Alford, second quarter defense lead Sweetwater to Polk sweep

Alford finished with 11 points and a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter and hit 11 of 13 free throws (85%) in the fourth quarter.

“It was great to watch him. He just seemed to have his shot from the beginning to the end and looked calm and comfortable. He played under control,” Sweetwater coach Joe Allen said. “They are starting to gel. It has taken us this long to gel together.”

Hunter Daffron and Cade Houser supplied eight points each, followed by seven from Campbell Hicks. The trio added eight of Sweetwater’s 17 field goals.

Bryon Burgess finished with four points aided by two free throws down the stretch. Nolan Dacus found a bucket in a score-heavy first quarter.

Sweetwater (8-9; 2-3) went over two weeks without a game. A 33-point loss to McMinn Central on Jan. 9 was the last time the Wildcats played a game due to the extended break from winter storms.

The Wildcats came out hot though, scoring 19 points in the first quarter and taking a 34-19 lead into halftime.

“It was impressive to me. It was probably a really good break right in the middle of the season — mentally and physically,” Allen said. “We got to come back and have a couple of shooting practices as the snow started to melt and three or four practices that were really, really good.

“It was just a different opportunity but, after the way we played last night, it worked out for us.”

Polk County (6-9; 1-5) kept pace through the first eight minutes, aided by six field goals and eight points from Zaden Branham. However, the second quarter was as cold as the last two weeks.

Polk County dwindled to only one field goal in the second quarter and four points, all from Jace Raymer. Sweetwater’s lead grew from four after eight minutes to 15 at the midway point.

“We have talked for three days that it had to come from our effort and our work. We want to guard our man, make them finish over the top of us and block them out,” Allen said. “We did that for the most part, for three and a half quarters. We were able to fight and stay in the ball game.”

“We handled the pressure down the end and controlled the ball. It gave us a chance to win.”

Sweetwater started 0-2 in district play but, with five league games still on the calendar, much can change for the Wildcats. The sweep over Polk County moves Sweetwater in front of their Wildcat counterparts and Meigs County, but second games with Kingston, Meigs County, McMinn Central and both Tellico battles still loom.

“Chris and Cade as upperclassmen have really worked hard all year long. Campbell is a great defender and I am trying to do more on offense. Demarth (Upton) is really helping us out defensively,” Allen added. “But I think the biggest thing is the time it has taken the freshmen to grow into their role for this team. The upperclassmen have done their job most of the whole time. We have had to take a few knocks to grow with the younger guys and they have started to really compete at a high level.

“I am excited to see how they finish.”