JOHNSON CITY – The South Greene boys basketball team had an answer every time University High tried to make a run on Thursday night and left Johnson City with a 61-49 win.
“It’s a win which is always a good thing, but I felt like we left a lot of points on the board,” South Greene coach Terry Hoese said. “We have to start connecting on those easy shots if we want to win big games down the road. But this is three wins in a row and maybe that will help us get going. We have seniors and veterans, and they stepped up and made shots when we needed them. That’s what its all about.”
The game ebbed and flowed all night with South Greene building a lead and the Buccaneers creeping closer. University High made its final run at the start of the fourth quarter and when Ty Templin knocked down a three-pointer to close the gap to 46-44 with 5:56 left to play.
Over the next three minutes the Rebels got two free throws from Lucas Couch and lay ins from Cayden Fillers and Simon Burns to stretch the advantage to 52-44. At the same time South Greene’s defense forced tough shots and controlled the boards on the defensive end of the floor.
The lead reached double digits again with 1:38 left to play when Burns sent a pass across the lane to Noah Wright for a layup.
In the closing stretch the Rebels allowed just one more made field goal and made 5-of-10 free throws to preserve the 61-49 win.
“At the end we did a good job of getting rebounds and running the clock. We held them to one shot, and we found good shots on the other end,” Hoese said. “We were able to spread the court and made it hard for them defend. Ultimately that allowed us some easy shots and made the difference in the fourth quarter.”
In the early going of Thursday’s action the teams traded points and University led 7-6 when Templin nailed a triple from the corner.
With 4:11 left in the first quarter South Greene took the lead for good when Cayden Fillers came down the lane and put up a runner.
Nine seconds later Couch took a steal the other way for a lay in. Then Wright and Fillers each scored on offensive rebounds for a 14-7 lead.
Fillers was a difference maker inside all night for South Greene and led all scorers with 17 points in the win.
“Cayden was important tonight, and when it got close late I told him he has to go to work. A lot of our offensive stuff is motion stuff, and our posts end up on the three-point line. Sometimes I just need to make it simpler and put the post down low and let him score.”
The first quarter ended with South Greene leading 17-13.
A foul on the first possession of the second quarter closed the gap to 17-15 when Janson West made two free throws. South Greene answered with seven straight points. Burns pushed the lead to 24-15 when Fillers sent a long pass ahead for a transition layup.
With 3:50 left in the first half Wright scored from the block to put the Rebels in front 30-20.
South Greene went to halftime leading 34-22.
The Buccaneers started the second half on an 8-0 run in which West and Mason Francis each connected from deep as the deficit shrank to 35-30.
Gavin Dyer gave South Greene a brief reprieve when he knocked a three-pointer from the right wing, but going the way Knox Poston hit from deep for the Bucs.
A three-pointer from Mekhi Yocum cut South Greene’s lead down to 44-39 going into the fourth quarter.
In addition to 17 points from Fillers South Greene got 12 points from Wright, nine from Dyer and eight from Burns.
Poston led University with 13 points and West scored 12.
South Greene will be back in action on Friday as it hosts cross-county rival Chuckey-Doak in a key District 1-2A contest.
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