Hendersonville Standard
HENDERSONVILLE WEATHER

HHS girls dominate Pearl-Cohn, boys fall in blowout




HHS' Janaeya Mayes (3) guards Pearl-Cohn's Kich Hayes-WoodsMICKEY BERNAL

HHS’ Janaeya Mayes (3) guards Pearl-Cohn’s Kich Hayes-WoodsMICKEY BERNAL

NASHVILLE – The Hendersonville Lady Commandos kicked off the 2018 season in style, rolling past the Pearl-Cohn Lady Firebirds 68-40 on Tuesday night. 

“We were really close in the first half and just a hair away from getting steals, so we talked at halftime about really taking control in the second half and ratcheting up the pressure even more,” Lady Commando coach John Filson said. “That’s kind of our style now. They embrace that, they don’t doubt themselves and they just took control and put it into action. I couldn’t be more proud of their effort.”

Hendersonville took the lead early in the first period and never looked back. Pearl-Cohn kept it close throughout the first half, keeping the deficit to within a few points. The Lady Commandos began to pull away as halftime neared, taking a 36-26 lead at the break. 

“We want everyone we play to be uncomfortable,” Filson said. “We feel like our press and our quickness, taking advantage of that, is what’s going to help us get our offense working and get points out of transition.”

Cookie Morgan (11) chases down a loose ball for the Lady CommandosMICKEY BERNAL

Cookie Morgan (11) chases down a loose ball for the Lady CommandosMICKEY BERNAL

In the second half, Hendersonville began to separate. The Lady Commandos began to press the Lady Firebirds, forcing several Pearl-Cohn turnovers and turning those turnovers into points. 

“We’re always going to be up-tempo on offense,” Filson said. “The one thing that I noticed is I thought we were too passive in the first quarter. We were looking to make too many passes there. But they’re just an unselfish team and I’m proud of how they distribute the ball and play really well as a unit.”

Janaeya Mayes led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, while Brette Taylor added 11 and Ellen Tate Baker chipped in 10. 

“We lost about 90 percent of our offensive production off last year’s team and we only have a couple of girls who have played meaningful varsity minutes,” Filson said. “So, this is a huge confidence boost for these girls moving forward.”

Hendersonville's Madelyn Hollinsworth backs up and guards Pearl-Cohn's Jada ChurchMICKEY BERNAL

Hendersonville’s Madelyn Hollinsworth backs up and guards Pearl-Cohn’s Jada ChurchMICKEY BERNAL

The boys game, however, was a different story. It was Pearl-Cohn that jumped out to an early lead, which was as many as 18 at one point, before taking a 33-15 lead at halftime. 

“They’re really good and well coached,” HHS coach Clancy Hall said. “They’ve got an unbelievably good culture and their guys play really hard. Anything that we tried to do to take things away, they worked around it.

“We’ve got to get a lot better and a lot tougher. Everyone in our program is disappointed, and you should be when you lose, but that was one heck of a basketball team.”

Things didn’t get any better in the second half as Pearl-Cohn’s size and speed was just too much for the Commandos to handle. However, playing a tough opponent right out of the gate should prove to be a good learning experience for the Commandos, according to Hall. 

“Our district is so tough that this will prepare us for district and the athletes that our district has,” he said. “We’re going to take a lot out of it in terms of how we play fast and slow. We tried to play just fast against them, but we have to play a little bit different. We’ve got to get them in the air and finish our jump shots.”

HHS' Brette Taylor guards Pearl-Cohn's Janiyah HoustonMICKEY BERNAL

HHS’ Brette Taylor guards Pearl-Cohn’s Janiyah HoustonMICKEY BERNAL

Zach Morris led the Commandos with 10 points, while Noah Taylor added 9 and Andrew Stratton had 3. The Commandos will try to get back on track at home on Thursday. 

“We just have to practice and try and iron out some stuff. We have to work on getting into the paint, making good decisions and making free throws,” Hall added. “In basketball, you can’t just sit and whine about things, you have to find a way to get better.”

GIRLS BOX SCORE

Hendersonville (68):Janaeya Mayes 25, Brette Taylor 11, Ellen Tate Baker 10, Jordan Phillips 7, Madison Lannon 4, Kiera Phillips 3, Gracie Gregory 2, Kayla Minchey 2, Preslie Bolton 2, Cookie Morgan 2

Pearl-Cohn (40):Kich Hayes-Woods 19, Charity Watkins 10, Destiny Poole 6, Jada Church 3, Kalajah Coleman 1, Bri Williams 1

Jada Church (20) heads upcourt with the ball for the Lady FirebirdsMICKEY BERNAL

Jada Church (20) heads upcourt with the ball for the Lady FirebirdsMICKEY BERNAL

BOYS BOX SCORE

Pearl-Cohn (71): Tyrone Marshall 22, William Shaw 17, Tucker 15, Steven Watkins 7, Allen 6, Anthony 2, Hooten 2

Hendersonville (33):Zach Morris 10, Noah Taylor 9, Andrew Stratton 3, Cam Stevens 3, Issiah Chandler 2, Drew Hohenbrink 2, Graham Charlton 2, Grant Lang 1, Jordan Zuger 1

Pearl-Cohn's Jada Church (20) fakes out HHS' Madelyn HollinsworthMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s Jada Church (20) fakes out HHS’ Madelyn HollinsworthMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's Kich Hayes-Woods (40) battles with HHS' Janaeya Mayes (3)MICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s Kich Hayes-Woods (40) battles with HHS’ Janaeya Mayes (3)MICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's Kich Hayes-Woods (40) drives the lane against HHS' Janaeya Mayes (3)MICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s Kich Hayes-Woods (40) drives the lane against HHS’ Janaeya Mayes (3)MICKEY BERNAL

Hendersonville's Zach Morris (10) goes up for a monster block on Pearl-Cohn's Trotter (14)MICKEY BERNAL

Hendersonville’s Zach Morris (10) goes up for a monster block on Pearl-Cohn’s Trotter (14)MICKEY BERNAL

HHS' Andrew Stratton (4) and Noah Taylor (30) go up to block Pearl-Cohn's Steven WatkinsMICKEY BERNAL

HHS’ Andrew Stratton (4) and Noah Taylor (30) go up to block Pearl-Cohn’s Steven WatkinsMICKEY BERNAL

HHS' Jackson Alfrod (20) goes up for the block on Pearl-Cohn's TrotterMICKEY BERNAL

HHS’ Jackson Alfrod (20) goes up for the block on Pearl-Cohn’s TrotterMICKEY BERNAL

HHS' Drew Hohenbrink (32) goes up to try and block Steven Watkins's dunkMICKEY BERNAL

HHS’ Drew Hohenbrink (32) goes up to try and block Steven Watkins’s dunkMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's Anthony drives the lane as HHS' Cam Stevens defendsMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s Anthony drives the lane as HHS’ Cam Stevens defendsMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's Shield comes down with the reboundMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s Shield comes down with the reboundMICKEY BERNAL

Graham Charlton (33) swats aways a shot from Pearl-Cohn's Tyrone MarshallMICKEY BERNAL

Graham Charlton (33) swats aways a shot from Pearl-Cohn’s Tyrone MarshallMICKEY BERNAL

HHS' Derek Kincaid (23) tips the ball away from Pearl-Cohn's Tyrone Marshall.jpg

HHS’ Derek Kincaid (23) tips the ball away from Pearl-Cohn’s Tyrone Marshall.jpg

Pearl-Cohn's Tyrone Marshall throws down two points for the FirebirdsMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s Tyrone Marshall throws down two points for the FirebirdsMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's William Shaw (3) goes up for a huge block on HHS' Issiah Chandler (1)MICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s William Shaw (3) goes up for a huge block on HHS’ Issiah Chandler (1)MICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's William Shaw (3) throws down a dunkMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s William Shaw (3) throws down a dunkMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's William Shaw dribbles the ball past HHS' Jackson AlfordMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s William Shaw dribbles the ball past HHS’ Jackson AlfordMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's William Shaw goes up for a dunk for the FirebirdsMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s William Shaw goes up for a dunk for the FirebirdsMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn's William Shaw passes the ball to a teammateMICKEY BERNAL

Pearl-Cohn’s William Shaw passes the ball to a teammateMICKEY BERNAL

Leave a Reply