ERWIN, Tenn. – Junior 6-foot-6 post Reagan Cash paced five double-figure scorers with 18 points and second-seeded David Crockett defeated top-seeded Tennessee High, 68-63, in the District 1-3A championship game at Unicoi County on Tuesday night.
The Vikings (16-15) will host Grainger (10-14) on Saturday in a region quarterfinal. Crockett (24-6) will host Cherokee (11-17).
In the third-place game Monday, Sullivan East lost 75-53 to Unicoi County. The Patriots (15-16) will travel to Greeneville (19-7) on Saturday while the Blue Devils (23-11) will visit Claiborne (15-11).
Tennessee High, which has now lost two of three meetings with Crockett this season, appeared to be in good shape early in the third quarter of the championship. Sophomore guard Braden Howard scored five of his 11 points in an 8-0 run that gave the Vikings a 38-30 lead with 6:27 left in the third quarter.
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But Cash answered with a stick-back and added another basket assisted by Drake Shingledecker in a 7-0 run, and the game was tight the final 12 minutes. There were lead changes and ties, not to mention fans’ fingernails in mouths and bellies doing somersaults.
Reed Miller assisted Colby Lamb’s lay-in to get Tennessee High within 64-61 with 1:46 remaining. Cash responded with an interior basket assisted by Brody McGuire to push the margin back to five points with 32 seconds left.
Crockett extended the lead to 68-61. Tennessee High scored on two free throws with 3.8 seconds to go to conclude the scoring.
“When we got down eight or nine I got a little worried,” Crockett coach Cody Connell said. “But I just told my guys to calm down, that there was a lot of basketball left. I told ‘em, ‘It’s our game to lose. We’re in great position here.’ …
“I saw something different in their eyes tonight. It was incredible. They were locked in the whole ballgame. I’m so happy for ‘em. It was a big-time win for our program.”
Bradley Gouge scored 12 points for the Pioneers. Colin Beason and McGuire added 11 apiece while Stephen Hensley scored 10.
“They made tough plays when it was time to make tough plays, and we didn’t,” Tennessee High coach Michael McMeans said. “We just didn’t get stops all night. That’s kind of what it came down to there at the end. It was one of those that was back and forth. You’ve gotta get stops, and we didn’t get stops at the end.
“Credit to them, they stepped up and made theirs. I thought both teams made shots.”
Indeed, Zander Phillips made five 3-pointers en route to a team-high 17 points for the Vikings. Miller (15) and Lamb (14) also scored in double figures, and Colin Brown and Braden Howard added nine and eight, respectively.
“Those guys really stepped up and had a good tournament,” McMeans said. “They really played well.”
The Vikings will have to bounce back emotionally, McMeans says, or things could get hairy with Grainger.
“They change defenses and they’re gonna be tough and physical,” he said. “So it’ll be a battle. … I told ‘em, ‘You’ve either gotta bounce back and play like you know there are things still in front of you, or you give up. And the ones that give up go to the house.’ That’s just kind of how it works this time of year.”
DAVID CROCKETT (68)
Brody McGuire 5 0-0 11, Stephen Hensley 4 0-0 10, Bradley Gouge 4 2-2 12, Shingledecker 1 4-4 6, Colin Beason 4 1-2 11, Fox 0 0-0 0, Reagan Cash 9 0-0 18. Totals 27 7-8 68
TENNESSEE HIGH (63)
Howard 3 0-0 8, Brown 3 2-2 9, Zander Phillips 6 0-0 17, Colby Lamb 7 0-0 14, Graham 0 0-0 0, Singleton 0 0-0 0, Reed Miller 6 2-6 15. Totals 25 4-8 63
David Crockett 20 10 18 20 -- 68
Tennessee High 11 22 14 16 -- 63
3-pointers—Crockett 7 (Hensley 2, Gouge 2, Beason 2, McGuire 1), Tennessee High 9 (Phillips 5, Howard 2, Brown 1, Miller 1)
THIRD-PLACE GAME
Unicoi County 75, Sullivan East 53
Sullivan East had Unicoi County within reach the majority of the game. The Patriots trailed 45-39 entering the fourth quarter.
But blue collar post Mason Hensley opened the fourth quarter scoring with a 3-pointer and all hell broke loose. The Blue Devils, playing their second game without second-leading scorer Kolby Jones (wrist), piled up 30 points in the fourth period and were never threatened in the final seven minutes.
Kaden Cutlip, a smooth-shooting southpaw lead guard, made six treys for Unicoi County, which also got 16 points from Jackson Simmons.
“It was just a total team effort,” Unicoi County coach Jordan Simmons said. “I’m proud of ‘em. Sullivan East has a lot of tools.”
Point guard Drake Fisher and 6-foot-5 post Corbin Laisure scored 21 points apiece for the Patriots, who were without 6-foot-5 Zach Johnson (illness) for the second straight game.
Johnson hopes to return for the elimination game at Greeneville on Saturday.
“It’s win or go home,” East coach Dillon Faver said. “We have an opportunity to play a team on Saturday that has erased our season the past two years. We’re going to prepare and go play Patriot basketball on Saturday.”
SULLIVAN EAST (53)
Lowe 1 0-0 2, Donahue 2 0-0 4, Ridlehuber 1 0-0 3, Cross 0 2-2 2, Drake Fisher 8 3-3 21, Hubbard 0 0-0 0, Corbin Laisure 9 3-3 21. Totals 21 8-8 53
UNICOI COUNTY (75)
Kaden Cutlip 7 2-2 22, Koda Cutlip 10 4-4 24, Hensley 1 0-0 3, Rodriguez 2 1-2 5, Sellars 1 3-3 5, Jackson Simmons 7 1-2 16, B. Simmons 0 0-0 0, C. Simmons 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 11-13 75
Sullivan East 11 17 11 14 -- 53
Unicoi County 15 15 15 30 -- 75
3-point goals—East 3 (Fisher 2, Ridlehuber 1), Unicoi 8 (Ka. Cutlip 6, J. Simmons 1, Hensley 1)
All-District 1-3A
MVP—Reagan Cash, David Crockett
Colin Beason (David Crockett), Bradley Gouge (David Crockett), Drake Shingledecker (David Crockett), Zander Phillips (Tennessee High), Colby Lamb (Tennessee High), Colin Brown (Tennessee High), Jackson Simmons (Unicoi County), Kaden Cutlip (Unicoi County), Drake Fisher (Sullivan East)