Jefferson County Sweeps the District Semifinals, Girls and Boys to Progress to Finals

Staff Photo by Angie Stanley

The JCHS Girls and Boys teams represented the Patriots at the Regional District 2 AAA Semifinals on Saturday night.  Both teams entered the tourney as a #2 seed as they traveled to Morristown East High School.

The Lady Patriots went head-to-head against the South Doyle Cherokees, in a game that went back-and-forth for all four quarters.  The Cherokees pulled ahead steadily during the first half, but not by much, ending the half 21-20.

JCHS Lady Patriots caught fire during the third quarter, pulling ahead by as many as 10 points, ending the quarter ahead 38-30.  The passionate battle of the defenses continued throughout the fourth quarter.  The game was tied so many times it was clear that this struggle was going into overtime.  With seconds left in the game, South Doyle fouled JCHS’s Ryleigh Fritz, and she hit 1 of 2 foul shots, bringing the crowd to their feet, and bringing the Lady Patriots ahead of the Cherokees, 44-43

JCHS Girls’ standout Makaila Woodlard led in scoring with 14 points, while Ryleigh Fritz had an impressive 13.  South Doyle’s defense limited senior Tori Griffin to only 10 points for the night.

The Lady Patriots advance to the final on Monday night, 7:30, at Morristown East High School.

Staff Photo by Angie Stanley

The Jefferson County Boys team was paired up against the Morristown East High School Hurricanes.  In a battle just as dramatic as the girls’, the Hurricanes were the first to score.  It wouldn’t take long for the Patriots to answer and pull ahead.  The first quarter ended with the Patriots only up by 3, 17-14, as the Hurricanes refused to be steamrolled.  The second quarter of play continued to stoke the fire in both teams.  The Patriots pulled away late in the half with several driving layups, and ended the first half of play up 36-29.

The second half continued to be a display of what both teams could do on either end of the ball.  The Patriots would remain ahead for most of the third quarter, but the Hurricanes just refused to go down for the count.  Finally the Patriots strengthened their lead, ending the third quarter 54-42.

The fourth quarter continued the scorefest.  About halfway through the fourth quarter, though, the Hurricanes came within 2 points. Luckily for the Patriots, the Hurricanes’ defense fell apart, causing a couple of fouls.  In the last seconds of the game, the Patriots pulled away, sealing the win, 80-71.

Danny Bates shined bright for the Patriots, scoring 26 of the team’s 80 points for the evening.  Standouts Noah Carter and Cameron Gregg ended the night with 19 and 15, respectively.

The Jefferson County High School Patriots advance to the District Final Tuesday night at Morristown East High School, 7:30.

Staff Photo by Angie Stanley