Patriots Fall Short of Sevier County Smoky Bears 46-43, Lady Patriots Take Home Win 45-25
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Sevier County Smoky Bears and Lady Smoky Bears visited the Jefferson County Patriots Tuesday night. Patriot Nation came out in full force as the neighboring counties went head-to-head.
The Lady Patriots seemed to take care of business with ease against the Lady Smoky Bears. Pulling ahead quickly, Jefferson County ran ahead and didn’t look back. That didn’t stop Sevier County from giving a good fight. The Lady Patriots ended the first period ahead by seven, and that would be the closest the Lady Smoky Bears would come to closing the gap in the score.
In the second quarter, the Lady Patriots tightened up their defensive wall. While only adding an additional 12 to the score, they held the Smoky Bears to three. The halftime break found the Jefferson County Lady Patriots ahead 29-13.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The second half proved to slow down momentum for both teams. The battle worn ladies scored a combined total of 14 points in the third. Jefferson County still outscored Sevier 9-5, but were showing obvious signs of weariness. The fourth also only produced 14 points, with both teams grabbing seven each. The first half blast was too much for the Lady Smoky Bears to overcome, and the Jefferson County Lady Patriots captured yet another victory. Sevier County was sent home to the tune of a final score of 45-25.
The Lady Patriots advance to 18-5, and are currently 10-0 in the district. They extend their winning streak to six, and the last time they suffered a loss was to Daniel Boone on New Year’s Eve.
The girls of Jefferson County now gear up for their second matchup of the season against Morristown East. The last time the two teams met up, Jefferson County took care of business 66-49. For this faceoff, the Lady Hurricanes will be coming to Dumplin Valley. Tipoff is set for 6:30 Friday Night, as the Lady Patriots go for 11-0 in district play.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Patriot boys basketball team faced a tougher battle. The last time Jefferson County traveled to Sevier County, the Patriots gained the win 50-45. When the Smoky Bears came to Dumplin Valley, they had a chip on their shoulder and came to pay back the favor.
Getting points on the board was not an easy task for either team. It took a couple minutes for either team to hit paydirt. Sevier County was the first on the board, quickly pulling ahead by six midway through the first period. The answer for these points came in the form of a trio of threes by Nathan Seal and Cameron Gregg. Even though Jefferson County proved to be successful from beyond the arch during the first, Sevier County made it count from within. The first quarter ended with the Patriots slightly down 12-9.
The battle continued throughout the rest of the half. The Patriots and the Smoky Bears went back and forth, answering each other’s points. Even though the Patriots outscored Sevier 15-10 during the second, they went into the halftime break only up by 2. The halftime score was 24-22.
The very physical battle continued into the second half, and both teams came out of the locker room hoping to gain some ground. The scoring for the third was only 8-6, with the Patriots just slightly outscoring the Smoky Bears. The fourth quarter, though, was by far the most physical. Neither team was going down without a fight. Sevier County outscored Jefferson County 18-11, and found themselves with a three point advantage in the final seconds of the game. With three seconds left in the game, Seal would attempt a three from the corner. Unfortunately, as the ball bounced off the rim, the buzzer sounded and Sevier County came out with the win. The Smoky Bears defeated the Patriots 46-43.
Fouls seemed to be the curse of the second half for the Patriots. The normally disciplined team, who only had two fouls in the first half, committed 10 in the second. The Patriots sent Sevier County’s Austin Patterson to the line five times during the fourth period.
A pleasant surprise, as far as scoring went, came from sophomore Michael Eldridge, who sank 12 for the evening. With the normal high scorers, such as Seal, Allen, and Gregg being heavily guarded, Eldridge took full advantage.
Jefferson County is now 11-11, and 7-3 in the district. The Patriots must now shake off the dust and gear up to face Morristown East, also. The last time the two met the Hurricanes took the win 60-52. The Friday Night tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.
