With pressure to extend their season mounting and a furious atmosphere surrounding the hardwood, Ooltewah's seniors kept it cool.
A trio of 12th-graders poured in 11 of the Owls' 17 fourth-quarter points to pace a tense 42-35 win over East Hamilton in the District 5-AAA tournament Friday night at Ooltewah.
"That's what you're supposed to expect from seniors," Ooltewah coach Andre "Tank" Montgomery said. "We've got good senior leadership, and they made the plays."
The game seemed destined for a close finish, thanks to stiff defense and an abundance of turnovers both ways. The score was knotted at 9 at the end of the first quarter, and the Owls held a slim 18-17 lead at the break. The home team managed just three baskets in the first half but made the most of their chances at the charity stripe.
"We had a lot of opportunities to capitalize on things, and we didn't," said Hurricanes coach Rodney English. "We rushed some things and turned the ball over, and they did what they were supposed to do. They took advantage. They had 18 first-half points, and 12 came from the free-throw line."
The second half started with a flurry, as the teams traded leads. The Owls struggled to score, and freshman point guard Justin Dozier started to come alive for the Hurricanes.
East Hamilton scored 11, the game's first double-digit quarter, but narrowly escaped with a three-point lead as Tank Sparks banked in a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
The cross-community rivalry heated up in the fourth, and the atmosphere electrified.
"As a player, you have to love that atmosphere," Montgomery said.
Said English: "We tried to diffuse the rivalry stuff in practice. We told them this was a business trip and not about the crosstown stuff. It just happens that we're playing them."
Ooltewah finally took the lead on a 3 by senior Jarek Boyd, but East Hamilton got three back the hard way as Dozier scored a basket and got fouled. He hit the free throw to regain the lead for his team with 6:24 to play.
Dozier scored five points in the fourth and nine of his 11 in the second half.
"We have a great balance of seniors and younger guys. It's a shared leadership," English said. "We turned the locker room over to Dozier and said, 'Here you go.'"
Dozier wasn't enough, as the Owls piled on offensive rebounds and their upperclassmen took control. Senior Edward Hayes made big plays down the stretch, including a steal and a layup and a diving rebound and assist to Jones. He also avoided a key turnover with a heads-up timeout.
"Our guys have had some bumps to get over, but they're really starting to come together," Montgomery said. "We had to make adjustments on offense tonight, and they just kept fighting. They're going up with the seniors who have taken the lead."
East Hamilton could not keep possession after Hayes' clutch rebound, which allowed the home team to secure a two-possession lead and advance to the semifinals. Tracey Thompson led the Hurricanes with 11 points. Boyd finished with a game-high 16 for the Owls.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.