By Michael Lindsay
The Cumberland County Jets and Lady Jets picked up a pair of victories over an old-school rival Tuesday evening as they swept Clarkrange in their home opener. The Lady Jets ran away with a 55-36 victory before the boys won a back-and-forth contest by a 72-67 margin.
Girls
The Lady Jets hit the ground running Tuesday as they led by as many as 40 points in their 55-36 victory over Clarkrange.
“Our kids were really ready to play their first home game,” said Cumberland County head coach Kim Cram-Torres. “They’re like a little pack of puppies. They’re so young with a ton of energy and want to be out of their pin. They’re a lot of fun to coach and want to create chaos all the time.”
Freshman guard Sydney Wilhite led the Lady Jets with 23 points along with 8 points by point guard Aliyah Hawkins. Freshman Lauren Clark and senior Johnson commit Jalynn Baldwin scored 7 points each in the win while Chloe Rogers led Clarkrange with 11.
“Everybody contributed in some way,” Cram said. “Clarkrange came out in a triangle-and-2, and Jalynn really set a tone and made them switch. Obviously, Sydney played great. Lauren creates chaos and her pressure is super important. We have so many kids disrupting in so many ways.”
Cumberland County controlled the game from the start as they held a 15-0 lead over Clarkrange at the end of the first period.
“From the time I started coaching, I knew the only way to be successful was to play really good defense and have that create your offense,” said Cram. “You’re not always going to be lucky enough to have great scorers, so you have to find other ways to score. It’s wonderful to have players who can score and play defense.”
The Lady Jets pushed their lead to 27-3 via a Baldwin three-pointer with 5:28 remaining in the second quarter before taking a 38-5 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Cumberland County led by as many as 40 points (50-10) in the third quarter before winning by a 55-36 final score.
Up next for the 1-2 Lady Buffaloes is a home contest against Oneida on Thursday. The 3-1 Lady Jets are in Crossville again Friday as they host Pickett County (4-1), whose lone loss came in their season opener against Cumberland County, 65-31.
“Pickett County is really good, and I know they really want to respond to that opener,” Cram said. “I don’t think that’s who they are; they’re much better and they’re going to throw that second punch on Friday. That will be a great test for our young kids.”
Cumberland County (55): Sydney Wilhite 23, Aliyah Hawkins 8, Jalynn Baldwin 7, Lauren Clark 7, Lexi Carol 4, Caylin Hale 3, Carly Turner 2, Daminica Beal 1
Clarkrange (36): Chloe Rogers 11, Kady Hopkins 10, Macie Threet 9, Payton Manis 4, Lydia Philips 2
Boys
A back-and-forth boys contest went to the home team Tuesday as Cumberland County defeated Clarkrange, 72-67. The Jets overcame a double-digit deficit Tuesday and trailed with less than 2 minutes remaining before securing the win.
“We got down 8 or 10 a couple times and a week ago that phases us, but tonight we focused and did what got us the lead,” said Cumberland County head coach Taylor Denney. “I was proud of how we were able to play through some tough spots in the game.”
Cumberland County freshman point guard Houston Torres scored 31 points in the victory along with 16 by Andrew Dennis off the bench. Jack Cordell led Clarkrange with 29 points.
“Houston played really well and Sol Sitton did some really good things defensively,” said Denney. “Andrew Dennis made some big shots and we had good bench minutes.”
A Torres three-pointer gave the Jets a 12-5 lead midway through the first period as Cumberland County held a 16-14 lead after the first quarter.
Clarkrange took the lead on the first possession of the second period as a Cordell corner three-pointer put his team ahead 17-16.
The shot sparked a hot shooting quarter for the Buffaloes as they hit four three-pointers in the period and pushed their lead out to double digits (30-20) with 3:50 remaining until halftime.
“I told them just keep doing what we’re supposed to do,” Denney said. “They get sped up and all the sudden they’re not calling out screens or boxing out, so we just refocus them and they go do what they’re supposed to do.”
A pair of Torres free throws cut the Jet deficit to 30-22 with 3:30 left in the second quarter. The free throws sparked a 14-0 run by Cumberland County in the final 3:30 of the first half to take a 34-30 lead into halftime. Torres had 6 points during the run while Dennis knocked down two three-pointers and a free throw.
Cumberland County pushed their lead to 6 points (40-34) early in the second half before Clarkrange took a 43-40 lead via a Kris Beaty three-pointer and Bryton Swallows putback. The Jets battled back to take a 55-49 lead into the fourth quarter.
Clarkrange again chipped away at the CCHS lead as a Bo Ramsey transition three-pointer with 3:42 remaining tied the contest at 59. The Buffaloes took a 61-59 lead on their next possession via a Cordell jumper.
Cumberland County answered with a Dennis three-pointer with 2:45 left to take a 62-61 advantage before a Swallows basket in the paint put Clarkrange ahead 63-62 with 2:29 remaining.
Cumberland County retook the lead from the free-throw line as four consecutive makes by Torres gave his team a 66-63 advantage with 1:27 left. The Buffaloes answered with a basket to cut their deficit to one point (66-65) before Jet sophomore Sol Sitton hit a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining to push Cumberland County’s lead to two possessions at 69-65.
Clarkrange cut the deficit to one possession with less than 30 seconds left before Ethan Dixon put the game away from the free-throw line as Cumberland County held on to win 72-67.
The Jets improve to 1-3 overall and host Pickett County on Friday while Clarkrange falls to 2-1 and hosts Oneida on Thursday.
Cumberland County (72): Houston Torres 31, Andrew Dennis 16, Nolen Carter 9, Sol Sitton 5, Ethan Dixon 5, Asher Mifflin 4 Isaac Scarbrough 2, Daiden Mifflin 1
Clarkrange (67): Jack Cordell 29, Bryton Swallows 12, Kris Beaty 10, Bo Ramsey 8, Justus Durham 7, Lane Byrd 3
