In a showdown of state-ranked Chattanooga area boys’ prep basketball teams, Red Bank and Walker Valley provided an all-out battle inside Susan Ingram Thurman Gymnasium Tuesday night.
Class 4A’s No. 6-ranked Mustangs prevailed on the road as sophomore Zach Davis’ mid-range jumper took a friendly shooter’s bounce for the ultimate go-ahead basket as Davis led the visitors with 21 points in a 72-67 overtime victory over Class 3A’s ninth-ranked Lions.
Walker Valley (18-2) was propelled right from the start by the tean’s strong 3-point shooting as four different players combined to sink five of their first six 3-pointers to build a 27-12 lead, with senior Graham Campbell scoring 10 of his 18 points in the opening frame.
“We came out scorching hot and were hitting everything,” said Mustangs head coach Will Campbell, whose team finished with nine 3-point makes. “But, you have to give Red Bank a lot of credit. That is a good team and Coach (Nick) Fike does a great job with them. They killed us in the mid-range and on the boards for stretches. We had to battle through some things that didn’t go our way and seal the game in overtime.”
Red Bank (15-5) outscored Walker Valley in the final three quarters of regulation, which included a ferocious fourth quarter comeback where they held a 24-13 scoring advantage.