The Elizabethton girls basketball team got back to their winning ways on Friday night in thrilling fashion, while the boys basketball team came up short in a crucial Three Rivers Clash.
The Lady Cyclones worked overtime to pick up a 55-54 victory over Johnson County as Kaylen Shell scored with two seconds remaining in overtime. In the boys’ game, the Longhorns took a 61-55 win over the Cyclones in Elizabethton.
In the girls’ game, it was a nearly even affair in the beginning.
Elizabethton took a 9-7 lead after a quarter of play, and maintained a 21-18 lead at the break.
The Lady Longhorns quickly closed the gap in the third quarter, but Elizabethton answered to regain the lead.
However, Johnson County took a 3-point advantage into the final stanza.
The teams traded points through the fourth quarter, and the Lady Longhorns took a 49-45 lead with just over a minute left to play in the game. After Kaylen Shell trimmed the Elizabethton deficit to two points with just under a minute to play, Morgan Headrick tied things up with a pair of free throws to force overtime.
In the extra period, the teams continued to trade points and Johnson County held a 54-53 lead in the closing seconds. Shell, however, wouldn’t be denied as she scored in the closing seconds to give the Lady Cyclones the win.
Headrick had 20 points to lead the way, while Shell finished with 16 points. Abbey Townsend had eight points.
Sadie Stout and Taylor Cox had 16 points apiece to lead the Lady Longhorns.
In the boys’ game, neither team could pull away from the other in the opening half.
Elizabethton hit three 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes, but Johnson County held a 12-11 lead at the end of the quarter with big performances from Blake Atwood and Lucas Phillips. Eric Wilson heated up in the second quarter for the Cyclones with eight points in the stanza, but the teams played even as the Longhorns held a slim 27-26 lead at the half.
Nico Ashley and Parker Hughes record seven and six third-quarter points, respectively. Elizabethton, however, was unable to trim into the lead as it continued to be a two-point lead going to the fourth.
In the final quarter, Elizabethton tied things up in the opening minute, but the Longhorns answered with back-to-back buckets to regain the lead. The teams traded points down the stretch as EHS was unable to get back in front in the closing minute.
Wilson had 15 points to lead Elizabethton, while Ashley tallied 13 points. Hughes added 10 points. Evan Perkins tallied seven points in the win.
Atwood led Johnson County with 25 points, while Zach Eller had 18 points. Phillips had 10 points.
