Jefferson County Proves Too Much for Sevier County
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Jefferson County Patriots met up with the Sevier County Smoky Bears for a head-to-head matchup Friday night. 10 seemed to be the magic number in Dumplin Valley.
The Lady Patriots pulled away early in the first quarter. With the help of fireball Tori Griffin, who had 12 points in the first quarter alone, and the aggressive playing of Ryleigh Fritz, the Lady Patriots ended the first quarter 5 points ahead of the Bearettes. The second quarter seemed to start off as a struggle for the Lady Patriots, as the Bearettes forced several turnovers in the quarter. Not all hope was lost though, as the Bearettes had trouble making contact with the hoop throughout the quarter. Despite their best efforts, Sevier County Bearettes could not pull ahead, and the Lady Patriots ended the half up by 10 points.
The struggle Continued in the third quarter, as each team only scored 17 points each, and the Bearettes tried to inch the score closer and closer. The Lady Patriots were not having any of that, and had an answer for every basket the Bearettes tried to sink. The back and forth power struggle continued into the final quarter, but at the end the Lady Patriots would outscore the Bearettes 11-9 in the fourth, thus pulling away to seal the victory. The final score for the girls was 66-56.
Key in the win for the Lady Patriots was Tori Griffin, who sank a head turning 29 points against the Bearettes. Ryleigh Fritz grabbed another impressive 11 points for the evening.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Jefferson County verses Sevier County battle also proved to be a tough one. Hoping to add another big one to the win column, the Patriots came out aggressively, pressing and pursuing the basket. As hungry as the Patriots were, the Bears were just as hungry. Each team had an answer for every basket the other made, and the first quarter ended with a tied score. The first part of the second quarter found the tug-o-war continuing, and the Bears even pulled ahead slightly. A strong half-ending push from the Patriots set them ahead just enough to be 26-20.
The Bears definitely were not in hibernation Friday night, and the Patriots came out angry in the second half as the struggle continued. The Smoky Bears actually outscored the Patriots in the third quarter 15-12, but still could not pull ahead to end the third. Neither team was backing down in the fourth quarter, but the Patriots pulled ahead late, and a couple of messy fouls from the Smoky Bears helped push the Jefferson County Patriots to the win.
Contributing to the win for the boys was a great performance from Cameron Gregg; he had 17 for the evening. Danny Bates and Grant Seal both had impressive performances for the night, sinking 11 each.
The Jefferson County Patriots are gearing up to host Morristown West in what is going to be an explosive battle in Dumplin Valley on Tuesday night. This will prove to be a crazy battle for the girls, as the Morristown West Ladies are currently ranked 4 in the state.
