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The Troup boys basketball team started off the 2024-2025 season with a bang on Tuesday, beating Valley (AL) 62-49 in a dominant showing for the Tigers.

Valley would keep the game competitive early, but the swarming Troup attack was too much for the Rams to handle. Dee Moreland was everywhere on offense for the Tigers and Valley had no answers for him. The junior scored a game-high 21 points and put a marker down early with seven of the team’s 11 first quarter points.

Both offenses got off to a sluggish start and subsequently the game was tied at 11 points apiece heading to the second quarter. The Tigers were able to grab a smidgen of momentum heading into halftime by outscoring the Rams 12-8 in the second period.

The third quarter would prove to be decisive as the Tigers outscored the Rams 23-13 in the period to capture a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter. After a quiet first half with just two points, Desmon Cunningham came alive in the third, hitting two 3-pointers and scoring eight of his 14 points in the quarter.

Vakiel Garrett-Hammett also came to life in the second half, connecting on three 3-pointers and scoring all 13 of his points in the final two quarters. The junior combo guard/forward played in his first game with the Tigers after transferring over from Lafayette Christian over the summer. 

Valley huffed and puffed, but could never get back into the game in the fourth quarter.

Despite scoring just four points, senior point guard DeJaylen Campbell orchestrated the show for the Tigers. 

Troup contained the Valley offense for the majority of the game as Galvin Goss was the only Ram to truly break down the Troup defense, finishing with 16 points.

What made the opening night win even more impressive for the Tigers was the fact that they were playing without Junior Jalen Brown, one of the team’s best two-way players, as he recovers from a minor injury sustained in Troup’s scrimmage last week. 

Troup starts the season 1-0. The Tigers will be back on the court on Friday against Harris County for the team’s home opener.