SOMERSET — Alumnus Wade Fyock collected his first victory as coach of the Somerset boys basketball team after the Pine Grill Roundball Classic tournament host knocked off defending champion Turkeyfoot Valley 67-59, in the nightcap of the 14th playing of the tourney, Friday, Dec. 5.”I was happy for the players,” said the veteran Fyock. “The student section was excited for them. They were into the game. It’s good to see them be supported. They are working hard. We did enough good things to win, and I was happy with the effort. Getting a win to start the season is nice.”Junior Chris Thompson paced the Golden Eagles with a team-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers. He made some clutch buckets in the fourth quarter with the game hanging in the balance to preserve the win.Names to know Who’s primed for a boys basketball breakout season in Somerset County?Ones to watch Somerset County girls basketball teams, players set for success”From the first of June when we started our summer workouts, I would say Chris is the most improved player we have,” Fyock said. “They are all working hard – but kudos to Chris – he was able to take it tonight and show them what he can do.”Fellow junior Aiden Roby notched 15 points, while sophomore Kellen Hagans added 12 for Somerset.Turkeyfoot led only three times in the game, all coming in the first half. Senior Lance Jones dropped a game-high 22 points but was held to just seven in the second half. Bronson Perez chipped in 11 points, and Ely Walker tallied 10. Somerset led 36-29 at the break, but an 11-0 surge in the third quarter gave the Golden Eagles a commanding 49-31 advantage. After scoring the first four points in the frame, the Rams did not score again until 2:40 remaining.Turkeyfoot closed to within six in the fourth but could not overcome the deficit. A plethora of missed layups and 23 turnovers by the Rams was the difference in the game.Somerset, which is eyeing its first Pine Grill title since 2022, meets Shanksville-Shade, a 54-49 victor over North Star in the championship at 7:30 p.m.Senior Braxton Newman delivered a game-high 17 points, while Mike Kipp added 12 for the Vikings. It was the second win of the season for Shanksville first-year coach Benjamin Bittner.”Luckily, we have a great group of seniors,” Bittner said. “They’ve been playing together all four years. They know each other well and they know what each player does well. Mike Kipp is a great leader. We rely on him pretty heavily.”Shanksville-Shade led 21-17 at the break and extended its advantage to 39-30 after three. North Star pulled within four in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings went on a 7-0 spurt, foiling any plans the Cougars had of a comeback.Bryce Frombach led the Cougars with 14 points, while Bryson Durst added 13.Bittner is excited for the title game.”There’s nothing better than competing,” he said. “We are here to win, and we are going to fight hard.”Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset, Shanksville-Shade open with wins in 14th Pine Grill Classic