ROSCOE — To close out day two of the annual Fred Ahart Foundation games, the Tri-Valley Bears faced off against the Margaretville Blue Devils. The two shorthanded teams put up a good fight, but Margaretville’s clutch shooting helped lead them to a 48-41 victory.

  The game started a bit slow but picked up quickly, with Margaretville jumping out to a 17-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. 

Tri-Valley got within five before halftime, but the Blue Devils netted a three right at the buzzer to take a 31-23 lead at the break.

  In the third quarter, Tri-Valley brought it back within five, but Margaretville ended on a 6-1 run to take a 40-30 lead into the final quarter of the championship game.

  Despite their best efforts, the Bears were unable to close the gap and the Blue Devils won 48-41.

  “Margaretville is a great team,” Tri-Valley head coach Tylor Irwin said. “We came out a bit flat and injuries and a lack of practices caught up to us.”

  In his first year as the Bears’ Coach, Irwin said, “The transition has been rough with the team adapting to a different coaching philosophy, but we’re making progress.”

 The Bears have already played nine games before the new year, starting with a 3-6 record to the season.