DUNLAP, Tenn. — As they have jumped out to a great start so far this season, the Sequatchie County basketball team has shown that they can win a game in a variety of ways. The one way that hadn't been tested was a week layoff going into a big district basketball game.
After Tuesday night, Sequatchie coach Jason Smith can check that off his list as well.
After CCS scored the first four points of the game, Sequatchie went on a 23-4 run to end the quarter. They led by double-digits the rest of the way and went on to capture a 65-40 victory over the Chargers Tuesday in Sequatchie.
Daniel Cartwright led the Indians (17-2, 5-0) with 19 points, adding 11 assists and a trio of steals. Kegan Frederick scored 16. Brandon Arnold led the Chargers (12-8, 4-2) with 15 points.
The Indians hadn't played since defeating Notre Dame on Jan. 10th, as a matchup last Friday against Whitwell was cancelled due to schools being out. Smith was slightly worried going into the game, but his team put those worries to rest by forcing 10 first-half turnovers, eight over that killer first-quarter stretch.
"They stepped up the defensive intensity, and once they did, we turned the ball over so many times we couldn't get into our stuff," CCS coach Jim Arnold said. "They jumped out to a big lead, and that can't happen on the road. We hadn't done that this year. We weren't working hard to get the ball and couldn't make an entry against their defense."
The Chargers started the game off doubling Cartwright once he crossed half-court, forcing him to give the ball up and make other players make plays for the Indians. After the early adjustment, the Indians started to move the ball around well, and had wide open looks which they were able to knock down.
"We talked about how they were double-teaming Daniel during an early timeout," Smith said. "We started moving the ball around well, and getting into gaps and freeing guys up. Then we started playing some good defense and getting out in transition, and the score mushroomed a little bit."
The lead reached 30 late in the game before settling in on the 25-point final margin. The win gives Sequatchie their first 5-0 start in district play in recent memory.
"We've had some good runs, but I'm not sure when the last time was that we were 5-0. We just talk about playing one game at a time," Smith said. "I tell the seniors that there is no next year to think about, so I want them to make sure they have fun, but take care of business. They're pretty good leaders, but they have a good approach and they're a unique group of kids.
"They all push each other and want to make each other better."
