Friday, February 12- The Midway Red Devils took the court for the semi-final contest of the middle school state tournament. Just one more victory would place them into the championship game but first they had to battle a tough Happy Valley Warriors team that had looked good in previous games. With another great Midway fan base on hand the Red Devils took a quick lead on a basket by Nick Roberts. A gutsy Paul Estep feeling the effects of an illness hit Midway's second basket of the game just before Triston Noe made a big block on a Warrior shooter to the delight of the Midway crowd. With 2:30 left in the first the lead was evaporating and The Warriors took over the lead at 6-4. Dakota Brock hit a two on a lay up as time was running out but there was enough still left for the Warriors to attempt a three point shot. Midway was called for a hacking foul on the shooter giving him three free throws. At the end of one quarter Midway was down 11-6. Nick Roberts fired up the crowd with the Red Devils second huge blocked shot of the first half as the second quarter was beginning. Brock lined up a three on the other end but was fouled in the act and went to the line for three shots. He buried two of the three and the Warriors made a basket on the other end before Noe came back with a lay in off the glass bringing the Red Devils within 3 at the 3:10 mark. Estep brought his team to within one at 13-12 with 1:48 left in the first half. Back to back 2-shot free throw attempts was earned by an aggressive Noe. He made two of the four shots; however, the Warriors threw up a last chance circus shot that found its way through the cylinder giving them a 5 point lead at 19-14. Coming out of the break Midway forced a turnover then a defensive stop before Brock added another two to his stats. Midway started inching back as the score was now 19-16. Estep's basket brought the Red Devils to within one at 19-18. A questionable charge call on Noe at 4:11 brought the crowd on its feet to shout a few words at the men in stripes but the anger was short lived because Brock fired up a three and tied the game at 21. Lucas Ford was fouled and hit the first to get Midway the lead but missed the second. Brock hustled for the rebound and put another shot up also getting fouled in the process. Brock hit one moving the lead out to two at 23-21 with 1:40 left in the third. Midway finished the third quarter with a Brock 2 giving them a 4 point advantage until the Warriors knocked down a two as the 3rd quarter clock went to zeros. Entering the fourth quarter with a 2 point lead Midway allowed the Warriors to tie the game at 23 on a two-pointer but they also drew a foul. On the make the Warriors took the lead back at 24-23. A defensive stop put the ball back on the Happy Valley side where they hit yet another basket that gave them a three point lead. Roberts responded with a two of his own keeping his team in striking distance at one point. Happy Valley went ahead by three at 30-27 causing Midway's head coach Phillip McNabb to call a time out at 3:13. For almost two minutes there was no scoring until Happy Valley hit a basket with 1:33 left moving their advantage out to a 5 point lead. Noe drew a huge charge call with 46.2 seconds remaining giving Ford a chance at a shot. He was fouled and sent to the line where he made both shots but the Warriors got two easy baskets on two consecutive run-outs all but assuring that the Happy Valley players would move on as happy Warriors. Noe had a shot at two free throws and converted on one. Then on a strange hustle play Noe dove for a loose ball and was shocked to hear the official call the ball out on Midway. Noe pointed towards the Midway sideline as if to convince the official that it was off on a Warrior player. The official with 5.5 seconds left in the game turned to coach McNabb and told him he needed a replacement for Noe saying that he was in essence tired of hearing Noe question his calls even though no audible complaint was heard by bystanders. Midway had no choice but to foul and did so putting Happy Valley on the line. They hit both free throws and secured a trip into the championship game by taking the victory by a 38-30 final score. After the game coach McNabb spoke of his team's season, "We just didn't play our game tonight. We have had a good run this year but we came up a little short against a very good and well coached team." When asked about the official's decision at the end of the contest to sit Noe down he added, " Triston is a competitor and he just wants to win. I don't think he said anything but I know he just really wanted to win." Head Coach Phillip McNabb has taken his team to success at the county and district level leaving only the state title left on his resume. His kids play hard for him and have a good knowledge of advanced basketball as well as a disciplined and fundamental knowledge. McNabb also paid tribute to all the loyal fans and supporters by saying, "I would like to thank each and every fan for their support all season long and to all that helped us. It was a great year." The team from New Tazewell that hails from a school in the country on a hillside demanded the attention of its community as well as earned the respect of all the teams in the tournament they faced. Give credit to the coaching staff of Happy Valley as they intentionally slowed the game down in the first half. It was a move that most likely kept the aggressive Midway offense from running away with a win. Midway's leader in scoring was Dakota Brock with 12 points. Paul Estep pushed through his illness and recorded 6 points. Triston Noe defensively had a great game forcing many turnovers plus recording 5 points. Nick Roberts had 4 points and Lucas Ford threw in 4. Two Red Devils made the all-tournament team; Triston Noe and Dakota Brock.