BLOUNTVILLE – West Greene won 40-37 on December 12, West Greene won 59-51 on December 20, West Greene won 75-69 on February 9, but when it mattered most in Saturday’s District 1-2A semifinal, South Greene prevailed 58-51.
It was a tight ball game throughout, but South Greene never trailed by more than four and also never led by double digits until the final minute of the game. It was more of a low-scoring affair this time around and South Greene played better down the stretch to come out on top.
“It’s a great feeling. That bunch knocked us off three times in the regular season and that’s why you play them. You get to these games and these are the ones that matter,” said Rebels Head Coach Terry Hoese.
It’s become a tradition for South Greene. The Rebels will have a chance to keep their championship streak alive, and reached their 5th-straight District 1-2A Championship since the conference was created in the 2021-22 season. South Greene will meet with Unicoi County on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM to play for the title.
West Greene will play Chuckey-Doak at 6 PM in the third-place consolation game.
Jameson White never cooled off after Thursday night’s 23-point performance against Happy Valley and delivered another 20-piece with exactly 20 and half a dozen three-pointers.
“It’s been huge because it opens stuff up for everybody else. I think Simon Burns was in double figures tonight. When he’s making shots, people have to get off Gavin a little bit and can’t double team him like they have in the past. Him making shots to get Cayden, Noah, and Gavin to get easier looks is huge.”
Gavin Dyer netted 12 points and Simon Burns scored 10. Tytus Shelton led West Greene with 15 points and Ayden Lamons scored 14.
South Greene improved to 19-11 with the win. West Greene falls to 16-12.
The first quarter was one of the quickest quarters all year with a very low foul count, no timeouts, and a great flow. Gavin Dyer started the contest with a layup and we were off. Jameson White drained his first of six threes right away and Simon Burns nailed a three to give the Rebels an early 8-2 advantage. Tytus Shelton helped the Buffs close the gap to one with five-straight. Each team scored four-straight to end the quarter and South Greene held a 12-11 lead after one.
Ayden Lamons landed a jumper in the paint for West Greene’s first lead to begin the second quarter. Elijah Williams scored a layup and created a three-point margin. South Greene couldn’t buy a bucket in the quarter until White fired away from beyond the arc and nailed another three-pointer to tie it, 15-15, with 4:32 left. Parker Arnott sank a three next and put West Greene ahead by four. Cayden Fillers and Lucas Couch combined for four-straight to tie it again.
A huge momentum swing at the end of the second shifted in South Greene’s favor after West Greene missed a wide-open layup attempt that turned into a Jameson White three-pointer to end the half. South Greene now led 23-22 at the break.
The Rebels seized control of the lead right before the half, but wanted to take control of the game in the third quarter. They never led by more than five in the quarter, but remained in control going into the fourth.
Gavin Dyer started the second half the same way he began the game with a layup. Tytus Shelton scored five-straight again for the Buffs and gave West Greene a brief 27-25 lead before South Greene stepped back in front on Cayden Fillers’ layup. Dyer finally found his range and netted a pair of three-point buckets to create a 36-31 lead with under a minute in the frame. Elijah Williams cut into the Buffs deficit with a much-needed three right before the close of the third.
The Rebels led the Buffs 36-34 heading into the fourth.
Ayden Lamons tied it early with a basket to open the fourth and it was the closest West Greene would get to the lead for the rest of the game. Simon Burns hit a reverse layup and Jameson White heated up again for a three-pointer to lead 41-36. Shelton scored two more for West Greene, but White fired away for two-straight three-point buckets to almost ice it with a 47-40 lead.
“The fourth quarter was big. We were able to spread the court and get a lot of easy looks, but Jameson White had a great game,” Hoese explained.
The last three minutes became a separate game of “who could make their free throws” as both teams reached five fouls and kept sending each other to the line. West Greene’s inability to hit shots down the stretch in crunch time and South Greene’s ability to knock down free throws was the key difference in the final minutes.
The lead hovered around seven, but was cut to five on a couple occasions until South Greene reached a ten-point lead in the final minute to close the door on them.
South Greene got the best of West Greene and advanced to Tuesday’s District 1-2A Championship with a 58-51 win over West Greene.
The Rebels play Unicoi County on Tuesday at 7:30 PM looking for their fourth-straight championship. West Greene plays Chuckey-Doak for third place at 6 PM.
