Warriors drop heartbreaker to Central, 48-47
Published 12:39 am Thursday, January 9, 2020
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Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Lady Warrior Olivia Absher splits a pair of Lady Cougar defenders.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley's Holly Moore works the basketball against the Central defender.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Jaiden Clark of Happy Valley is being hounded by a pair of Lady Cougars on Tuesday evening.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley's Landon Babb soars to grab the basketball near the rim.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley head coach Jeremy Maddox falls to his knees after his team came close to beating the Central Cougars in a tight Three Rivers Conference contest.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Warrior guard Dylan Willis drives the basketball past a Central defender.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley's Alex Lunceford takes the basketball up for a basket.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Disappointment wouldn’t even begin to identify how the Happy Valley Warriors felt after coming up a fingernail short of defeating Three Rivers Conference foe Sullivan Central on Warrior Hill Tuesday evening.
Coach Jeremy Maddox, who fell to his knees as the final horn sounded, Warriors battled it out to the final horn as Happy Valley came up an eyelash short of taking a big conference victory as Central walked out of Charlie Bayless Gym with a 48-47 win.
After a sluggish start that saw the Warriors only score six points in the first quarter while the Cougars put up 18, the Warriors quickly gathered their bearings and closed the gap at the half by outscoring Central 16-4 in the second stanza to trail by only one point at the break, 22-21.
Alex Lunceford was doing his part totaling 10 first-half points to lead the Warriors while Luke Roberts collected six points. Andrew Clawson added a trey and Will Tittle chipped in with two points in the opening 16 minutes.
Meanwhile, Ty Barb and Joltin Harrison managed to keep the Cougars out front by netting eight points apiece in the half.
The Warriors came out of the locker room and picked right back up where they left off at the half as the offense continued to chip away at the Cougars to take 35-27 lead to the fourth as Happy Valley’s defense held the Cougars to only five points in the third period while scoring 14 of their own.
Central finally found it’s offensive prowess in the final eight minutes tallying 21 points in the final eight minutes while holding the Warriors to 12 to take the win.
Jacob Fields was the thorn in the Warriors flesh in the final period as he hit eight points to help his team rally. He had plenty of help from Ethan Lane who totaled seven and Preston Sams who hit a pair of treys in the final period.
Harrison led the Cougars with 11 points while Fields totaled 10 points.
Lunceford totaled a game-high 19 points for the Warriors while Roberts finished with 10. Landon Babb and Clawson contributed with six points apiece while Dylan Willis added four points and Tittle collected two points.
Girls
Sullivan Central…64
Happy Valley…….46
After only leading 26-19 at the intermission, the Lady Cougars of Sullivan Central ran away from the Lady Warriors in the second half outscoring the home team 38-27 in the final 16 minutes to take the Three Rivers Conference win.
Central’s post player Abbey Crawford imposed her will in the paint to score a game-high 20 points to pace the Lady Cougars. Jaelyn West (14), Peyton Sams (11), and Macy McClellan (11) gave Central four players in double figures in the contest.
Senior Lady Warrior post player Shalyn Whitson led Happy Valley with 15 points in the game. Whitson was recognized by head coach Thomas Gouge who presented Whitson with a ball representing her 1,000th point in her high school career prior to the game.
Olivia Absher collected 11 points to reach double figures as well for the Lady Warriors. Jaiden Clark pitched in with nine points while Autumn Henegar added a trey.
Casey Campbell, Emma Blevins, Kenzie Ramey, and Kadie Bailey each scored a bucket apiece in a losing cause.
