The North Greene boys’ quick offense and stifling defense helped them finish off a 56-40 win over Grainger in Thursday night’s action.
The win serves as the Huskies’ third of the week and helps them improve to 3-0. Their tough defense was on display only allowing 40 total points and only 25 through the first three quarters.
North Greene’s offense was enough to help them get the job done in the win.
“I was proud of them this week. We’ve had a good start. What I’m most proud of is our defense. We held all three opponents this week to under 55 which is a goal for us,” Huskies Head Coach Sam Tarlton stated.
Bennett McLain led all scorers with a game-high 22 points. Lance Carrico entered double figures with 15 also.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with neither team gaining an upper hand until the final shot of the frame. Tyler Britton lined up from half court and heaved up a long three-pointer as time expired and nailed it to send North Greene ahead 14-11.
They never surrendered the lead after that point.
Bennett McLain helped pick up nine of his points in the first quarter to keep the Huskies moving forward. He continued with an and-one for their first points of the second quarter. “Bennett’s had a good week. I think he’s been over 20 in all three games,” Coach Tarlton stated.
Ivan Stratton drained a three-pointer for Elizabethton, but the Cyclones would go scoreless for the rest of the half as North Greene finished on a strong 10-0 run. Lawson Davenport nailed a pair of floaters and sank two foul shots to score six while Lance Carrico made a couple layups to add four.
The Huskies were leading 27-15 at halftime.
Bennett McLain started the third quarter with a floater and Carrico drained a three to keep the nets warm. McLain finished the quarter with a pair of three pointers and ended his night with 22. They went into the fourth quarter ahead 42-25.
Elizabethton managed to outscore North Greene by one point in the fourth, but the damage had already been done. Lance Carrico scored six points in the fourth to keep pace.
The Huskies walked off the court with a 56-40 win inside The Den to end the night.
Bennett McLain led the night with 22 points. Lance Carrico produced 15, Lawson Davenport provided 8, and Tyler Britton scored 7. Thomas Darnell and Matthew Boyd had 2 each.
Brizen Soloman led Betsy with 12 points.
North Greene will participate in the Pizza Plus Thanksgiving Classic next week. They open up with Jefferson County on Monday.
GIRLS
North Greene 62, Elizabethton 56
The North Greene Lady Huskies improved to 3-0 this week with a 62-56 win over the visiting Elizabethton Lady Cyclones on Thursday night.
“I’m pleased with the win, but we’ve also got plenty of material to go back and study to try to help us be a little better going forward,” North Greene coach James Buchanan said. “Just an overall good team win for us.”
Even though the final margin closed to only six points, the Lady Huskies mainly controlled the whole entire game. After falling behind and trailing the whole first quarter, North Greene finished the half on a 19-0 run and stretched it to a 22-0 run into the second half. They rode on the coattails of that run and held off a charging fourth-quarter comeback attempt to secure the win in the end.
Hannah Miller led all scorers with a game-high 28 points and a team-leading 9 rebounds. Her contributions proved most beneficial in the second quarter. She helped give North Greene the lead in the second quarter with an 11-point run of her own.
“It’s not just the scoring, and it’s not just the rebounding, she’s a good ball handler and a good decision maker. When our kids get in trouble, she’s out there bailing them out. Just a very smart player,” Coach Buchanan stated.
The game started very slow with the first set of points coming with 5:39 left in the frame. Kayleyn Nave scored for Betsy and Adrian Heading scored the next six with two three-point shots. Loren Blevins connected on a 12-foot jumper, but Jamira Smalls negated that with a put back on Betsy’s next possession. Elizabethton led 12-9 after the first.
Reagan May scored five-straight for the Lady Cyclones to start the second, but that’s when Coach Buchanan called a timeout to turn things around. From there, the Lady Huskies didn’t allow another point in the half and scored 19-straight to finish. Hannah Miller scored 11-straight before Kaydence Marshall scored 5-straight. Blevins finished the run with an and-one. North Greene led 29-17 at the break.
“I thought we had a really good quarter defensively in the second,” Coach Buchanan stated. “Once we settled in that was a big run for us.”
Ella Head began the second half with a layup. Peyton McGee broke the Lady Cyclones scoreless spell with a three-pointer. They managed to cut the margin to four points before Blevins and Marshall helped string together a run of 7-straight points.
After the game Coach Buchanan praised both guards for their scoring efforts. He said, “How do you not brag on Kaydence and Loren with 14 a piece with some big shots at big times.”
The margin got knocked back down to eight by the end of the quarter after a pair of threes from Kayleyn Nave and Peyton McGee. North Greene led 44-36 after three.
North Greene’s offense never slowed down and kept producing points. Miller nailed a three-point shot and Blevins knocked down a floater. They traded again with Miller finishing an and-one trip for three points and Blevins expanded her range for a triple.
Both teams entered the bonus and an abundance of free throws followed late in the fourth quarter. North Greene was fortunate to make a high percentage of foul shots in the fourth knocking down 9-of-13 from the charity stripe. Elizabethton went a perfect 15-of-15 for the entirety of the game. All 15 came in the second half.
The Lady Cyclones looked to cause a disruption late in the fourth after McGee’s pair of free throws. They trailed by only four points, but a clutch fair of free throws from Loren Blevins helped stretch the lead to six. One of the best defensive plays of the night occurred on the last possession as Kaydence Marshall poked the ball away and forced a turnover with nine seconds left to seal North Greene’s win.
The Lady Huskies finished their opening week with a 62-56 win over Elizabethton. They improved to 3-0.
“That’s a good start to the season,” Buchanan expressed.
Hannah Miller led all players with 28 points. Loren Blevins and Kaydence Marshall scored 14 each. Ella Head provided 7.
Rylee May led Betsy with 14 points (all in the second half) while Peyton McGee delivered 12 and Adrian Heading had 10.
The Lady Huskies will compete in next week’s Grainger Thanksgiving Tournament. They start with Cumberland Gap on Monday at 4:15.
