The Tyner Rams had reason to celebrate as they got after Howard on the hardwood Saturday night.
Coach E'Jay Ward's basketball bunch took advantage of their opportunity to take control of District 6-AA for the moment as Tyner pulled away to a 55-39 home victory in which seniors Amarion Dilard and Melique Hambrick were sharp late.
Hamilton County public schools' winter sports teams were allowed to return to competition this past week after being shut down since mid-December due to COVID-19 concerns.
"These guys were so pumped up about the game," Ward said after the Rams improved to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in district play. "They have been anxious to play, and we've been practicing for a month now. I told my guys whenever we have the chance to play, we just need to see a little more sense of urgency because tomorrow is never promised."
Early on it was junior Anthony Sims who played with urgency as the Rams' 6-foot-4, 230-pounder made strong moves in the paint. Sims scored six straight points, a run started by hitting a tough right-handed floater in the paint.
Sims was stellar, scoring all of his 10 points in a first half in which Keelan Jackson hit a pair of long-range shots and Latavious Conyers and Trent Greshman provided big blocks to help the Rams take a 25-16 lead into halftime.
"We preach being solid all the time, and Ant really has been that for us," Ward said of Sims, who grabbed nine rebounds. "He's been behind Kobe Smith, Soloman Bridgeman and Tony Jackson, so he's worked hard in practice. Now this is the year for him to show what he can do. His reps have been paying off."
Known for his big 3-pointers, Melique Hambrick stepped up in crunch time again, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the final quarter.
Right as Howard (6-2, 4-1) looked to gain momentum after Kerrick Thorne's free throws cut the Hustlin' Tigers' deficit to 37-35 with 4:59 left in the game, Hambrick answered with his second 3 of the quarter on a contested attempt.
Tyner pulled away for good as Amarion Dillard scored nine of his 12 points in the last four minutes.
"Melique, Amarion, Trent, Jeremiah Melton. They are the reason we are playing this year," Ward said. "It has been a crappy year for our seniors. We are going to play hard for them. It's about those four. I was proud of the way we played tonight. Our defense was sharp, and we closed it down late by running some good plays offensively."
Xavier Fisher and Thorne led the Hustlin' Tigers with nine points apiece.
McCallie 59, Concord Christian 45: Eric Rivers scored 19 points, while Wilson Rankin added 15 to lead the Blue Tornado (5-2) to the home victory.
East Hamilton 86, Ooltewah 48: The Hurricanes (8-2, 3-1 District 5-AAA) were explosive as Cade Pendleton had 28 points and four 3-pointers, while Marcus Long and Jordan Harris added 20 and 18 points, respectively. Ooltewah was led by Deleon Petty, who had 18 points and four long-range makes.
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Bradley Central 67, Knoxville Catholic 31: Class AAA's top-ranked Bearettes had 17 assists, and five Bradley Central players scored at least eight points in the road win. Senior Anna Muhonen had 16 points and 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Bearettes (11-1), while Hannah Jones had 11 points andJamia Williams added nine with three assists.
Silverdale Baptist Academy 65, Chattanooga Patriots 35: The Lady Seahawks (12-7) had 13 players make a field goal, and eight players accounted for their nine 3-pointers. Silverdale was led by senior post Becca Lamb's 15 points. Emmaline Carlisle impressed for the Lady Patriots with 14 points and four 3-pointers.
Brainerd 51, East Ridge 14: The Lady Panthers received solid contributions across the board Thursday, when Arteya Scott and Raijeria Bell led the attack with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Brainerd's Sakylah Belcher and Le'Niyah Mason each scored eight points.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.