The Elizabethton boys wouldn’t be denied on Tuesday night.
The Cyclones held on for a 69-65 victory over Science Hill in nonconference action in Johnson City on Tuesday night. With the win, Elizabethton completed the season sweep over the neighboring rivals.
In the girls game, Elizabethton used a strong run to close the gap in the fourth quarter but the Lady Hilltoppers took a 59-46 victory over the Lady Cyclones.
In the boys’ game, the Cyclones controlled the game early on.
Nico Ashley scored nine first quarter points, and EHS took a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. EHS continued to stymie the Hilltoppers in the second quarter allowing just nine points in the frame. The Cyclones continued to get a spark from Ashley to take a 32-21 lead into the half.
Elizabethton saw Bryson Rollins, Parker Hughes, Evan Perkins and Eric Wilson hit big shots in the third quarter to help keep Science Hill at bay during the third quarter. The Hilltoppers, however, weren’t going to go quietly. SHHS used a run to close the gap to four points midway in the final quarter.
Elizabethton answered with shots of their own each time the Hilltoppers threatened to preserve the win.
Ashley finished with 25 points, while Hughes had 12 points. Rollins tallied 10 points in the win. Wilson and Perkins had nine and seven points, respectively.
In the girls’ game, Elizabethton was forced to battle from behind.
The Lady Cyclones kept within striking distance during the first quarter as Torrie Roberts, Kaylen Shell and McKendra Norris hit big shots as EHS trailed 17-15 going to the second quarter.
Science Hill used a strong second quarter to get a little breathing room by outscoring EHS 21-10 in the frame.
Elizabethton battled back in the third quarter as Shell tallied eight points in the frame, and Elizabethton trimmed five points off the Science Hill lead. In the final quarter, the Lady Cyclones closed to within seven points, but was unable to answer a late SHHS run.
Shell finished with 21 points, while Norris had 10 points.
