Rhea County junior guard Micah Black set girls' basketball school records Tuesday with 10 3-point goals and 47 points in an 80-54 victory over Sequoyah.
Black took 25 shots from the floor - 15 from behind the arc - and scored 39 of her points in the first three quarters. The Lady Eagles led by eight going to the fourth quarter, then outscored Sequoyah 27-9 in the final eight minutes. She did not play the final 3:15.
Rhea first-year head coach Darvin Gill has been an assistant at such girls' powerhouse programs as Cannon County and White County. At Cannon he coached former Union University player Emily Sissom, who is second in TSSAA history for girls in 3-point goals made, and her sister, Abbey, a Class AA Miss Basketball and currently a junior at Middle Tennessee State.
"I've been around some good shooters, but as far as Micah Black, there's nobody I'd put above her," Gill said. "There's a few I'd rank with her."
Gill watched as each Sissom sister had a season with more than 100 3-point goals made. He believes Black can approach that.
"Our goal is to get her any good-looking 3 we can get her," Gill said. "I told her, 'I believe you can make upwards of 80, and we're going to be a good team if you do that.'"
Heights teams ranked
Both of Hamilton Heights' basketball teams are ranked in the top 10 in the most recent CBS MaxPreps national polls.
The Lady Hawks, coached by Keisha Hunt, are listed at 7-0 and checked in at No. 4 in the recently released Xcellent 25 girls' poll. The Hawks, coached by Zach Ferrell, are listed at 4-2 and No. 7 in the website's top-10 ratings of Independent schools.
MaxPreps notes at the bottom of its polls that it runs separate high school boys' basketball rankings for teams that compete for state championships as part of a recognized governing body (an Xcellent 25) and those that do not (an Independent top 10). Jim Stout, Eastern U.S. media manager for CBS MaxPreps Inc., noted in an email to the Times Free Press that academy schools aren't as big of a factor nationally with the girls, so there is no girls' Independent poll.
Headmaster Duke Stone said playing basketball with the opportunity to earn a college scholarship is the draw to Hamilton Heights, especially for the international students who make up most of the rosters on both teams.
"Our vision is still to try and help kids have opportunities to pursue their academic dreams at the next level," Stone said. "That's really what we're hoping to fulfill."
Dreamed it, themed it
The Lookout Valley basketball programs have decided to come up with a theme for each of their 11 home dates this season. The scope ranges from the upcoming serious theme of breast-cancer awareness on Jan. 13 to the recently passed superhero night.
Lookout Valley boys' coach Eric Ford said the topic of marketing was being discussed in his classroom one day when one of the cheerleaders voiced the idea of labeling each home game. He liked it, went to work on coming up with the themes and began spreading the word with the morning announcements at school and through Facebook.
It's been such a hit that when District 6-A opponent Richard Hardy visited last Tuesday, its coaches found out through Facebook it was Hawaiian night and showed up in Hawaiian shirts.
To honor longtime Lookout Valley coach Joe Galloway, Jan. 31 is sweater vest night. Not coincidentally, the games are against Sale Creek, where boys' coach David Helton has been known to wear a sweater vest on occasion, too.
"It gives the kids a chance to act crazy," Ford said. "The student section has been real good. I don't know how much basketball knowledge they have, but they're a rambunctious bunch and they have a good time over there in the corner."
REMAINING LOOKOUT VALLEY HOME GAMES
Dec. 13 vs. South Pittsburg, Christmas
Jan. 3 vs. Copper Basin, Jersey night
Jan. 6 vs. Van Buren, Black out
Jan. 13 vs. St. Andrew's-Sewanee, Pink out
Jan. 17 vs. Whitwell, USA/Red, white and blue
Jan. 31 vs. Sale Creek, Sweater vest night
Feb. 10 vs. Marion County, Neon night