In a battle for control of the Three Rivers, Elizabethton came up just shy.
The Cyclones were unable to hold off a late Sullivan East run as they dropped a 59-56 decision to the Patriots. In the girls’ game, Sullivan East took a 51-35 victory over the Lady Cyclones to remain in control of their Three Rivers destiny.
For the Cyclones, it was a nip and tuck battle.
The Patriots stormed out to a 7-2 lead in the opening minutes, but Elizabethton got going offensively as they stormed to take a 13-9 advantage at the end of the quarter. The teams traded buckets for most of the second period as the Cyclones held a 30-29 lead at the half.
After the teams played even in the third quarter, Michael Robinson and Alex Norwood hit shots to push EHS to a seven-point advantage. The Patriots, however, would rally back with a 10-0 run. Elizabethton had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds but a shot was disallowed after hitting the wire on the goal.
Robinson had 21 points to lead Elizabethton, while Norwood tallied 12 points. Adam Cornett scored nine points, and Hayden Townsend tossed in seven points. Corey Russell added five points.
For the Lady Cyclones, an early hole was too much for EHS to overcome.
The Lady Patriots jumped out to an 11-4 advantage, and then held a 27-18 advantage at the half.
Elizabethton continued to fight as they closed the gap to four points. However, Sullivan East extended the lead back out to 10 and never looked back.
Autumn Lyon had 10 points, while Brittany Campbell tossed in nine points. Haley Burleson added six points for the Lady Cyclones.
