Tri-County Seven - Week of 13 January, 2008

[krichunaka]

1) Cloudland

2) Unicoi County

3) Elizabethton

4) Unaka

5) Happy Valley

6) Hampton

7) Johnson County

 

The Lady Highlanders defeated Hampton by 22. With a win on Stoney Creek, Tuesday, the regular season championship could be a cake-walk.

 

The Lady Blue Devils lost at South Greene by four, then easily thrashed Sullivan North. Hampton plays in Erwin Monday.

 

The Lady Cyclones have two road blocks - Unicoi County (at home), and at South Greene - standing between them and a Watauga Conference title. The regular season finale at Happy Valley also could be dangerous, but first things first.

 

Unaka took down two very good teams at home. Both - North Greene and Happy Valley - had defeated the Lady Rangers the road. Cloudland's visit to Snavely Gymnasium will tell us a lot about both teams.

 

Happy Valley couldn't have scheduled a more difficult week of basketball, but even after the 0-and-3 week, nobody should take the Lady Warriors lightly. Unicoi County and Elizabethton still have to play on Warrior Hill.

 

Hampton has to play in Erwin, just three nights after the 22 point loss in Roan Mountain. The Lady Bulldogs are improving, but their schedule is daunting.

 

Johnson County lost by twenty-plus to South Greene. Later this week, the Lady Longhorns travel to West Greene, Tuesday, before Friday's rematch with the Lady Bulldogs.

 

Key games: Cloudland at Unaka; Unicoi County at Happy Valley.

[coachh17]

We are much closer this week:

 

1. Cloudland (Tuesday's game with Unaka will tell us a lot)

2. Unicoi Co. (Fighting it out with Elizabethton and South Greene)

3. Elizabethton (Playing well, need Jefferson back quickly)

4. Unaka (Can really stir things up if they upset Cloudland)

5. Happy Valley (So far, close but no big conference wins)

6. Johnson County (by virtue of win over Hampton)

7. Hampton (Can move up a slot by beating Lonhorns this week)

 

I believe Unaka will give Cloudland all they want and could upset the Landers Tuesday. Unicoi Co. and Elizabethton play at Elizabethton late and both have to play South Greene again. The Watauga Conference could easily end in a three way tie for first place. Happy Valley will pull off at least one big upset win this season, I just hope it is against Unicoi Co. or South Greene. Johnson County can hold the six spot by beating Hampton, but I am betting the Bulldogs knock the Horns back to the bottom.

[zAZa90]

Coach17, you are very knowledgable. The Lady Highlanders went to Snavely and laid an egg. I've seen this coming for a while now. The Landers have been playing horrible. They don't have the same swagger and confidence they had early in the year. They were lucky to beat North Greene and if Hampton would have hit half their lay-ups, it would have been much closer with them. I guess I'm as guilty as anyone for putting too much hype on these girls. They are over-hyped as the conference is much more even than I thought. The 15 wins have made them sort of complacent. The reason this game scared me, is the height and athleticism of Kayla Winters. The Creekers have a girl inside that can score and they have some pleasant surprises on the outside as well. And you can't take away from the coaching of Kenneth Chambers. I saw a gleam in his eye when he watched us play Hampton. I've been watching him disect teams for several years now. This didn't surprise me even though it is disappointing. It looks like the Cyclones are working their way back to the top of the seven.

[screenandroll]

I am one that is surprised by the Unaka/Cloudland score. I got to listen to the first quarter on the radio and Cloudland sounded like they were on their way to a comfortable win. What happened? Will be interesting to hear what the Highlander has to say. King or Highlander do let us know what happened after the first quarter.

[RangerCountry]

Well one thing is Unaka started hitting some shots from behind the arc and played not outstanding defense but very tough and physical defense that seemed to give Cloudland some problems a few times throughout the game. I personally didn't think Cloudland played all that bad. Neither team have much of a post presence, but I think Winters kept defenders off the others enough that they got good open looks most of the time. I thought Tolley would be a larger factor in this contest but i wasn't surprised at all with the outcome of this game. Good Job girls and keep it up. GO RANGERS!!!!

[krichunaka]

The 34-29 final in Unaka's favor suggests some good Defense by both Teams. And though we've heard it so many times, it was hard to argue when Coach Kenneth Chambers' called it "A Total Team Effort." He said it was, "A great defensive game, between two teams and coaches who are very familiar with each other."

 

UN-Officially for Cloudland: Brooke Johnson 9; Jordan Miller 5; Rebecca Tolley and Shellie McKinney 4 each; Sydnie Buchanan and Brittany Reece each scored 2; Brooke Hughes hit a three.

 

For Unaka: Brittany Scott 12; Natalie Johnson and Taylor Byars each scored 7; Chesnie Cox and Kaleigh Elsea each hit a three; Kayla Winters scored two.

 

But stats can be very misleading. For instance, Winters, with only those two, fourth quarter points, kept the Lady Rangers in the game with her Defense and Rebounding; and her huge, third quarter blocked shot at 2:13 resulted in a lead-changing (23-21) three at 2:04 by Brittany Scott.

 

Key Stat: Unaka totaled Six Turnovers for the entire game.

 

Other key factors: Freshman sensation, Taylor Byars, was very steady at point-guard. She also played the entire second half with three fouls (she was whistled for number four very late). Byars scored all her seven points in the first half.

 

Meanwhile, Natalie Johnson scored all seven of her total points in the game's final 48 seconds. She hit a long three from out front at 0:48, and converted four free-throws; two at 18.1 and two at 1.6.

 

On the subject of fouls/free-throws: Unaka hit eight of thirteen. Cloudland attempted, and made only one. It's fair to state that the number is slightly skewed by the fact that Unaka's final six foul-shots were after intentional fouls. Scott was clean for a layup and fouled at 1:32 in the fourth. She converted the one-plus-one. And the four by Johnson.

 

Chesnie Cox continues to improve, and impress. She hit a long three that kept Unaka even after three quarters.

 

Danielle Jones was steady like always. Jones is a very good defender. Tayler Nidiffer is emerging and contributed. And Coach Chambers noted that Kayla Wilson didn't play, but her encouragement and support was instrumental. "She's becoming more vocal, and working very hard in practice. She'll be seeing more minutes from now on."

 

Cloudland is a very good basketball team. Unaka is also very good. These teams match up with each other very well, and the familiarity factor is worth reiterating. The Lady Rangers and Lady Highlanders often play each other at least three, and often four times each season.

[screenandroll]

Krich, did you not let the Highlander off the creek last night or are they still in shock?

[coachh17]

Coach17, you are very knowledgable. The Lady Highlanders went to Snavely and laid an egg. I've seen this coming for a while now. The Landers have been playing horrible. They don't have the same swagger and confidence they had early in the year. They were lucky to beat North Greene and if Hampton would have hit half their lay-ups, it would have been much closer with them. I guess I'm as guilty as anyone for putting too much hype on these girls. They are over-hyped as the conference is much more even than I thought. The 15 wins have made them sort of complacent. The reason this game scared me, is the height and athleticism of Kayla Winters. The Creekers have a girl inside that can score and they have some pleasant surprises on the outside as well. And you can't take away from the coaching of Kenneth Chambers. I saw a gleam in his eye when he watched us play Hampton. I've been watching him disect teams for several years now. This didn't surprise me even though it is disappointing. It looks like the Cyclones are working their way back to the top of the seven.

 

Thanks for the kind words. This "upset" will really shake up our poll. Coach Chambers knows Cloudland well and put together a nice game plan. I would expect Cloudland to win the rematch at home, but it will be close. You are right, the conference is more balanced than we may have thought. I still think Cloudland is the best team and has the best chance to go the farthest, but the gap has narrowed and they have little margin for error. I have always said that to play state level basketball you must have great athleticism, star players capable of carrying a team against tough defense, and consistent, preferably dominant, post play. Cloudland has some athletes and Johnson has star potential, but I don't think the post game is dominant or consistent enough to beat the state's best. I have not seen them play much, but I sense they rely on Johnson to handle the ball, create her own shots, and set the others up for theirs with dribble penetration and good passing. They are a balanced team, but you can't count on two or three options to put up consistent numbers every night. When we reached the state in 2005 at Elizabethton we had all three things. We had athletes(Redd, Baughman, Pietrowski, Crapps). We had stars that put up consistent numbers(Baughman and Pietrowski). We also had outstanding posts(Baughman, Pietrowski, Treadway, and Bush). And with all that, we still didn't win it all. I think Unicoi Co. will be my new #1, Elizabethton #2, Unaka #3, and Cloudland #4, but any of the four could beat any of the others on any given night. There is no dominant team in the Seven right now.

[krichunaka]

Krich, did you not let the Highlander off the creek last night or are they still in shock?

 

 

The Highlander is a very busy man. He'll report, with more detail than I ever could, when time allows. And for those who don't know him, he's one of the classiest folks around. He, and of course, any family members, would be VERY WELCOME to stay on the Creek. I'm sure he's not in shock. Unaka has been progressing more than any of the other teams I've seen this season. Nobody should be all that surprised.

 

There also appears a rush to judgment concerning the Lady Highlanders. Cloudland fans have been saying for weeks that the Lady Highlanders haven't been playing well, but with all due respect, they were Fifteen-and-One coming into the game at Snavely. You don't get there by doing nothing. They beat Unicoi County in Erwin. In contrast, the Lady Blue Devils humiliated Elizabethton there. They defeated Mitchell County, North Carolina, the same Mountaineers who handled Unaka and the Lady Blue Devils.

 

Cloudland is a very good team, that doesn't rely nearly as much on Brooke Johnson as last season. Her stats reflect that she's not taking nearly as many shots, but rather, she's distributing the ball to a very potent and balanced offense. Jordan Miller is a dead-eye marksman. Sydnie Buchanan is having a fantastic season. Shellie McKinney can mix it up with the best in our area. Rebekah Tolley is unstoppable once she gains position with the ball. The bench players are growing and producing in the clutch, as demonstrated by Brooke Hughes' high-pressure three at 1:07 that gave Cloudland the 29-27 lead.

 

As for the "upset," it didn't appear that way to me, considering Unaka's changes and improvement since November. The familiarity factor is very significant. I can assure you that neither coach was surprised by anything the other did throughout the game.

 

As for next week's ratings, there are still a few games to be played this week. It's not that far to Unaka, and to suggest where a team should be ranked, having not seen them play in several years, is not very reliable. Unaka has become a big match-up challenge for anybody in the area. The two-point loss at Unicoi County, the same team that spanked Unaka by sixteen in November, should've served notice.

[The Highlander]

UUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

 

My head hurts...................

 

On a serious note, congratulations to the Lady Rangers on a good win.

 

I honestly don't think either team played very well, but Unaka seemed to want the win more than our Lady Landers. We had trouble with basic fundamentals; taking care of the ball, passing, ball movement, and shooting. You can have a bad quarter and still beat a bad team. But you can't take three quarters off and beat anyone.

 

I'll try to watch the film tonight and post more details and further opinions. If............my system can handle the stress!

 

The Highlander

[zAZa90]

I don't care what any sportswriter says, the Landers have not played well for the last three games. They have been missing easy shots inside because they are not patient when they get the ball. The three point game has been in a lull and they've done uncharacteristic things like throw the ball away. I've seen this and can make this observation. The wins early on, we did play well, but the girls have been getting complacent and not playing with the same focus that they did early on. The real Cloudland would have won this game by 15.

[coachh17]

I just reread my previous post and still stand by everything I said. The Seven poll will change several more times before it is all said and done. I honestly cannot predict which of the top four will be on top at the end, as it is a four horse race and they are neck and neck. It will be mostly speculation anyway, since Elizabethton does not play Cloudland or Unaka.