Rebels Step Up To Take Down West Greene In District 1-2A Title Game

ERWIN – With their top scorer hampered with foul trouble the rest of the Rebels stepped up on Tuesday night at Unicoi County High School as South Greene took down West Greene 62-49 in the District 1-2A championship game.

“We did what we needed to do to win,” South Greene coach Terry Hoese said. “West Greene had a good game plan, but these guys stepped up. Jase (Roderick) had a great night on offense. I’m very proud of these guys. It doesn’t get old, winning is still fun. I’m very happy for these kids.”

Both teams are moving on to the Region 1-2A Tournament which will begin on Saturday. South Greene will host Oneida and West Greene will be at home against Eagleton. In the District 2-2A consolation game Eagleton beat Oneida 53-49 on Tuesday.

“This one needs to hurt tonight, but in the morning the focus is on Eagleton,” West Greene coach Allen Tolliver said. “We have three days to prep for them. We’ll watch some film and see what they like do. Then we’ll come out Saturday and try to give ourselves a chance to win a game and get to region semifinals.”

With the game tied at 4-4 with 4:26 left in the first quarter South Greene’s Chandler Gamble, the District 1-2A Player of the Year, picked up his second foul and went to the bench. The Rebels could have been in a tight spot, but Jase Roderick and Trey Gentry picked up the scoring burden while Lucas Couch and Noah Wright played big defensive minutes off the bench.

South Greene took the lead for good when Roderick drove the lane and scored through contact for an 8-6 lead with 3:17 remaining in the first quarter. Buckets from Cayden Fillers and Gentry followed as the Rebels took a 12-8 lead into the second quarter.

South Greene’s defense led the way early in the second period with Gentry stealing the ball in the lane at one end of the floor and racing the other way for a breakaway layup. On the next West Greene possession Gavin Dyer poked a ball loose and Roderick went the other way to put the Rebels in front 18-8.

Elijah Williams gave West Greene a reprieve when he sank a three-pointer from the top of the key. By the midway point of the third quarter Sam Wisecarver went coast to coast to close the gap to 22-17.

The final minutes of the first half were played with South Greene reserves Will Arrowood, Charlie Lane, Couch and Wright on the floor and they extended the lead. Arrowood sank a triple from the corner and Wright scored on a put back as South Greene went to halftime leading 29-21.

“I credit tonight’s win to those guys who came off the bench,” Hoese said. “I looked up at one point in the first quarter and I have three starters on the bench. We played the entire second quarter with subs and those guys got the job done. Those guys are capable, and several of those guys are good enough to be in the starting lineup. Because of some injuries those guys got a lot of valuable playing time earlier in the year and it is paying off right now.”

West Greene’s Ayden Lamons scored the first points of the second half on a turnaround from the left block, but then Roderick hit from behind the arc twice and Gamble hit a three-pointer to stretch the Rebels’ lead to 40-23.

Roderick led all scorers on Tuesday with 20 points. Him stepping up was even more important because the Buffs’ defense, along with limited minutes, held Gamble to just seven points.

“Jase came out to start the second half and knocked down a couple of threes, and that was really big,” Hoese said. “Jase is capable of having this type of game. He has been slowed with injuries this year, and still isn’t 100 percent. But he’s a senior that has started for three and half years and we know he can step up for us.”

Williams kept West Greene in the game with a pair of three-pointers that cut the lead to 41-31. The third quarter ended with a loose ball rolling to Fillers who sank a 25-footer at the horn to give South Greene a 46-31 lead.

In the fourth quarter West Greene could not find enough good looks to challenge the lead. Williams did connect on his fourth three-pointer of the night to make it a 10-point game at 52-42.

South Greene did most of the rest of its damage at the free-throw line, scoring eight points at the stripe over the final 3:12. The Rebels’ defense only allowed one field goal in that stretch to capture the 62-49 win.

Williams led West Greene on Tuesday with 16 points while Lamons had 13. In addition to Roderick’s 20 points Fillers scored 12 and Dyer had 10 points for South Greene.