The Warriors had an upset on the mind. However, Elizabethton had different plans.
The Cyclones held on for a thrilling 60-59 victory over Happy Valley on Wednesday night in a Three Rivers Conference clash inside Treadway Gymnasium.
The Lady Cyclones picked up a 69-24 victory in the varsity opener to clinch the Three Rivers title.
In the boys’ game, the Warriors jumped out to a seven-point lead behind the play of Josh Hammonds and Austin Hicks. However, Michael Robinson drained a pair of 3-pointers to pull the Cyclones within 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.
Bo Pless knocked down seven points in the second quarter as Elizabethton slowly pulled away. The Warriors were limited to nine points in the frame as EHS held a 32-26 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, neither team was able to gain any distance on the other. Pless and Robinson hit big shots for Elizabethton, but Hammonds countered with seven points for HV. The quarter ended with a 48-40 Cyclone lead.
Happy Valley, however, wasn’t going down without a fight.
Brayden Sams and Chris Young hit shots to close the gap, and a Hammonds free throw pulled HV within two with just over two minutes to play. After the Cyclones extended the lead back to six points, Hammonds and Sams pulled the Warriors back within two. Teve Mushayamunda hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds that pushed the lead to four and secured the win.
Robinson and Pless had 18 points apiece to lead Elizabethton, while Alex Norman had six points.
Hammonds tallied a game-high 19 points for the Warriors, while Sams scored 12 points. Tyler Torbett and Hicks had 10 points apiece.
In the girls’ game, the Lady Cyclones made sure to take care of business. Elizabethton jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening minutes. That set the stage for the Lady Cyclones to take a 21-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, and EHS pushed the advantage to 25 points at the half.
The Lady Warriors were unable to cut into the lead in the second half.
Kayla Marosites had 20 points to lead all scorers, while Emily Kiser tallied 18 points. Kelci Marosites and Emily Schubert had 15 points each.
Kalee Johnson had 14 points to lead Happy Valley.
Photo Gallery
To view more photos, click here.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”213″ gal_title=”021016_HVatEtown”]
