Aaron Muncy dropped in a career-best 21 points and the Panthers' relentless defense and boardwork eventually wore down Charleston Catholic, leading to a 58-41 victory in the Class A championship game at the Civic Center.

Tug (25-3), the top seed and the state's No. 1-ranked team, became the first school to ever win titles in different classes in consecutive years. The Panthers captured the double-A crown last year before dropping down a division.

"No sweeter three words do I know than back-to-back, right now,'' said Panthers coach Garland "Rabbit'' Thompson.

Tug Valley, in winning its 15th straight game, also became the first public school to earn a Class A title since Williamson in 2001, and did it on a noteworthy day in which two defending state champions met in the finals, another first. The Irish claimed the single-A crown last year.

Just like when the teams met in the regular season, a 61-38 Tug victory at the Civic Center on Feb. 13, the Panthers turned a back-and-forth game into a runaway at the conclusion, and their three senior guards - Muncy, Mikey Newsome and Austin Brewer - were the big reasons why.

Muncy, averaging just 6.5 points coming into the game, softened up the Irish zone defense with four first-half 3-pointers and also grabbed seven rebounds, Brewer donated 15 points and five assists and Newsome 10 points and four assists.

"These kids know how to play and these kids know how to win,'' Thompson said of his backcourt trio. "I'm tickled to death with all three of them. It was a big-time effort by these guys.''

Third-seeded Charleston Catholic (24-4), playing in the Class A title game for an eighth time in the past nine years, was in good position for nearly three quarters, even dodging potential disaster before halftime when its No. 2 and 3 scorers - guard Garret McCarty and forward Zach Casto - were both on the bench with two fouls. Casto, in fact, picked up his third foul 35 seconds into the third quarter.

The Irish led much of the first half, though, including a 23-19 edge early in the second quarter. But after scoring 23 points in the game's first 9:14, they only managed 18 the rest of the way.

One stretch in particular doomed Catholic, when it managed just one field goal over a stretch of 9:26 between the third and fourth quarters. In that time, Tug's lead ballooned from 32-29 to 49-33.

"I thought that for probably the first eight, 10 minutes, we played at as high a level as we could have,'' said Irish coach Bill McClanahan. "We were as efficient and as smart and as well-prepared as we could have been. Then we leveled back off and when you play Tug Valley, that's not a team that will allow you that leveling.''

Catholic often got good looks during that span, like when McCarty and top scorer Nick George made nice drives to get to the rim, but then came up short with layup attempts.

"When the lead ballooned, it sapped us a little bit,'' McClanahan said.

Brewer especially knew what to do at that point, extending Tug possessions in a spread offense with some nifty dribbling in the backcourt, often setting up teammates for easy baskets as Irish defenders gave futile chase.

It made the perfect complement to Muncy's early success from long range.

"They played zone, and their game plan was working,'' Thompson said of Catholic's defense to start the game.

"Aaron Muncy got us off to a very good start and got us loose, got us going. The second half, we stretched it out a little bit there and Austin Brewer started getting to the basket and Mikey started hitting some shots . . . They know each other so well and know each other's move and what they're going to do.''

Muncy's previous high game this season was 14 points, and he'd only reached double figures four times in all. He scored 16 against Logan as a junior.

"I got that bounce,'' Muncy said of his first shot falling, "and it helped my confidence. Coach tells us all the time it just takes one shot to get your confidence up.''

McClanahan admitted that Tug's talented trio was too much to overcome.

"You pick your poison,'' he said, "and hope the poison you pick doesn't taste bad that day. We have seen in our time with this program some special guards along the way - Noah Cottrill, Stevie Browning, Jordan Simpson. But we've never seen three guards like that. That's a hard matchup for anybody - ask Huntington.''

Huntington, another state tournament team, is one of five AAA-sized schools Tug Valley beat this season.

A tiring Catholic shot just 35.7 percent in the second half Saturday and wound up on the short end of a 32-20 rebounding advantage. The Irish stole the ball just twice.

Nick George, who scored eight points in the first half as the Irish trailed 32-26, finished with 13 and five rebounds. McCarty scored 10. Kiefer Hovorka hit three 3s for nine points.

"Before the game, I asked them to give me everything they had and the scoreboard would take care of itself,'' McClanahan said. "I wanted them to play with heart and effort and I knew they would. That's all I expected and wanted and would judge them by. I thought they gave me that. There were some fundamental things and probably some execution things we shouldn't have done, but the bottom line is I can't ask for anything more than they gave me.''

Another Mingo County school, Williamson, was the last team with a chance to double dip in different divisions, winning the Class AA title in 1964, then making the finals in AAA the following season with an unbeaten record before losing to Woodrow Wilson 69-67.

"To end like this is an amazing feeling,'' Newsome said. "I've played with these guys since I was 5 years old, so that makes it even more special.''

Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.