ERWIN — Unicoi County’s boys basketball team responded to a technical foul on coach Jordan Simmons and carried that emotion and momentum to a rare season sweep of Science Hill.
The Blue Devils took a 69-55 win on Tuesday night, adding it to the Unicoi girls’ 42-35 decision.
Unicoi’s boys trailed by eight points after the technical midway through the third quarter but finished the period with a flourish. The Blue Devils (10-2) turned a 45-37 deficit into a four-point lead with a stunning 17-5 run.
“I would love to say (the technical) was the plan all along, but I got a little to into it,” Simmons said. “That’s something I apologize for.
“I love my guys and hopefully they respect me the way I respect them. Maybe they were trying to bail me out.”
Lucas Slagle put the Blue Devils ahead 51-50 with a rebound and stick-back bucket. Grant Hensley capped the outburst with a buzzer-beating trey that ignited an already robust-voiced crowd.
Unicoi also scored the first three points of the fourth quarter to extend its led to 56-50. The Blue Devils also limited Science Hill (1-10) to just five fourth-quarter points.
“It’s a learning experience for our kids,” Hilltoppers’ head coach Jon Higgins said. “We’re dealing with a really experienced, really good Unicoi County team. They’re one of the better teams in the state in Class 3A.
“I thought toward the end of the third quarter we made a couple of mistakes that really hurt us. The key for us is learning from those mistakes.”
Grant Hensley led Unicoi’s balanced scoring with 18 points. Jackson Simmons added 14 and Eli Johnson totaled 12. Slagle and Kolby Jones each added 10 points, and Slagle had a team-high nine rebounds.
For Science Hill, Brady Lawson and Mason Wood each finished with 14 points. Wood knocked down four treys while Lawson added seven rebounds and four assists.
ABOUT-FACE
The Lady Blue Devils — two weeks removed from a 54-18 drubbing at the hands of Science Hill — turned the tables Tuesday.
Unicoi led by four points at halftime, trailed by one after three quarters and put the game away with timely shots and collecting turnovers in the final eight minutes.
Olivia Bailey had 12 points and Faith Bennett added 10 for the Lady Devils (7-5).
Science Hill (6-5) lost senior Aniya Pace to injury in the first half. Kaylee Oler scored nine.
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