Patriots Dominate Cherokee Chiefs, 53-27; Lady Patriots 52-37
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Lady Patriots and the Patriots welcomed the New Year to Dumplin Valley by defeating the Cherokee High School Chiefs Tuesday night.
The Lady Patriots, who are now 11-5, started the evening a little slower than fans were used to seeing. In the first quarter, the Ladies of Jefferson County outscored the Lady Chiefs by only one point. The struggle continued in the second. Both teams matched each other basket for basket with eight each, and the half ended with Jefferson County up by one.
The second half of play began with a stirring in the Patriot offense. The Ladies were able to pull away from Cherokee begining late in the third, and the tides started turning in Jefferson County’s favor. Outscoring the Lady Chiefs 16-11 in the third, the Lady Patriots started showing their strength.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
In a late burst of energy from Jefferson County, the Lady Patriots pulled further and further away from Cherokee. Jefferson County went 15 to 6 in the whirlwind that was the fourth quarter. The Lady Patriots were also much more disciplined in the second half defensively, and only sent Cherokee to the freethrow line once. The Lady Patriots defeated the Lady Chiefs 52-37.
The powerhouse for the evening came in the form of Alexandria Alder, who accounted for 20 of the Lady Patriots 52 points for the evening. Fritz and Woolard accounted for 13 each, while Denton also added another six to the score.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Patriot Boys spent their winter break over in Nashville, and they certainly were glad to be home.
The first two minutes of the game were the only time it looked like the Cherokee Chiefs were going to be a problem for the Patriot boys. Jefferson County would pull away early in the first half of the game and never look back. Outscoring Cherokee 12-4 in the first quarter alone, and only allowing the Chiefs to the freethrow line once during the game, the Jefferson County Patriots were the much more controlled team for the matchup. The score for the end of the first half already had Jefferson County up 30-9.
The second half looked much like the first, with the Patriots dominating from beyond the arch by the way of Darious Allen. Allen, who put 13 up for the night, grabbed 9 of those points from his money spot in the corner past the three.
Defensively, the Patriots would limit the Chiefs to 15 during the first three quarters of the game. The Chiefs tried to press the attack during the fourth quarter, when they would score 12, but it seemed to be too little too late. The Cherokee High School Chiefs returned to Rogersville defeated 53-27.
Nathan Seal also shined in the spotlight, adding 10 to the score, along with Nick Arnold who landed 8 points.
The Jefferson County Patriots and Lady Patriots are gearing up to travel over to Cocke County High School to face off against the Fighting Cocks Friday night.
For the Jefferson County Boys, Cocke County is going to prove to be a challenge to say the least. The Fighting Cocks are 10-6 and should be a more balanced opponent than what the Patriots saw out of Cherokee.
For the Lady Patriots, Cocke County is currently 9-7. The outcome of this matchup depends on which Cocke County Girls team shows up to the battle.
Action starts with the JV Girls at 4:30, followed by JV Boys at 5:30. Varsity Girls are set to tip off at 6:30, followed by the Varsity Boys at 8.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
