Despite jumping out to a 15-point lead early in the second quarter, the Howard boys' basketball team had to hold on for a 71-69 victory at Brainerd in a District 6-AA rivalry clash Saturday night.
With only 150 fans allowed in due to COVID-19 regulations, Hustlin' Tigers coach James Talley was glad to see his school's cheerleaders pushing them on to the win.
"We are really thankful for them and don't say it enough," Talley noted after the Hustlin' Tigers improved to 4-1 and 2-0 in league play. "We were happy they were here. We feed off their energy big time and couldn't have done it without them."
Dennis Lewis Jr. scored a game-high 23 points and hit five 3-pointers for the Panthers, who outscored their visitors 28-18 in the fourth quarter.
However, Howard had four players finish in double figures, with Jadon Jenkins leading the way with 13 points. Senior Chris Hall, with eight points and 10 rebounds, also made a difference.
"Chris was the only one who came in with his head focused today," Talley said. "He played under control and came up big for us. We needed that effort from him tonight."
Chattanooga Christian School 59, Eagle's Landing 53: Jackson Hilger and Boo Carter provided a jolt for the Chargers as each scored 18 points, and Parker Graham added 10 in the home win against the Atlanta-area program.
Boyd Buchanan 63, Grace Christian 36: Boyd Buchanan (4-0) was led on the road by 6-foot-7 freshman Ace Bailey's 14 points, and Caden Johnson added 11 with seven assists and three steals.
LaFayette 67, Trion 41: Junior Barber's 23 points led four Ramblers in double figures as they rolled to the nonregion road win. Aidan Hadaway finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks, with DeCameron Porter adding 11, 12 and three. Jaylon Ramsey scored 12 points for LaFayette.
Notre Dame 51, CCS 45: The Fighting Irish overcame a 28-20 halftime deficit as Bryson Smith highlighted a 19-point third quarter with seven of his team-high 12 points, and Tim Vaughn added 11 points in Friday's home win. The Chargers' Tink Scott led all scores with 14 points, and Boo Carter had 13.
McCallie 81, Chattanooga Patriots 37: McCallie (2-2) dominated as Trey Hamilton led the way with 20 points and four 3-pointers in Friday's home win, and David Craig (14 points), Eric Rivers (13) and Kollin Claridy (10) also contributed. Jakyse Locklin led the Patriots with 14 points.
Tyner 82, East Ridge 20: Nine players scored at least five points for the Rams (2-1) in Friday's win, led by Anthony Sims with 14. Amarion Dillard and Keelan Jackson each had 12 for Tyner, and Cadin Harris led East Ridge with nine.
Heritage 55, Southeast Whitfield 36: Cooper Terry led the Generals to Friday's GHSA Region 7-AAAA win with 19 points, backed by Caden Snuder with 12. Matthew Brock led Southeast with 10.
Christian Heritage 68, Fannin County 45: The Lions improved to 2-0 as Jax Abernathy led a trio of double-figure scorers with 19. Zundra Jackson added 15 and Nash Bingham 14 for the winners Friday.
Chattooga 82, Gordon Central 57: The Indians won their GHSA Region 7-AA opener Friday behind 24 points from Damien Smith (15 off 3-pointers), 22 from Jaylon Johnson and 13 from L.A. Riley. Mac McDaniel, Kode Steward and Tre Williams led Gordon Central with 17, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Coahulla Creek 54, North Murray 46: Riley Matter scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the first quarter as the Colts won the GHSA Region 6-AAA game Friday. Jaryous Ross led North Murray 17 points.
Polk County 55, Copper Basin 52: Caleb Milen and Tannar Patterson helped jump-start the Wildcats in a season-opening win Thursday, with each scoring eight points in the second quarter. Milen finished with a game-high 20, while Patterson had 15 and 10 rebounds. Polk County's Alex Armstrong had 10 rebounds and four assists, and Copper Basin's Timmy Fair scored 17 points.
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Bradley Central 45, Stewarts Creek 44, 2OT: Bearettes senior Kelsey Carman hit the winning 3-pointer with two seconds left at Jim Smiddy Arena. Jamia Williams provided the assist to Carman, who scored all 12 of her game-high points from beyond the arc. Bradley Central (5-1) also received 11 points and seven rebounds from sophomore Hannah Jones.
Silverdale Baptist 55, East Hamilton 34: The Lady Seahawks (5-2) continue to play dominant on the defensive end, and senior Ryleigh Hoover sparked the offense with 19 points and five 3-pointers. Senior point guard Tessa Gibson added 10 points. Eighth grader Tristin Sutton led the Lady Hurricanes with 11.
Ringgold 68, Ridgeland 27: Maggie Reed paced the Lady Tigers to the nonregion win with 27 points, followed by Hannach Scott with 16 and Rachel Lopez with 12. Haley Collins led Ridgeland with 11.
LaFayette 58, Trion 57: McKeria Johnson led the Lady Ramblers with 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals, with Haynie Gilstrap adding 11 points. Chloe Murdock topped Trion with 21 points, followed by I'ziah McCutchins with 12.
Ringgold 62, Adairsville 36: Riley Nayadley had a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Tigers, who also received 17 points from Reed and 12 points and seven assists from Lopez on Friday.
Dade County 58, Pepperell 31: Stella Henry topped the Lady Wolverines with 23 points Friday, with Jayda Wood adding 13.
Tyner 62, East Ridge 9: The Lady Rams (3-0) took off behind Alona Allen's 20 points, while Tamyra Long added 14 to the score sheet Friday.
Bradley Central 43, Blackman 38: The Bearettes (4-1) shot 15-of-27 from the field and won the rebounding battle 31-20 to edge the Lady Warriors, who had 14 steals Friday. Jones scored 15 points while Sloan Carpenter had eight points and two steals for Bradley.
WRESTLING
* Cleveland won the Mountain View Duals in Lawrenceville, Georgia, going 4-0 on Saturday. The Blue Raiders - who are seeking a fourth straight TSSAA Class AAA duals state championship - defeated Mount Pigsah 35-30, Cartersville 45-33, West Forsyth 42-33, and Parkview 69-6. Jackson Bradford, Ashton Davis, Bentley Ellison and Trae McDaniel were impressive in the sweep.
* Heritage finished as runner-up at the Warrior Rumble in Loganville, Georgia. The Generals went 3-1, beating Jefferson 45-25, Wesleyan 46-21 and South Gwinnett 47-3, before falling 49-27 to Walnut Grove in the championship round. Tate Thomas (106 pounds), Austin Palmer (120) and Evan Wingrove (138) each went 4-0. Wingrove finished with three pins and a technical fall. Mike Stokes and Zach Brown had three wins each.
Compiled by Patrick MacCoon and Lindsey Young. Contact MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon. Contact Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.