All that and then some – ‘In The Bleachers’

 

 

It wasn’t a bad way to cap off the regular season.

Connor Simpson was up to his old tricks again, hitting his second-game-winner this season in the Blue Devils 52-51 win over the Class A powerhouse, Hampton High, on Saturday. The Lady Devils hit a bit of a snag against the Lady Bulldogs, 42-37, but will be coasting into the tournament on a high note by securing a fourth seed by defeating Johnson County – 68-38 on Saturday.

 

Austin Green had the hot-hand Saturday with 14 points (Erwin Record Photo By Adam Campbell) 

The Blue Devils enter the tournament in a 360 from last year by securing the first seed in the tournament and an automatic bid to the regional tournament. UCHS will have Nic Chambers back in the post after he missed Saturday with a sprained ankle. The Blue Devils guards; Ethan Rice, Keith Arrowood, Austin Green, Zach Thelen, Lucas Hensley, Thomas Tipton… (there’s a few) have hit a stride heading into tournament time – by grinding out wins in a close encounters.

Not a romantic novel. But the past two games have been close for UCHS. And those wins only help when entering a tournament field where it seems anyone could beat anybody on a given night. With the momentum on their side, UCHS can look to make some noise.

 

A team full of shooters but Jr. post Destinie Hayes adds another element to the squad. (Erwin Record Photo By Adam Campbell) 

The Lady Devils enter postseason time in fourth and are working to adjustment after Sr. Whitley True went down due to back injury to end her season. The Lady Devils fell shorts against Hampton but got the motivation they needed on Friday by netting five girls in double figures.

When the team is on, they’re on, and will be a tough outing for just about anyone.

It’s all about playing up to their potential for the Lady Devils. Sitting at 12-15, the team were a few points shy during the regular season over turning that into a .500 record. You can’t write off UCHS. Elizabethton is the favorite but don’t be surprised in the least bit if you see the Lady Devils, guided by head coach Kerri King, make a sizable postseason run.

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District 1-AA Tournament at Happy Valley High School

Boys Schedule

2) Sullivan South vs 7) Happy Valley – Wednesday, Feb. 12 – 8 p.m.

3) Elizabethton vs 6) Sullivan North  – Friday, Feb. 14 – 6:30 p.m.

4) Johnson County vs 5) Sullivan East – Friday, Feb. 14 – 8 p.m.

Sullivan South/Happy Winner vs Elizabethton/Sullivan North Winner – Saturday, Feb. 15 – 5:30 p.m.

Unicoi County vs Johnson County/Sullivan East Winner – Saturday, Feb. 15 – 8:30 p.m.

Third place consolation game – Tuesday, Feb. 18 – 6:30 p.m. 

Championship game – Tuesday, Feb. 18 – 8 p.m.

Girls Schedule

2) Sullivan East vs 7) Sullivan North – Wednesday, Feb. 12 – 6:30 p.m.

3) Sullivan South vs 6) Johnson County – Thursday, Feb. 13 – 6:30 p.m.

4) Unicoi County vs 5) Happy Valley – Thursday, Feb. 13 – 8 p.m.

Sullivan East/Sullivan North Winner vs Sullivan South/Johnson County Winner – Saturday, Feb. 15 – 4 p.m.

Elizabethton vs Unicoi County/Happy Valley Winner – Saturday, Feb. 15 – 7 p.m.

Third place consolation game – Monday, Feb. 17 – 6:30 p.m.

Championship game – Monday, Feb. 17 – 8 p.m.

Unicoi County Blue Devils and Elizabethton Lady Cyclones have both received automatic bids to the upcoming regional tournament. The winners of the play-in games will all advance to the regional tournament.

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When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort–it is ready to climb.— Pat Riley

 

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Unicoi County’s got their Bob. Now it’s time to see if he can be a builder.

The Blue Devils have been conducting offseason weightlifting activities since last week under new head coach Robert McElwee. The numbers look to be promising, with currently over 40 student-athletes preparing for the Fall. Not including athletes in basketball, of course. The UCHS team will be working on fundraisers, along with the UCHS Gridiron Club, to raise money for the program. Renovations to the weight room, field, etc. Look for future stories on tap in the coming week’s on the progression of the UCHS football program. Don’t blink. Before you know it, we’ll be back under the Friday night lights at Gentry Stadium.

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Today’s marks the beginning of official practices for spring athletics across the state, according to the TSSAA.

*Cough, Cough* Official.

Teams have been hard at working preparing for what’s looking to be a competitive league in Class AA. Unicoi County is looked as probable favorites in baseball and unless you just hold a personal vendetta from your car getting smacked by a UCHS Lady Devil home run – the Lady Devils look to be the favorite to make it back to Murfreesboro. And you can’t forget about track and tennis. It seemed like just yesterday, we were presenting The Erwin Record’s award-winning sports preview (shameless plug out of the way) for basketball and now, in a few weeks, it’ll be time to bring out the heavy hitters in Spring. Best of luck to all those preparing for your respective seasons, you’re practicing for the sun and you’ll be out in what seems like a Narnia-Winter wonderland. May the odds be in your favor. 

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Want to feed the mailbag? Any questions, comments, or whatever you may want to send over my way can be emailed to: ccarden@erwinrecord.net. I’ll reply back to some questions on here in future posts. Preferably, I’d like to get the digits of Jennifer Lawrence after seeing American Hustle, but I’ll take what I can get.

 

She’s a year older than me. A man can dream.

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The 2/12 issue of The Erwin Record will brought to you by the letter ‘E’ – for Everything. A look back at Unicoi County High School hoops, the Unicoi County Middle School’s run through the sectional tournament, photos, ETSU football… and honestly just a bunch of other material that I can remember off the top of my head. It’s busy behind the computer this time of the year.

And to think – high school spring sports are on the way. Softball, baseball, track, tennis.

Anyone perfect cloning yet? I may need your digits come March. Either that or a number to a nice beach house in Florida after the Spring Fling.

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We’re not only a Wednesday paper. Feel free to find us online daily, you’ll probably see me updating something. Actually you will, I think I have OCD.

Facebook: The Erwin Record Sports

Twitter: @CurtisCarden_ER 

Instagram: curtcarden

Pheed: curtiscarden

**************************************

Feel free to check back at some of the earlier posts on In Overtime. 

And since it’s a running theme – here’s some Breathe Carolina for all you hoppin’ party people.

http://t.co/pPhRwCE9x3 Working on tomorrow's In Overtime post for The Erwin Record. Thank you, Breathe Carolina, for the tunes. #Savages

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) February 10, 2014

The Journey, Press Play

Often times, I ask myself… “Why?”

Why am I here? Why am I in Tennessee? Why was a born with the last name Carden? Why can’t I have a fully manageable beard.

Press Play:

All jokes aside. For the people who follow this blog, you all know that it’s kept updated from time to time on Unicoi County athletics, and other sports, in an attempt to keep the public up to date.

It’s something I find solace in. My comfort zone. There’s nothing more peaceful with a bit of music going sitting in front of a laptop, or notepad, and just letting your mind run free on finding the right phrase and word play to help weave some information into an entertaining, yet knowledgeable stance for people to view. People get into the ‘profession’ of journalism for many reasons.

Knowledge. Fame. Something to kill time. And for the others — it’s an avenue to bring your words to life.

It’s a way to document events, activities… your life.

I remember back in 2006, during my freshmen year at Hampton High School, I finished an assignment in my English class. At this time — it was football season. I was in a classroom with 30-plus kids. It was considered the ‘Honors’ English class, which I still find funny to this day. Out of the amount of kids in the room — there were about four guys who were on the football team, me being one.

After assignments, we had time to talk. Cut up, talk about what’s going on after school, after practice – blah, blah, blah.

I had the sudden urge to work on a book. Not sure why, and I honestly believe I threw the paper away once I finished, but I went to work. It was the story of a solider, on a ship I believe, setting sail to an unnamed destination – writing a letter to his unborn son about events that occurred in the past. 

That was the best moment I can relive from that class. It was probably the most nerdy, dorky, odd thing I’ve done in high school. But I remember breaking a smile when I went to work on it. Some people have it, some people don’t. I was lucky to be one that enjoy storytelling. And my memory was of the teacher — an assistant football coach Scott Bunton — taking the time to read it and said it was good. Probably just to send me back to my seat, almost positive it was, but it helped breathe life into a love writing.

Fast forward — My senior year. At this point, a whirlwind occurred. My parents were separated. It was my Mother and I, and at the end of my junior year, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Football was an after thought. I, for some random reason, wanted to quit to focus on writing. The end of my sophomore year — I was in a four-wheeler wreck that cracked part of spinal cord — so needless to say, one way or another, I took it from the powers to be that maybe I shouldn’t play. I was asked at the end of my junior year to play my senior year by then head coach Michael Lunsford. I revisit that moment in life from time to time. I wanted to play but with everything happening at that time and from the past I said no, still some shreds of regret linger to this day.

Ultimately it was a blessing in disguise. My junior English teach Rebekah Harris talked me into joining the Journalism class for my last year in school. I knew what a basketball and football were, so I was tossed into being the sports writer of the paper.

I was able to keep a level balance. Cover events, take care of my mother, do my work, participate in events. I kept busy. It’s another thing I love, as long as something is going on, I’m happy — so I didn’t mind it at all.

Press fast forward a bit more. Late October, 2010.

I was in my freshman year at ETSU. I had sent emails to local papers offering to work as an intern, cover some games — never received a reply. Which I expected.

Then something unexpected came. My grandfather, Raymond Carden, was getting sick. The man who was that positive male influence in my life. Taught me everything I needed to know — and from time to time threaten to beat me with a switch if I ever missed Sunday School at Union Baptist Church.

I turned 20 on Oct. 29th — Oct. 31st would be my last conversation with my Pap-paw. Up until that point, he was in bad shape with memory loss, but I remember that night in the ICU room when he and I just talked, like nothing was wrong.

How’s school going? You OK? Know what you want to do? The last thing I remember him saying to me was him being proud of me being the only guy from our family to go to college.

I shrugged it off, thinking things would be OK. Told him I loved him, shook his hand and left.

The next day, he passed away.

I lost it. Sitting at Sycamore Shoals I tried my best to keep a straight face. Be there for the family. The next day was the funeral. Kept up the front then went to my car at Tetrick Funeral home and cried.

I didn’t know what to do. The one person who openly supported me. The man I that thought I could do no wrong was gone. The glue of our family… What was I suppose to do?

Depression isn’t a fun thing. And it’s a serious issue. I didn’t miss school, kept doing my homework and it the back of my mind — I couldn’t quit replaying those final moments in Elizabethton on Oct. 31st.

Then I got out my laptop, and started typing. I let my mind run free — and I was able to smile.

Events continued to play our then I received a Facebook message from Mrs. Harris asking me if I’d be interested in covering sports for ‘The Erwin Record’. I honestly didn’t even know what that was at the time. But of course, I jumped on the offer.

Then publisher — Mark Steven — gave me a call during a Thanksgiving dinner at Union Baptist Church. I missed the call, called him back in the parking lot. We chatted, discussed the ‘Bulldog Bark’ (the Hampton High school paper) then asked me to come in for an interview.

Disc 2:

I was scared as could be during the interview process. Mr. Stevens was nice as he could be, I about freaked out. Talks of covering events, interviewing coaches — I thought I was in a dream. I learned of the previous writer — Kevin Lewis. Checking back through his logs, hearing his past success, the awards in New York, Tennessee. I about said no, but of course, caught up in the moment — I said yes.

Fast Forward: Today

It’s crazy on getting the chance to look back at the events I was able to participate in. Covering championships, meeting great friends, coaches, athletes. Then there’s the negative side — people who’ll try to undercut for a story, nab information, and of course — simply people you can’t get along with. It comes with the territory of course.

But that’s why I’ll always be glad of my opportunity in Erwin. Nestled in the Valley Beautiful, the office put faith in me to carry out an award-winning writers legacy. We’ve been able to win awards for sports coverage from the Tennessee Press Association in my time here. We’ve been able to forge great friendships with the readers, coaches and athletes.

And of course, they’ve allowed me to continue something that’s kept me going to this day — Writing.

I’m not sure what’s ahead. There are always the future dreams of becoming broadcaster or journalist at ESPN, Fox Sports. Or maybe become an author? Or maybe become an auditor for the IRS? Heck, I may not even make it to see tomorrow.

But no matter what happens in the future, I know I can continue to find solace in writing. And I hope that maybe one day, my experiences can be used as a building block for someone wanting to pursue an endeavor to become a writer. Doesn’t even have to be sports, of course.

You can never be afraid to follow your dream. However many problems you face in your life, you never now how long your journey will go…

But never forget to press PLAY.

Key Conference Tilts Await This Weekend

Winter weather has hit once again, thankfully not as bad as it was early this month, but feel free to grab some hot chocolate and take in some Thursday reading.

After a pair of blowout wins on Tuesday, its coming down to crunch time for Unicoi County High School’s varsity program.

The Blue Devils and Lady Devils will host two contests this week, beginning with Happy Valley on Friday, Jan. 17, and end the week with a Saturday tilt against Sullivan South.

UCHS Blue Devils

Three Rivers Conference Standings (MBB)

1) Sullivan South

2) Unicoi County

3) Elizabethton

4) Johnson County

5) Sullivan East

6) Sullivan North

7) Happy Valley

Along with Connor Simpson, Nic Chambers has helped the Blue Devils seal up a dominating post presence in the past four games. (Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell)

The Blue Devils host Happy Valley on Friday. Both teams met back on Tuesday, Dec. 3, with UCHS taking a 78-42 contest over the Warriors. While the team has a high-octane contest in store on Friday, the team isn’t taking this stretch lately, according to senior Nic Chambers.

“We know we control our own destiny,” Chambers said in a recent interview with The Erwin Record. “We want to win the conference title and we want to use that as a building block of other stuff we’re wanting to accomplish.”

The team enters the stretch after recording a league victory over a feisty Sullivan North squad.

“It’s like like what we talked about in the locker room,” head coach John English said following the team’s 67-51 win against Sullivan North on Tuesday, Jan. 14. “We’re in the thick of a conference race and we need to be focus every night. There’s not a lot of time left, you want your trajectory pointing up going into tournaments and it’s that time now that we play consistent and playing up to the level we’re capable of each night.”

After a bit of a stagnant first quarter – the team went on to lock in and pull away with the victory. Nic Chambers (14 points), Connor Simpson (13 points), Keith Arrowood (11 points) and Ethan Rice (10 points) all hit double figure scoring totals in the contest.

The gears are stir churning but the weapons are in place for a potential deep run inside the postseason. One of the key instruments to the recent success has been the play of Simpson (a double-double in past three contests and has recorded 21, 30 and 13 point games in the past three league wins) in the post.

Connor Simpson has made a case for the league’s MVP nomination. (Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell)

UCHS has rattled off a four game win streak since their loss to Jeff County in the Super 16 tournament Saturday, Dec. 28.

A developed bench has come into play – with Keith Arrowood providing a defensive spark after recovering from a broken leg – the senior posted his first double-digit scoring game this season, with all 11 points coming in the first half against North.

Thomas Tipton, Zach Thelen, Sam Wilder, Austin Hendrickson also provided depth on the varsity level and the ‘Twin Towers’ have another tower getting built with Jr. Will Shelton starting to bulldoze his way in the post.

Lucas Hensley and Austin Green are the pair of guards who make up the starting five with Chambers, Rice and Simpson, and provide ball-handling prowess and those ‘key’ shots a team needs to start up a rally.

HVHS enters Erwin on Friday after suffering a 78-36 loss to Erwin,

And there may even be a chance UCHS and South will enter Saturday’s contest tied with one league loss apiece.

Sullivan South (currently 5-0) in league action, hosts Sullivan East on Friday and head the direction of John Dyer – recently honored during the squad’s game against Johnson County on Tuesday for his years coaching – you really can’t count out the Patriots. South has won the past three meetings against East; however, with the squad clicking following their appearance in the Arby’s Classic.

Both games are set with a 8 p.m. tip-off

UCHS Lady Devils

Three Rivers Conference Standings (WBB)

1) Elizabethton

2) Sullivan East

3) Sullivan South

4) Unicoi County

5) Happy Valley

6) Johnson County

7) Sullivan North

The guys aren’t the only ones with an important stretch of games this weekend. After eclipsing a 7-10 record, the squad rattled off three straight wins – including two league victories – to move back into the .500 territory with a 10-10 record and tied for third in the league with Sullivan East at 4-2.

The team currently has a starting ‘seven’ according to head coach Kerri King. Destinie Hayes, Hannah Rice, Chelsey Harness, Morgan Lee Brown and Haley Webb have been the starting five the past three contests. Sr. Whitley True has been sideline due to injury and Jr. Emily Lynch has been a vital sixth ‘woman’ for the Lady Devils.

On Tuesday, during the squad’s 77-29 with over Sullivan North, the depth continued to extend with Fr. Neelee Griffith coming off a performance with five points, seven rebounds, four steals and a trio of assists.

Neelee Griffith is one of the bench players making plays for UCHS (Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell)

“To extend our rotation for us a little bit, she’s the next one in,” King said of Griffith. “And she’s had a good game for us tonight.”

It’s a role Griffith takes seriously as a freshman. The bench combined for 20 points of the team’s final 77 Tuesday.

“I thought our junior varsity did good and our varsity team did excellent,” Griffith said. “I want to go in and help any way I can.”

And the freshman has, seeing extended time in the past trio of contests. Along with Griffith – Cassie Foster dropped eight points in the win while Haley Peterson and Ashlie Padgett got into the scoring forte.

And when it comes to the starters -it’s a group that’s continuing to develop over time. The welcome surprise in the past pair of games has been Hayes – in her Jr. season. The rebound-machine is near the 350-mark in boards 20 games in the season but saw a recent spark in offensive production with double-doubles in the past three contests. (12 points, 24 boards vs JCHS, 11 points, 24 boards vs David Crockett and 16 points, 15 boards against Sullivan North). Harness has posted double digits scoring in the past two contests – 10 points each – and Rice continues to anchor the scoring – coming off a 19-point game-high vs North.

The perimeter has continued to stay hot under the hot-shots from Webb and Brown. Webb dropped 20 against JCHS and Brown has provided sparks from behind the arc.

Channeling an inner-Reggie Miller, Morgan Lee Brown has brought an added threat to the arc (Erwin Record Staff Photo by Adam Campbell)

It’s been an adjustment, according to Brown, but that adjustment hasn’t been a negative.

“The junior varsity has played well,” she said. “And our varsity has continued to get better. With Whitley (True) being out, we’ve been stepping up to fill in for her.”

And the big win over North should catapult the girls with momentum against HVHS and South.

“It’s good for us,” she said. “It’s big for us to get back into winning and to get us back on our feet with our confidence.”

The UCHS teams won the previous encounter against HVHS on Dec. 3, 53-42. HVHS enters the game after a blowout lost to EHS.

As for Saturday, Sullivan South hosts Sullivan East and the Lady Rebels won in their last encounter but the Patriots are coming off a blowout victory against Johnson County from Tuesday.

It”s been a year of adjustments for both teams, but when they’re clicking – the teams bring back memories of old for the Blue Nation in attendance.

The UCHS girls’ tip-off times begin at 6:30 p.m. each night.

****

The Erwin Record will be providing live-game coverage on the next two contests (along with contributing articles to local papers on the games). You can follow action online at The Erwin Record Sports on Facebook.

You can follow me on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER for Unicoi County sports news throughout the week, along with local and national news tied in.

 

Final: MBB: Unicoi County 67, Sullivan North 51. UCHS improves to 17-4, 5-1 in league.

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) January 15, 2014

And the running theme with these In Overtime posts – to get fired up for this weekend, here’s some Van Halen.

Complete Schedule Updates for Unicoi County Athletics.

The Polar Vortex is no fan of sports, apparently.

Mother nature brought the hammer down with cold weather and schedules have been affected. Here’s the up to date look at this week’s Unicoi County athletics and makeup dates.

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Thursday, Jan. 9

Unicoi County Middle School Jr. Blue Devils at Ross Robinson (JV 4:30/ V 5:30). Unicoi County Middle School Jr. Lady Devils host Ross Robinson (JV 4:30/ V 5:30)

tip-off

****
Friday, Jan. 10

UCHS hosts Johnson County. (MBB FR. 3:30 p.m./MBB J.V. 5 p.m./WBB V 6:30 p.m./ MBB V 8 p.m.)

****
Saturday, Jan. 11

UCHS travels to David Crockett. (MBB Fr. 2 p.m./WBB JV 3:30 p.m./MBB JV 5 p.m./WBB V 6:30 p.m./ MBB V 8 p.m.)

 

RESCHEDULED DATES

—-

Saturday, Jan. 18 – Unicoi County High School hosts Sullivan South (Game was postponed due to inclement weather on Tuesday, Jan. 7) — WBB JV – 3:30 p.m. MBB JV – 5 p.m. WBB V – 6:30 p.m. MBB V – 8 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 14 – The Unicoi County Middle School/Greeneville Middle School basketball – Jr. Blue Devils will be at home, the Jr. Lady Devils will travel. Game times for both: JV at 5 p.m. and V at 6 p.m. 

Unicoi County High School boys freshmen team will play Sullivan South on Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. in Erwin. Jan. 30th – South hosts UC at 7 p.m.

For up to date information on Unicoi County athletics – be sure to follow The Erwin Record Sports on Facebook and to follow The Erwin Record sports on Twitter: @CurtisCarden_ER.

Updated Unicoi County athletics schedule & makeup dates – http://t.co/Y18Nm7mYXm

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) January 7, 2014

Ringing in the New Year – In Overtime?

Definitely want to take the time out to wish the readers of The Erwin Record a Happy New Year’s. To have a bit of fun before 2014, I dabble a little with Pheed and posted some audio on the UCHS basketball teams and my moments of 2013.

You can check out the Jan. 1 edition of The Erwin Record for a Top Ten of 2013 nominated on by the readers of the paper along with a look back of UCHS athletics. If these bits are something people enjoy, we’ll be looking to further expand on this idea in 2014, along with a few other tricks up our sleeve.

A bevy of events are tap for Unicoi County in the coming weeks: Be sure to visit The Erwin Record online on Facebook at The Erwin Record Sports and to follow me on Twitter at: CurtisCarden_ER for daily updates before our Wednesday publication.

UCHS Blue Devil Basketball

First mini-podcast – Recap of the UCHS Blue Devils and what's ahead in 2014. http://t.co/mibrKpPPh9

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) December 31, 2013

UCHS Lady Devils Basketball

Recap – Look ahead for the UCHS Lady Devils. http://t.co/VIfX23361D

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) December 31, 2013

My Top Moments of 2013

Fun time – my top moments of 2013 & a thank you to the readers! http://t.co/MtOZoVbRNQ

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) December 31, 2013

And since this is a thing I’ve done time to time with ‘In Overtime’ – here’s a bit of music to ring in the New Year.

Have a good one, folks!

The Erwin Record’s Jan. 1 sports front page.

Christmas time… in Overtime?

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

‘Tis the season for more basketball, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

Figured it was time to give a Christmas edition of In Overtime with a preview of the high school basketball teams’ tournaments tomorrow, my current top four who I think will be heading to the regional tournament in AA… and N*SYNC?

Blue Devils’ Bearden bound

(this is just a 1-on-1 with readers to have fun while taking a look at Unicoi County athletics)

Connor Simpson dropped 20-plus in a win against Unaka to give the Blue Devils a key win heading to Bearden

The Unicoi County High School Blue Devil basketball team will embark to Knoxville tomorrow with a stint in the Super 16 Tournament host at Bearden High School. UCHS begins tournament action at 5:30 p.m. against South Doyle in the opening round. SD brings a 3-8 record to the tournament. One of the Cherokees’ wins actually came from Cherokee High School (53-51) on Fri, Dec, 6 during a home game at South Doyle. Cherokee is the only similar opponents the Blue Devils and Cherokees share this season (The Blue Devils defeated Cherokee High School in the opening round of the Hardee’s Classic, 50-38). The most recent game for South Doyle fell on Dec. 16 – where the Cherokee’s fell to an 11-2 Knox Karns ball team, 84-67.

Tournament time continues on Friday, Dec. 26. A loss will place the Blue Devils in the 4 p.m. consolation bracket play. A win sends the team to a 7 p.m. tip-off in the winners’ bracket. The teams will meet either Knox Bearden or Unaka – pending the result of their opening round contest.

Knoxville Bearden enters the tournament with a 7-4 record with losse coming to Hillcrest, S.C., in a recent tourney, a close 77-73 decision to Hardin Valley, Jeff County and an opening season loss to Oak Ridge during the Hall of Fame games week.

As for Unaka – UCHS fans know a little bit about the Rangers. Unaka enters the contest after pushing UCHS to a close game late (including a snooze-fest of a free-throw battle) which the Blue Devils went on to win, 65-53. The Blue Devils swept the regular season non-conference contest against the WVC school. Unaka brings a 6-9 record to the tournament. A highlighted win for Unaka is a 55-35 win on Tuesday, Dec. 10 against conference rival – University High.

The Championship game for the tournament will fall on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 8:30 p.m. The third place game will be at 7 p.m. while other consolation games will precede on the same date.

Lady Devils travel to Fulton

Morgan Lee Brown dropped a pair of three pointers Monday as the Lady Devils coasted to a big win over Unaka. The Lady Devils hit 12 three-pointers. Hannah Rice led with 17 points, Emily Lynch had 15 points and Haley Webb tacked on 14.

The ladies of the Blue Nation will also be set up in Knoxville for the remainder of the week by participating in the Fulton Christmas Classic to be held at Knox Fulton High School beginning tomorrow.

UCHS begins tournament action with a 3 p.m. tip-off against Campbell County – a team currently at 6-3 on the year. 

CC currently has a bit of momentum on their side, rattling off five straight district wins over Knox Central, Knox Gibbs, Knox Karns, Oak Ridge and Clinton. Their three losses came against Stone Memorial, Lenoir City and Anderson County. 

Tournament time for the Lady Devils continue of Friday. A loss sends the ladies to a 3 p.m. tip-off while a win sends the girls to a 6 p.m. start time. The teams will await the decision of the opening round contest against Seymour and Alcoa to see who’ll they play that day. 

Alcoa (5-5) enters the tournament coming off a loss to Maryville on Friday, Dec. 20, 48-34. Recent wins came against Kingston and McMinn County. As for Seymour (6-6) the Lady Eagles enter the tournament after coming off a 59-53 loss to Heritage on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The Fulton Christmas Classic will conclude on Saturday, Dec. 28. The championship game will be played at 7:30 p.m. with the third place game coming at 6 p.m. Remaining consolation games will be played prior to these games earlier in the day.

***

While local tournaments like the Arby’s Classic for the boys and Trailblazer Classic for the girls dominate headlines locally, the UCHS teams can definitely use the stretch down in Knoxville to open up the 2014 season on a high-note. You always want to win these tournaments, of course, but the main common emphasis for the stretch, for both teams, is to get the look at talent down in the middle and western part of the state. Both UCHS teams have potential to make postseason runs, The tournament time, win or lose, will come in vital importance for both teams, especially when the regular season in the new year opens back up on Sat. Jan. 4 at home against Cloudland. 

Had a couple people ask about opinions come tournament time: Here’s what I expect the teams to fall during the districts. All tentative for injuries and other circumstances.

MBB – Have the Blue Devils with the first seed going into the regional tournament. Elizabethton – Sullivan South towards that top as well but with the coaching staff, starters/role players stepping up and Keith Arrowood’s return… I’d be a fool to pick any other way with what I’ve seen so far this season. Top 4 going to regionals: UCHS, EHS, South, Johnson County. Dyer is a tremendous head coach with Sullivan East and Grayson Ball can carry Sullivan North…but coach Atwood knows how to have his team ready to play come tournament time.

WBB – I’m giving the Lady Devils a TENTATIVE two seed going into the regional. Decision comes from the losses from Sullivan East and Elizabethton. That being said – a developing rotation with Hannah Rice coming into her own at point, Chelsey Harness getting back into old and the rebound machine Destinie Hayes. The team has too many talented shooters with Haley Webb, Whitley True, Emily Lynch and Morgan Lee Brown to count them out in contests. Harness, Rice and Hayes inside will open things open. And I realistically see the Lady Devils pulling off a road victory against East and home game against Elizabethton (They’ve been the only TRC team it seems that’s had EHS’ number past two years at home). But there’s too much parity in the league. Placed on the spot – RIGHT NOW – top four into regional would be: EHS, UCHS, South, HV – tough decision picking between them and East … giving HV current advantage with home court during districts). 

Any complaints can be sent to the email of Santa Claus. He’s on my naughty list for not coming up with a tank or Jennifer Lawrence today. These are just the opinions of yours truly.

***

Nominations for the Top 10 of 2013 are going until Friday, Dec. 27. Readers can pick their top moment of 2013 and see if it makes the list of the top moments of Unicoi County athletics throughout last year. The list will appear in the ‘Off the Field’ column. Nominations can be sent via email to ccarden@erwinrecord.net or Tweeted to @CurtisCarden_ER or even comment on The Erwin Record Sports Facebook page.

***

For updates throughout the week on Unicoi County athletics, be sure to follow The Erwin Record Sports Facebook page. You can also follow me on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER. Questions, comments or epic presents of epicness can be sent via email to ccarden@erwinrecord.net

 

And of course, I hope readers had a great Christmas and are ready to get back to hoops action across the state. And because I’m comfortable enough to be random – here’s a bit of N*SYNC to ring out the Christmas time.

Unicoi County and Hampton set to tango Friday

If you have never checked out Deadspin, you are missing out of some definite sports nuggets. First, the social networking famous Urban Meyer eating cold Papa John’s pizza in a golf cart following Ohio State’s loss to Michigan State in the Big 10 championship picture from this weekend. Now they caught up with a future Tom Landry, of the gaming world, who’s looking to become the next head coach of the University of North Dakota football team. Be sure to to click the link for probably the best, ever, job inquiry.

https://twitter.com/CurtisCarden_ER/status/411030664511639552

Now that the laughs are here. Let’s take a look at this Friday, where non-conference games highlight the night for Unicoi County High School hoops.

Friday, December 13, 2013 – Unicoi County at Hampton

The night cap features a battle of potential conference champions for their respective leagues. Unicoi County (Three Rivers) boasts a 10-0 record while Hampton (Watauga Valley) holds two losses (7-2), one to AAA Science Hill during ‘Hall of Champions’ week and a road contest to Grace Christian Academy – a potential sub-state matchup in 2014. Both boys’ teams are coming off big wins from Tuesday (UCHS over Sullivan East – 70-51, and Hampton over Elizabethton – 71-57).

Let’s take a look at the past three season, where the Blue Devils have controlled the meetings, 5-1.

2012-2013 season
Unicoi County 51-46
Unicoi County 60-53

2011-2012 season
Unicoi County 82-70
Unicoi County 71-64 —- This year also featured Davey Edwards set the all-time school record with three-pointers made in a game for UCHS.

2010-2011 season
Unicoi County 49-41
Hampton 75-74 – (This Unicoi County team finished 30-4 on the year. Losses came to Daniel Boone, Knox Karns, Stone Memorial in the Sectional tourney… and Hampton)

And FWIW – if you weren’t there during the overtime festivities back during the 2010-2011 year, you missed out on probably one of the best games that could have been played. Still talk to the day if Logan Lyle’s shot went in before time expired. I think everybody won that night.

Getting off-subject. Over the years, the Blue Devils have had a handle of the series but only one game featured a victory over 10 points. The games always have intrigue this year is no different. Hampton has put their mark on the season with being a tough opponent and a Three Rivers Conference slayer – by knocking off Elizabethton twice, already, and defeating Sullivan North earlier in the year. Unicoi County, on the other hand, has been pushed to the limits by the likes of Sullivan South and David Crockett so far this season and out of the past 10 games, have held teams to less than 50 points per contest. (two of the three games featuring 50-plus efforts were against David Crockett, who knocked off Daniel Boone this season, and Sullivan East on Tuesday)

Top performers from HHS on Tuesday were Stanley Valentine (16 points, 11 rebounds). Cody McClain nearly eclipsed triple-double status from his guard spot. Senior Cheyenne Camillo and sophomore Coby Jones are also a pair of guards the team will be looking to bank on.

For the Blue Devils – it flows through point guard Ethan Rice, coming off a 16 point game against Sullivan East. The current starting five presents a pair of 6-4 problems in the likes of seniors, Nic Chambers and Connor Simpson. Lucas Hensley also hauled in 11 boards on the night while Austin Green presented a stalwart defensive effort with five steals.

UCHS begins a busy 4-game stretch before the Knox Bearden tournament (Hampton, Cloudland, Elizabethton, Unaka). The steady dose of TRC and WVC teams before Knoxville comes calling looks to be an early Christmas experience for the Blue Devils.

Lady Devils and the Lady Bulldogs

An interesting matchup when look at the both teams. Hampton is coming off a big loss from Elizabethton on Tuesday but is currently bracing to be without senior post, Paige Montgomery, for the remainder of the season due to knee injury. On the flip side, the Lady Devils encountered a well-motivated Sullivan East team that kept up the pressure defense to knock off UCHS in similar fashion.

The Lady Bulldogs are a potential state tournament contender in A while the Lady Devils are on the verge of going on a tear.

TALE OF THE TAPE

2012-2013 season
Hampton 60-55
Hampton 51-49

2011-2012 season
Unicoi County 66-58
Hampton 53-51 (Johnson City Honda -[Johnson City …. now just picture the dude from the commercial here] Trailblazer Invitational )
Unicoi County 54-39

2010-2011 season
Unicoi County 61-54
Hampton 55-47

Hampton controls this evenly matched series, 4-3, with the Lady Bulldogs taking the most recent meetings

UCHS – While she’s not at 100%, the added benefit of junior Chesley Harness was felt quick during North and came in off the bench and provided size in the post while attributing six points and four rebounds in the game against East. Hannah Rice is the playmaker for the Lady Devils while guards Whitley True, Emily Lynch and Haley Webb have the ability to turn up the intensity from the perimeter. In the paint, this game could hinge on Destinie Hayes. Hayes forced a double-team against a taller-Sullivan East team and still hauled in eight boards. With a potential size advantage and Hayes’ ability in the paint – the Lady Devils could look to upend the Lady Dogs’

HHS – It all starts with guard Alexis Bowers, who has double-double skills going into every game. While replacing Dorothy Dugger looked to be a big adjustment – underclassman Kim Swearingen has filled the shoes nicely and hit double figures against EHS on Tuesday (10 points). The Irick twins, Hannah and Kaitlin, along with Monica Olvera nearly paint these teams to be identical.

Talented guards. Everywhere. The game has the chances of coming down to the wire. But what else would you expect in the series?

Shults heading to Milligan

Unicoi County High School will see one of their netters take their talents to the next level with Conly Shults set to announce his signing to Milligan College for tennis next week. The Blue Devil was the No. 1 for the team last year, has a state title under his belt, and is looking to be the top tennis prospect inside the Three Rivers Conference this season under head coach Elizabeth Pruitt.

Burnett, Harris head to Va. Sunday for football

A pair of Blue Devil football standouts, Hunter Burnett and Cody Harris, will join a 98 other football players at Virginia High on Sunday for the annual FCA senior bowl football game that pits Northeast Tennessee against Southwest Virginia. Tennessee has controlled the series that past three years. Kickoff in Va. is set for 2 p.m.

Schedule for UCHS and middle school athletics are featured here on In Overtime older posts and on The Erwin Record Sports Facebook page.

Follow me on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER. Live updates for the Elizabethton Star and The Erwin Record on Friday’s contest will come throughout the night. And feel free to help with my OCD. Nine off from 500.

And just becomes it’s become a running theme to do this, here’s another 80’s classic to leave y’all on. Be sure to not go “SEPARATE WAYS” in icy weather! Ba-zing! (I’ll stick with my day job.)

Schedule for the week of Dec. 8

MONDAY, DEC 9.

Unicoi County Middle School vs. Vance Middle School – Boys (@Vance), Girls (@UCMS) – JV Games at 5 p.m. V Games at 6 p.m.

Unicoi County High School freshmen Blue Devils at Sullivan East – 7 p.m.

TUESDAY, Dec. 10

Sullivan East at Unicoi County High School

JV Girls – 3:30 p.m.

JV Boys – 5 p.m.

V Girls – 6:30 p.m.

V Boys – 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 12

Unicoi County Middle School vs. John Sevier Middle School – Boys (@UCMS) Girls (@Sevier) – JV Games at 4:30 p.m. V Games at 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 13

Unicoi County High School at Hampton

JV Girls at 3:30 p.m.

JV Boys at 5 p.m.

V Girls at 6:30 p.m.

V Boys at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

UCHS Freshmen Blue Devils at Hampton – 10 a.m.

 

SUNDAY, DEC. 15.

Tennessee/Virginia annual FCA senior bowl football game – Virginia High School, Bristol, Va. – 2 p.m.

—–

For a full look at the previous week of Unicoi County athletics with comprehensive coverage and interviews, be sure to pick up a copy of the 12/11 edition of The Erwin Record. For updates and information throughout the week – be sure to follow the The Erwin Record on Facebook and on Twitter.

 

The Erwin Record Sports on Twitter – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Erwin-Record-Sports/110099162405853

Twitter – Sportswriter Curtis Carden: @CurtisCarden_ER – https://twitter.com/CurtisCarden_ER, photographer Adam Campbell: @ACphotoAdam – https://twitter.com/ACphotoAdam

Saturday night delights – NCAA football, Erwin news & more – “In The Bleachers”

Elton John knew a thing or two about Saturday, apparently, Dec. 7 is definitely alright for fighting on the Gridirons across the nation during Championship Saturday.

 

(FWIW – I’m still hoping for a trip up by Florida State/Ohio State but after the OK State loss, my hope is gone).

 

It’s back once again. Your bit of weekend reading as we take the look back at the UCHS athletics.

Girl Power

Whitley True is the lone senior on the team and is helping spearhead things this season. Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell

While the boys’ have been dominant throughout the regular season so far by posting a 9-0 record, the UCHS Lady Devils are currently sitting 5-3 and a couple buckets shy from hitting a 7-1 record on the year. There’s something brewing in the girls’ locker room and this is just another reason why I will not everrrrrrrr do preseason picks when it comes to the Three Rivers Conference, especially with the ladies. This is why projections mean zip. Nada. All it does is fill space for preseason articles and news. When the girls dropped their one-point affair to Volunteer to start off the season, that was all you needed to know success will com

 

KEYS TO THE EARLY SUCCESS

Hayes rebounding performance – 
It doesn’t matter who you are or when or where you do it – posting two 20-plus rebound performances eight games into a season in ridiculous. Junior Destinie Hayes has continued her rebounding prowess from last season and has not hit a single digit rebound total so far this season. The first half against Happy Valley, the Lady Warriors did a good job double-teaming to force the issue of taking Hayes out of the picture in the first half then in a flash – back-to-back buckets in the second half and a final 13 rebound totals.

Three-point efficiency – The Lady Devils hit 12 three-pointers against Sullivan North Friday night. And that’s an off-night it seems. Haley Webb, Whitley True, Hannah Rice and Emily Lynch all provide fire from the outside. Then off the bench you have Morgan Lee Brown, Haley Peterson and Cassie Foster that have shown the can drill it from downtown coming off the bench.

There’s a reason this squad currently holds a school record with 19 3’s.

Unselfishness – Looking across the starting five, you don’t see a “ball hog”. Going into this season, head coach Kerri King made it known that this is the most collective unit she’s coached in her career and it’s shown with practically all the starting five averaging near five assists per contest. The leading factors come from guard play, led by Rice (who has cleared 20 points in all but two games this season).

Near full health – With Jr. Chelsey Harness, one of the three starters back from last year, currently getting back into the team’s rotation – it leaves a bench that is healthy heading into the midseason stretch. Once Harness gets into the 100% mark and with the rest of the team 

Developing rotation – Cassie Foster, Ashlie Padgett, Morgan Lee Brown, Neelee Griffith, Haley Peterson, Victoria Bailey, Ashley Edwards, Keelie Hall. For a team that had question marks entering this season … they’re slowing going away as with the development of the squad coming along.

The Big Blue’s sixth ‘men’ keeping games in check

Junior Zach Thelen is one of a handful of Blue Devils providing depth off the bench. Erwin Record Staff Photo By Adam Campbell

Ethan Rice, Connor Simpson, Nic Chambers, Austin Green and Lucas Hensley. That’s the makings of one of the more consist starting fives in northeast Tennessee but the bench is helping smooth things over during the nine-game win streak the Blue Devils are riding along this season. A team heavy with seniors really doesn’t need the title of a starting five – the Blue Devils practically have 10 starters and Sr. Keith Arrowood is approaching his reappearance to the hardwood.

Seniors – Sam Wilder, Thomas Tipton. Juniors – Zach Thelen and Austin Hendrickson (and Dalton Spears gave some pivotal minutes in the win Friday over Sullivan North). While the starting five is receiving notoriety ( and with good reason – two 6-4 post players, two stingy defense threats in Green and Hensley … and an all-conference guard in Rice) but the bench play has been a key move into the success for the team.

“We’re in an interesting situation with our seniors,” head coach John English said recently. “It can get frustrating for some of these younger guys but I’d feel comfortable starting our underclassmen.” The depth is proving this correctly. Keep an eye out of the Devils in the coming weeks.

This week

Sullivan East at home – Tuesday, Dec. 10

Tuesday’s varsity contests will have a bit of intrigue in Erwin when UCHS hosts Sullivan East.

The Lady Patriots (8-2) are coming off a 67-43 victory on the road against Johnson County on Thursday, Dec. 5, and prior to that dropped a close affair to Sullivan South, 63-56. 

Brandy Watkins leads the charge. Tori James is coming off a leg injury and is back in the rotation while the squad has seen some sparks out of junior Kara Stafford. A match up of two talents club in Erwin. 

The boys side features a Sullivan East program (4-5) that is in a ‘down-year’ by some but still could just as easily be over .500. Head coach John Dyer has a youthful call club, with the likes of Gavin Grubb at a guard spot and are led by Anthony Vanhoy (who dropped 23 points in a 70-60 loss against Sullivan South) and have a big body in the post with Curt Lunceford – who can grab the boards and knock down the shots inside.

Hampton on the road – Friday, Dec. 17

While this is an interesting game for me just because I graduated from there, a good challenge awaits UCHS on the road Friday against Hampton. The trio of teams in Carter County (Hampton, Cloudland and Unaka) have shown each year they can hang tough with the higher classifications and it will be the same story at Buck-VanHuss gym. The Lady ‘Dogs post a potent lineup (including standout junior Alexis Bowers) along with Monica Olvera, Hannah Irick, Kaitlin Irick and a body in the post with Paige Montgomery. HHS also boasts a potent underclassmen group and it’ll be a good task for coach King’s crew before Christmas tournament time hits.

My honest opinion – I’m not sure a team will sweep the non-conference series. The Lady Bulldogs host a team that can make a trip back to the state tournament in 2014 and the Lady Devils are continuing to develop and shown they’re still a power in the Three Rivers Conference. Not very often two good teams meet and you see a team sweep the other.

The Blue Devils encounter a scrappy (and talented) Hampton ball club that is in the running for the conference crown in the WVC. Cody McClain is one the top PGs in the area and is compliment by Cheyenne Camillo and Coby Jones on the outside. Tristan Robinson is a big body for the ‘Dogs while Stanley Valentine is the all-around threat (rebounds, perimeter shots, defensively). The Blue Devils have the size advantage going in but expect a fight throughout both games this year.

On tap for Wednesday

A packed edition of The Erwin Record’s sports hits the stands on Wednesday, Dec. 11. The UCHS articles features a bevy of interviews from coach English, King and players: Hannah Rice, Whitley True, Destinie Hayes, Chelsey Harness for the girls and Austin Green, Zach Thelen, Ethan Rice and Sam Wilder for the boys). Along with that – a full recap of Unicoi Co. Middle School action with stats and interviews from head coaches Ken Hilliard and Alisha Mainer. AND UCHS freshmen action with head coach Drew Rice. ANDDDD a look at the upcoming FCA Senior Bowl game on Sunday Dec. 15 featuring Hunter Burnett and Cody Harris. It’s just another week of Erwin athletics, and once again a special thanks for all the readers for racking up the view totals for this little fun-installment. It’s a great away to add a bit of a personal feel to the profession. 

Extras

Be sure to check out The Erwin Record Sports on Facebook. You can also check me out on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER (almost at 500 followers… which is a ridiculous amount of support for a weekly sportswriter, y’all are awesome.) And of course, questions, comments and advice to reach Jennifer Lawrence can be sent to ccarden@erwinrecord.net

 

It’s time to get prepped for next week – my heart is still recouping from the OK State loss.

College football Saturday. Start the day off right in Stillwater, #okstate

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) December 7, 2013

I’ve lost my trust in you Mike Gundy, although you can still dance.

Thanksgiving Road Trip: From Crockett to South Greene and everywhere in-between (IN THE BLEACHERS)

 

Ethan Rice pulls up for a jumper during last night’s win. Erwin Record staff photo by Adam Campbell

Thanksgiving. A day of giving thanks and spending time with family to dine on some grub and watch football.

I, for one, was thankful that the Unicoi County High School basketball teams were within driving distance this go around to where I could cover both the Blue Devils and Lady Devils during their holiday week of basketball to prepare for the upcoming conference sked. The Blue Devils picked up their fourth Hardee’s Classic championship in the 24 years of the tourney’s existence with a dramatic 53-52 win over David Crockett on Saturday. Also on Saturday, the Lady Devils made a bit of history with an 80-54 win against West Greene.

Sit back. Relax. Kick your feet up. And crank up the tunes. Your web road trip of tourney action is now here.

I continually forgot to bring my iPhone adapter on each trip to where I could access my iTunes. So  a special thank you to 94.9 FM for actually playing great music. I’ll forgive the Miley Cyrus and Lady GaGa songs.

Simpson strikes again

6-4 Connor Simpson has made it known that he could compete in the NBA dunk competition

It was a game Unicoi County needed. Sitting 7-0, an early look at the schedule could see the Blue Devils continue their win streak for a little bit before the meat of the schedule comes up. Connor Simpson provided 20 points and late game heroics with a reverse layup with eight seconds to go to send his team home with the Hardee’s championship and tournament MVP honors.

A hostile environment.You have to give it to the Crockett student section (Although it may be a bit early before the “Let’s play football chants” need to erupt at games). They had the gym cranked up to 11 and played the sixth man in the contest. In a tournament situation, calls that could go either way did slide a bit in Crockett’s favor. (Not a jab either, it’s common knowledge that if a host school is in a tournament championship and has a packed crowd, the refs know how to roll.) The Blue Devils learned to play cautiously and received key minutes off the bench from Zach Thelen, Austin Hendrickson, Thomas Tipton and Sam Wilder. Credit also goes to Ethan Rice, Nic Chambers, and Lucas Hensley. From Day one to Saturday. It was a fun ride. FWIW – courtside for the championship was pretty legit. Kudos to Crockett for providing another electrifying atmosphere. The Hardee’s Classic was the first event I ever covered so it was a bit of a third year birthday for me as a sports writer. You can’t beat it.

Now here’s a bit of a look at the top four teams. Unaka, Cherokee, Happy Valley, Greeneville, Daniel Boone and University High all had positives to build off of, but honestly the jet lag does not put me in a great position to discuss the first games on Saturday.

David Crockett – The Big Seven squad will be fine this season and sits 6-2 with both losses coming to the Blue Devils. The sophomore-laded team will continue to get better and Dec. 11 will be a battle when the Blue Devils return for non-conference action. Patrick Good has continued to grow as a shooter for coach John Good and the likes of Luke Hopson and Jeremy Houston has this squad on the upswing.

Sullivan South – Dalton Light was lights out (Ba-Zing) for the Rebels in their 70-60 win against Sullivan East in the third place game against Sullivan East. The tournament showed the TRC will have their hands for with the new addition. Colton Young provides a spark from the outside (and a personal cheering section) along with Evan Headrick. Will Blair and Christian Comsa are a pair of big bodies in the paint. Just another piece to the intricate puzzle for the league.

Sullivan East – Sullivan East was a very welcomed surprise. With a bundle of seniors already graduated, the squad continues to grow under head coach John Dyer. Dyer and the rest of the coaching staff deserve a tip of the cap for the success but it also lies with the kids. Anthony Vanhoy provides some plays on the outside while the scrappy defense in the third place game took a large defect and cut it close. Vanhoy had a game high 23 points and the team also got some plays from freshman Gavin Grubb  and Hunter Owens.

Lady Devils send 19 checks to the UCHS bank

Hannah Rice from earlier action. Photos from South Greene will be featured in the 12/4 edition of The Erwin Record

I could easily plug it Fat Joe’s “I Make It Rain” right here. But since the song isn’t exactly appropriate when discussing HIGH SCHOOL athletics and I don’t like rap – I shall withhold but you know where I’m going with this.

The Lady Devils built up a school record with 19 three-pointers en route to a dominant 80-54 win over West Greene in the final day of the Greene County Thanksgiving tournament at South Greene.

Also need to give a shoutout to the South Greene administrators. Great tournament at the venue and provided great hospitality to media/officials/coaches.

The game was also something the Lady Devils needed. Like her brother, Hannah Rice, been averaging near 20 points per contest but went down midway through the contest on a hard foul. Rice and Haley Webb had been the main offensive cogs to the machine but Saturday saw nine girls get in the scorebook. 9! The biggest key I saw the ladies take out of the tournament was the development of depth. Webb, Rice, Emily Lynch, Whitley True and Destinie have been working overtime as the starters but implementations of the likes of Morgan Lee Brown, Cassie Foster, Keelie Hall, Haley Peterson, Neelee Griffith, Ashley Edwards, show that the youthful squad is starting to develop depth – and at the right time with Happy Valley around the corner.

The 19 three-pointers is making noise nationally. The performance is sixth overall, according to the NFHS 2013-2014 record books. The TSSAA website does not show a record of team three-pointers per games in the records but an extensive search on Saturday showed no records of a TN team eclipsing 19 treys. When they Lady Devils are click, they can hang with the pack. And with Chelsey Harness looking to make a return this season, an added element of both sides of the ball will be added to a developing potent lineup that could potentially make noise as the season progresses.

Extras

This was one of the shorter “In the Bleachers”. Sunday is the day of rest and might as well take full advantage before Monday’s slate of action. A huge credit also goes out to our photographer Adam Campbell, who’s photos can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Erwin-Record-Sports/110099162405853.

 

And just because it’s America. Another busy week and a week of “Stayin’ Alive”! (Ba-Zing)

Once again this is just the tide over before the Wednesday edition of The Erwin Record that features tons of goodies.
We’ll meet again online, folks, next weekend. Cya at the courts this week. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at: @CurtisCarden_ER, like The Erwin Record on Facebook and if you see me on any other social networking site, rock it out. Questions, comments (AND ADVICE TO REACH JENNIFER LAWRENCE – too be fair, the Taylor Swift search wasn’t working and I’m sure that wouldn’t work anyways) can be sent to ccarden@erwinrecord.net

May the odds be in your favor. 

 

If I was in The Hunger Games … w/ Jake Paul 😵 #HungerGames Christian Delgrosso #remake https://t.co/FcztIuVRg8

— Curtis Carden (@Curtis_Carden) December 1, 2013