BRISTOL – The Greeneville Greene Devils started the final Day of The Classic in search of their second win of the season and in the tournament. Getting the win was not easy, but Greeneville pulled out of an early hole to take down Tennessee High on its home floor, 54-45.
Parker Quillen put the Devils on the scoreboard first with triple from the elbow, but that lead would be short lived as Tennessee High went on a 21-2 run. The Devils had a hard time breaking the Vikings’ press and when they did, they were simply snake bit from the floor. In the meantime, the Vikings were in control in every aspect of the game leading 21-5 at the first break.
Facing a much taller team the Devils had to change their game plan, so Taren Clairdy stepped behind the arc and drilled a triple from the top of the key. Braylen Kidwell dropped a three from the corner and Zy Neal made one of two from the line. At the same time the Devils then stepped up the defense and went into a press of their own.
From there Yordan Mills took over the game, taking and making four consecutive three-pointers. His second three came from the corner with 2:33 remaining in the half and cut the score to 23-18. After a Viking turnover Mills Drilled another corner three to bring the Devils within two points at 23-21at the 1;07 mark.
Mills gave the Devils a brief lead at 24-23 with 20 seconds left in the second period before the Vikings ended the quarter and the Devils 19-2 run with a basket, but the Devils had turned the tide.
After being down 16 points in the first half Greeneville coach Brad Woolsey said, “We were slow against their press, we were holding it for three seconds or longer before we even started a press break. We started trying to move a little quicker and we started pressing and that’s what flipped it. We just decided to change and we turned them over….the first quarter and second quarters were almost exact flip. The big change came trying to loosen things up and Yordan knocked down shots. That was the biggest change, going to the press.”
As the third quarter got underway both teams knew they were in for a fight. The Vikings big man, Reed Miller, got open down low and Brayden Howard sank a pair of free throws, but Mills came right back with another three pointer from the elbow to pull the Devils back to with two at 29-27.
Greeneville hit six consecutive free throws, two each by, Neal, William Woolsey and Quillen, but two more at the line by Howard gave Tennessee a four-point lead. Neal was in hurry-up mode and nailed a triple from the elbow at the buzzer and the Devils trailed by only one heading into the final period 37-36.
Just seconds into fourth quarter Quillen put the Devils up by one with basket. Play was a little sloppy for the next few possessions for both team until Clairdy drilled back-to-back triples from the key,
The Vikings would not lay down as Cannon Swift kept it close with a pair of layups on consecutive possessions. Mills and Kidwell both made layups in transition.
With the Devils up three at 48-45 they were content to just play keep away until Mills was all alone under the goal to go up five ay 50-45. The Devils got a steal in front court and Clairdy was wide open heading towards the goal and put the exclamation point on the comeback and the game with the slam.
Woolsey said “Seeing some guys doing some things down the stretch where they have to make plays, you know making plays to win games, that’s important and that’s something you learn how to do and it’s good that they learned that.”
Mills finished with a game high 21 points and Clairdy scored 11 to the Devils to their second straight win.
GREENEVILLE – Mills 21, Clairdy 11, Quillen 7, Kidwell 7, Neal 6, Woolsey 2
TENNESSEE HIGH – Miller 12, Howard 10, Terry 10, Poole 5, Swift 8
