Walker Valley junior guard Seth Sausville scored the game-winning layup with seven seconds left, while Myles Mann secured the rebound at the buzzer on the defensive end to help defeat third-ranked East Hamilton, 64-62, at home Tuesday night.
Sausville helped guide the Mustangs back from a 26-11 deficit as his smooth left-handed stroke from long range and ability to crash to the basket was clutch.
"When we walk into a gym we aren't going to blow anyone away. We are all about 6-feet tall and not much bigger than that," said Sausville who had 19 points and three of Walker Valley's 10 3-pointers. "We are a family. We may get down, but we are not going to go away easy. Tonight was a great night for our team and it was awesome to celebrate with our guys in the locker room."
East Hamilton (7-2, 2-1 District 5-AAA) was led by Jordan Harris who had 19 points, while Darwin Randolph was sharp with 17 points, five assists and three steals.
Walker Valley (8-3, 3-1) received key 3-pointers from Peyton Ratcliff in the fourth quarter, while Kyler Parris also had a pair of crucial buckets to help aid the comeback victory. Hayden Moore also had 15 points in the win.
The Lady Mustangs also beat East Hamilton for the first time in four years with a 54-40 win to start the night. Emma Bentley led all scorers with 17 points, while Sloane Watson had nine of her 11 in the fourth quarter.
GIRLS' BASKETBALL
Ringgold 67, Adairsville 43: A 25-7 second-quarter advantage helped propel Ringgold (9-4, 4-3) to the Region 6-AAA win. Riley Nayadley led the winners with 18 points and added five rebounds, with Rachel Lopez finishing with 16 points and four assists and Baleigh Pitts seven rebounds. Addi Broom had six of her seven points in the deciding second period.
Trion 65, Bowdon 45: Chloe Murdock poured in 32 points as the Lady Bulldogs (10-3, 4-0) rolled to the Region 6-A public victory.
Dade County 51, Chattooga 29: Stella Henry and Ali Thompson had 15 points each and Jayda Wood added 14 as the Lady Wolverines (4-2, 2-1) won the Region 7-AA contest.
BOYS' BASKETBALL
Red Bank 57, Signal Mountain 29: The Lions (3-1, 1-0 District 6-AA) came alive after a 21-all tie at halftime. Cameron Bell took over with 21 points (13 in third quarter) and 11 rebounds, while Kel Eddins had 15 points. Red Bank's Nick Smith also had seven assists in the home victory.
Bradley Central 70, Ooltewah 56: Tucker Greene supplied 20 points, five 3-pointers and four assists to lead the Bears to victory. Bradley Central's Mason Rothwell added 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Ooltewah's Deleon Petty finished with 20 points.
Arts & Sciences 58, Copper Basin 25: The Patriots ran away outscoring their opponent 23-0 in the third quarter. CSAS (3-1) had four players with eight points or more and were led by Justin Brown with 12.
Central 72, East Ridge 46: Donovin Taylor was red hot, finishing with 31 points and four 3-pointers for the Pioneers, who also got 13 points from Jaylin Teague.
Sale Creek 55, Lookout Valley 39: Senior Korbyn Brown scored 10 of his game-high 21 points to seal Tuesday's home win.
Boyd Buchanan 68, Grace Academy 47: Freshman Ace Bailey had 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals to help the Bucs improve to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in region play.
Sonoraville 52, Rockmart 38: Brant Brown and Murray Somers scored 11 points each as the Phoenix improved to 12-0 and 6-0 in Region 6-AAA. Orry Darnell and Kevin Morrison added nine points each for the winners.
Northwest Whitfield 89, Southeast Whitfield 62: Payton Baker scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the first period as the Bruins (9-4, 3-2) won the Region 7-AAAA rivalry game. Jack Brock had four 3-pointers in adding 15 points, with Will Anderson finishing with 10 points. Job Willis and Colby Patterson led Southeast with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Cedartown 56, Heritage 53: Cedartown handed Heritage its first Region 7-AAAA loss as Jeremiah Johnson scored 11 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs overcame a 38-31 deficit after three periods. Cooper Terry led the Generals (9-5, 6-1) with 16, points, with Caden Snyder and Mitchell Kennedy adding 11 each.
WRESTLING
Walker Valley 61, Ooltewah 18: The Mustangs received big time performances from their heavyweights from 182-285 as Heath Tanksley, Kallum Lowe, Jacob Anderson and Jadon Langford all had pins. Walker Valley also earned technical falls from Jason Hall (132) and Garrison McCann (145) in the second period, while Joshua Bramlett fought for an 8-7 decision at 120. Ooltewah's Hunter McKinney, Roman Evans and Jaden Harden all won with pins.