybody in the game and anytime you get that opportunity you’re hopefully making those girls better,” Cunningham said. “We still have to make our layups and make our foul shots. We won tonight, but, the competition gets better as we get closer to the sectional tournament. We have to keep improving.”

The Lady Bulldogs were led by Krista Edwards with a double-double performance, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She also got two steals and blocked a shot.

Next was Hilary Church with eight points, four rebounds and an assist. Haley Church scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds and five steals and gave two assists. Kaci Slone scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds, got two steals and gave an assist. Stephanie Brock poured in seven points. Emilee Hatfield netted five points, got a pair of rebounds and two steals and gave an assist. Kim Smith chipped in four points, grabbed five rebounds and two steals and gave two assists. Charity Ferguson scored four points, gave an assist and grabbed a rebound.

Cheyenne Moore pulled down two rebounds and got two steals and Kayla Cisco got a steal.

The Lady Bulldogs made 22 field goals and sank 12-of-23 foul shots.

Matewan was led by Jeana Bandy with the game's only 3-pointer. Shiley Mahon and Rachel Clark each scored a foul shot. The Burch defense prevented Matewan from scoring a single field goal and the Lady Tigers made 2-of-4 free throws.

Matewan Coach Clay Moore said his girls are struggling, but not quitting.

“There’s a lot of basic things we can’t do,” Moore said. “Teams score more on our offense than they do on our defense. It’s all about keeping the girls together so they can all play together as seniors so that will give them some experience and continuity. Sometimes they want to quit, but they’re not. We won’t let them quit.”

The Lady Bulldogs (9-5) return to action tonight at Tolsia.