Lady Patriots Overtake Cocke County, 48-34; Patriots Fall Short, 47-42
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The Jefferson County Patriots had their last regular season in-conference game for 2017 Friday night. Region Rivals Cocke County High School made their appearance in Dumplin Valley, and the atmosphere was nothing short of electric.
The Lady Patriots, still reeling from a loss to Morristown West a week before, took to the court in full force. Gaining a quick lead against the Lady Fighting Cocks, the girls of Jefferson County were ready to defend their house. In the first quarter Jefferson County outscored Cocke County 16-2 with a collective effort by several Lady Patriots. Cocke County was not going to take the assault lying down, and during the second quarter tried to stage a comeback before the half. The Lady Fighting Cocks pushed back, actually outscoring the Lady Patriots 11-10 during the second quarter. The effort was not enough, and the Lady Patriots held off the Lady Fighting Cocks before the half. Score at halftime was 26-13.
The third quarter seemed to mirror the first, as the Lady Patriots came out of the locker room with guns blazing, outscoring Cocke County 11-1. Once again, the Lady Fighting Cocks tried to live up to their name, and flailed back against the Lady Patriots during the fourth. The deficit proved to be just too much for Cocke County to overcome, and the Lady Patriots defended their home court one last time, gaining the victory 48-34.
The duo of Ryleigh Fritz and Makayla Woolard grabbed a combined 28 points for the evening, at 14 each.
The Lady Patriots finish their district 13-1, and advance their regular season total to 21-6.
The Lady Patriots are now looking to host Carter High School on Saturday night and Greeneville on Monday. The last time the Lady Patriots faced off against the Lady Hornets, they saw a tough battle, and this time around will likely be no different. Barely swatting a five point win off Carter, 68-63, this will be no sleeper game for the ladies of Jefferson County. Tipoff is at 6:30.
Staff Photo by Angie Stanley
The boys of Jefferson County, coming off a win at Morristown West last week, were looking to improve their record for the season before going into the district tourney. The Fighting Cocks of Cocke County High School had different plans.
Flocking to an early lead, the Fighting Cocks scored eight within the first minutes of the game. It took halfway through the first before the Patriots could get on the board with a set of threes from Caman Cody and Nathan Seal. The first quarter ended with Cocke County ahead of the Patriots 15-6.
Minutes in to the second quarter, the Patriots found their groove from the field. Outscoring Cocke county in the second, 10-7, wasn’t enough to take the lead, but closed the gap slightly before the halftime buzzer.
The entire second half was a dramatic back and forth between the two teams. Throughout the third quarter, and the first minutes of the fourth, the Patriots were able to take the lead, but couldn’t gain enough ground to get out of danger. Jefferson County outscored Cocke County in the third 14-5, and it looked like the comeback was going to happen. The Fighting Cocks proved to be a force too strong for the Patriots, and took the lead back in the final minutes of the game. Bringing the score to a tie and at some points gaining the lead back, both teams ensured the drama continued. Just after the two minute warning, though, the Patriots fell apart, lost the lead, and were not able to rebound. The Cocke County Fighting Cocks would defeat the Jefferson County Patriots for the first time since 2010, 47-42.
The Patriots are now 13-13, 9-5 in the district. They are gearing up to host the Carter Hornets on Saturday night, a meeting that will likely be just as dramatic. The Carter Hornets stung the Patriots 58-57 the last time the two met.
