Elizabethton took care of business in the conference opener Friday night.
The Cyclones held on to take a 57-54 victory over Sullivan East inside Treadway Gymnasium, while the Lady Cyclones rolled to a 64-49 win over the Lady Patriots.
In the boy’s contest, it was a tight battle in the early stages as Elizabethton held a 12-8 advantage after a quarter of play. The teams continued to trade shots as the Cyclones maintained a slim one-point halftime advantage.
Elizabethton started to get some separation in the second half as EHS led 53-44 with 2:29 left.
The Patriots, however, slowly cut the gap to one point inside 30 seconds to play with a 7-1 run, and then closed the gap to two points with just under 13 seconds to play.
Elizabethton iced the game at the free-throw line and then saw East’s buzzer-beater attempt miss the mark.
Jake Roberts had 17 points to lead Elizabethton. Nicholas Wilson scored 12 points in the win, while Seth Carter tossed in 11 points.
Bryson Rollins added nine points.
In the girls’ game, the Lady Cyclones used a strong defensive effort to take the win.
After holding a 20-16 lead after the first eight minutes, Elizabethton outscored East 16-9 in the second stanza to take an 11-point lead into the half.
The Lady Cyclones continued to limit the Lady Patriots in the second half and secure the win.
Lina Lyon had 20 points to lead Elizabethton, while Reiley Wilson added 12 points. Renna Lane and Marlee Mathena had 10 points apiece.
Olivia Holly added seven points.
