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
‘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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.)
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.
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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.
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
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
In Overtime 