Sweetwater upsets Chargers on the road

In the girls’ game, Sweetwater gave the Chargerettes all they could handle but ultimately fell down the stretch after cutting the margin to 2 points late in the fourth quarter.

“I think we’re playing a full four quarters, 32 minutes, and sometimes you’ve got to wait out the tough runs that they’re going to have, because it’s going to happen, and make sure you just battle back during those times,” Sweetwater coach Heather Jaramillo said. “I think that’s what we did tonight. We came up a little short. You’re never happy with a loss, but you can handle it when your team works hard and some things just don’t fall your way, and that’s okay.”

Central jumped out to an early lead behind balanced scoring and a 3-pointer from Carlie Runyan, but Mikalee Martin and Tatum Amos combined for six points and Shelby Watson added a layup as the Lady Cats trailed 16-8 after one period.

Jordan Coleman and Melia Baker opened the second period with back-to-back 3-pointers for Central, and though Watson, Samantha Webb, and Martin each poured in baskets, the Lady Cats found themselves in a hole, 31-16, at halftime.

Out of the break, Sweetwater looked like a different team. Kassedy McCool and Mari Robbins hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Martin added two layups as the Lady Cats cut into the lead. A second Robbins trey cut the margin to 7 points until Wright scored 3 straight to make it a 10-point margin heading to the final period.

Sweetwater opened the fourth the same way as the third- with two 3-pointers, this time from McCool and Martin. Combined with two Robbins free throws, the Central lead dwindled to just 2 points.

“I think that we’re finally getting the idea that if you’re getting doubled, there’s somebody that’s open, and I think we’re finding those people,” Jaramillo said. “All I can ask for is for them to continue doing those things and finish more layups and more free throws and it might be a different outcome of the game.”

However, Central put up a rally. Wright hit two layups and Baker added one in a run that helped the Chargerettes put the game away.

Martin led Sweetwater with 16 and Robbins added 11. For Central, it was Runyan in front with 17 and Wright with 13.

SWEETWATER WILDCATS 85, MCMINN CENTRAL CHARGERS 67

Sweetwater made the trip down to Central looking for some payback for a loss earlier in the season, and pulled together to earn the win, dealing Central just its second loss of the season.

“It was a good game,” Sweetwater coach Brent Burns said. “Central’s record speaks for itself- they’re a good team. They were 14-1 coming in, undefeated in the district, and we felt like we played well enough to win (the game at home earlier in the season). So we really wanted to make sure we came in here today and stayed focused and really took the fight to them.”

In the first quarter, Central got all 9 points from starter Bryce Mason, but a balanced scoring effort helped Sweetwater take a lead. Four different Wildcats scored, highlighted by a Kolbe Billingsley 3-pointer and a coast-to-coast layup by Matthew Kile, en route to a 16-9 lead through one period.

Billingsley added a layup to open the second period, and Kile followed that up with a trey. Dominique Oggs got back-to-back 3-point plays the hard way and a layup to put the Wildcats up by 12.

Jake Allen got into the action for Central, adding two 3-pointers, a layup, and two free throws late in the second quarter to pull the Chargers within 6 heading to halftime.

A 3-pointer by Boomer Blakely and a layup by Mack Thacker pulled Central within 1 point early in the third quarter, but Meechie Oggs took over, scoring 12 straight points for Sweetwater.

Meechie Oggs led the Wildcats with 33 points, while Billingsley added 23, Dominique Oggs added 21 and Kile had 10.

“Meechie was a monster down there- 33 points, probably around 14 rebounds- I mean, he played well,” Burns said. “Kolbe played well, Dominique played well as usual, and Matt Kile, pretty much all my starters played well. It was a game that we had circled. Every team in the district this year is very competitive and every night you’ve got to bring it because we’ve got six teams in this district and they’re all pretty good basketball teams.”

Two 3-pointers by Billingsley helped Sweetwater end the quarter on a high note, and the Wildcats held a 57-43 lead heading to the final period.

Mason led the fourth-quarter charge for the Chargers, but he was answered by Dominique Oggs, Billingsley, and a second Meechie Oggs 3-pointer as the Wildcats cruised, even though Meechie Oggs and Kile picked up their fourth fouls with over six minutes to play.

A steal-and-score by Jordan Carter boosted the Chargers, but Billingsley and the Oggs brothers continued to score to offset the home team’s advances. Kile added a second coast-to-coast layup to add emphasis to a big win on the road for Sweetwater.