McMinn County silences vocal East Hamilton boys in District 5-AAA tourney

Prep Sports
Prep Sports

ATHENS, Tenn. - East Hamilton boys' basketball coach Rodney English kept hollering and continued encouraging his players as they trailed in the second half.

McMinn County silenced the energetic coach by toppling his Hurricanes 64-56 in a District 5-AAA tournament game Friday at McMinn County.

"I tried to figure out how to help the guys, and plays were there. We just didn't execute," English said. "We played too fast and had too many turnovers. They were effort turnovers, so I can't complain about that."

The Cherokees (12-16) advanced to tonight's district semifinals - they'll face Bradley Central - and earned a spot in the Region 3-AAA tournament. The season is over for the Hurricanes (20-12).

"We were the only ones who thought we'd get out of districts," McMinn County coach Ed Clendenen said. "We've been playing all year so we can do some damage in this tournament."

Sophomore Taurean Jones did the most damage for the Cherokees. He scored 29 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter on 11-of-14 shooting from the free-throw line.

"I'm not scared of the situation," Jones said. "It's about practice."

Zane Byas added 12 points for McMinn County.

The Hurricanes, who were paced by Vandrele Wilson and Davae Hughley with 11 and 10 points, led 16-1 after the first period and 29-19 at halftime. But the Cherokees blitzed East Hamilton and outscored the Hurricanes 24-10 in the third quarter by forcing turnovers, hitting jumpers and going on a 14-2 run to start the second half.

Once the Cherokees took the lead, they never lost it. Though up by just four points heading to the fourth quarter, McMinn County put the ball in the hands of Jones, who sank free throw after free throw to maintain the lead and eventually seal the victory.

"He's one of those players who wants the ball and free throws at the end," Clendenen said. "We're going to use him, because that's what he excels at."

In the 5-AAA girls' game played Friday, Walker Valley blitzed Ooltewah 58-20. The Lady Mustangs did not have a single player score more than nine points, but all 12 listed in the official book scored at least two.

Today's semifinals schedule at McMinn County begins at 3 p.m. with the Bradley Central girls facing Walker Valley. That will be followed by the McMinn/Bradley boys' game, the McMinn/East Hamilton girls and the Walker Valley/Cleveland boys.

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter @UchiyamaCTFP.

Upcoming Events