Elizabethton boys wins season opener In blowout fashion
Published 12:17 am Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Elizabethton guard Bryce VanHuss glides toward the basket for an easy layup.
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Mac Paulson takes the ball with authority to the rim.
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Seth Carter goes hard to the glass for the Cyclones.
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Kaleb Hambrick drives the paint on his way to a basket for the Cyclones.
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Coach Lucas Honeycutt talks with his team during a timeout.
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Nathan Tsuma works under the basket for the Cyclones.
Star Photo/Carter Nagy Hayden Pickens works the basketball around the top of the key for the Cyclones.
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BY CARTER NAGY
STAR CORRESPONDENT
The Elizabethton boys basketball team faced off against the IHM Ravens, a team consisting of home-schooled athletes. The Ravens stood no match for the Cyclones.
Due to the Elizabethton football team still being alive in the TSSAA state football playoffs, the Cyclones were missing guards Jake Roberts and Nate Stephens, forwards Dalton Mitchell and Bryson Rollins, and centers Mason Ball and Bradley Cannon. Another key player who was out was Nickle Wilson, the Cyclone’s starting center, who is out due to a knee injury.
Even with half the roster missing, the Cyclones still managed to pull out a 76-31 blowout win. Coach Lucas Honeycutt had to make some adjustments starting junior Kaleb Hambrick at point guard, sophomore Mac Paulson at power forward, and senior Caleb Franklin at center.
The IHM Ravens had no answer for the Cyclones’ fast-paced ball. The Cyclones dropped a barrage of three-pointers and were repeatedly scoring fast-break layups off of steals. The Cyclones quickly got a huge 31-7 lead by the end of the first. The game was over in the first quarter for all intents and purposes.
In the second quarter, Elizabethton slowed the pace down as they still managed to score 21 points compared to the Raven’s output of four to make the score at halftime, 52-11.
At the end of the half, three names stood out. Hambrick had put up 12 points, Will Churchill had 10 points, and Paulson added 15 points.
In the third, the Cyclones started making rotations, taking out the starters. The Cyclones still managed to put up 20 points against the Ravens in the third.
The fourth seemed like a whole different game, it was slow for both teams. With the Cyclones scoring only four points and the Ravens scoring eight, the Cyclones walked away with a 76-31 win.
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EHS: 31 21 20 4 – 76
IHM: 7 4 12 8 – 31
EHS: Mac Paulson 14, Kaleb Hambrick 12, Zack Bates 10, Will Churchill 10, Brandon Taluskie 6 Caleb Franklin 5, Bryce Vanhuss 4, Seth Carter 4, Hayden Pickens 4, Hudson Smith 4, Hunter Stevens 3.
