'Toppers down Vikes in Big Nine action

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Science Hill looked a little smoother, shot a little sweeter and played a little stronger than Tennessee High on Thursday evening at Viking Hall.

The Hilltoppers downed the Vikings, 56-47, in a Big Nine Conference contest before an estimated crowd of 1,000.

For the Hilltoppers, it was another conference victory and one more push toward the Big Nine title – Science Hill holds a one-game lead over Dobyns-Bennett with a little more than one week remaining in conference play.

For the Vikings, the loss was another slide backward.

After winning eight straight contests during an impressive run from Jan. 6-27, Tennessee High has dropped its last two games. The fall has placed the Vikings behind Science Hill and D-B in the chase for the Big Nine regular-season title. Tennessee High has two conference games remaining this season.

“Every game’s going to count for now on,” said Vikings senior guard Corey Young, who scored 11 points. “The two losses to Dobyns-Bennett and this loss to Science Hill are very big on our part. … Every win is going to have to count from now on.”

Tre’ Webb scored a team-high 12 points to lead Tennessee High (17-9, 11-3 Big Nine), while Taylor Harmon added nine points and Mason Canty dropped in eight.

Josh Odem scored a game-high 26 points for the Hilltoppers (20-4, 12-1), while Issac Kinley contributed 11 points and two made 3-pointers.

“This is the point where you need to start playing your best basketball … as you head into the [postseason] tournament,” Science Hill coach Ken Cutlip said. “The teams that are successful in postseason play have a variety of kids that are able to step up big on any given night.”

Odem took huge steps for the Hilltoppers Thursday night. He dominated the end of the second quarter, scoring eight points in a three-minute stretch as Science Hill took a 28-20 lead into halftime.

Tennessee High trailed throughout the third period. The Vikings held strong, though, and outscored Science Hill 16-7 in the fourth quarter. But Odem and the Hilltoppers never caved.

“I feel like we had a whole bunch of opportunities right around the basket that we missed,” Tennessee High coach Roby Witcher said. “Communication wasn’t very good.”

Asked if the Vikings’ recent struggles on the court are fixable, Witcher didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he said. “[We] still, regardless of what happens, are going to finish in the [No.] 1, 2 or 3 spot.”

SCIENCE HILL (56) – Josh Odem 26, Duncan 0, Hamilton 4, C. Smith 2, Issac Kinley 11, Hancock 2, Jordan 2, L. Smith 9. Totals: 22 9-16 56.
TENNESSEE HIGH (47) – Corey Young 11, Cook 0, Gilmore 4, Stacy 0, Harmon 9, Tre’ Webb 12, Place 2, Canty 8, Linnen 0. Totals: 16 10-17 47.
Science Hill 12 16 12 7–56
Tennessee High 11 9 11 16–47
3-point goals – SH 3 (Kinley 2, L. Smith); TH 4 (Gilmore, Harmon, Webb 2).

GIRLS

Tennessee High 57, Science Hill 46

While pressure defense and a motion-heavy offense are the trademarks of this season’s Vikings girls squad, Tennessee High can also break down its opponents with strong shooting from the perimeter.

Guards Blakeley Burleson and Sara Wysor proved so in an 11-point victory over the Hilltoppers.

Burleson scored 10 points and nailed one 3-pointer, while Wysor added nine points and sank three 3s. The duo’s hot shooting lifted the Vikings to another Big Nine win, and cemented Tennessee High’s spot as the premier team heading into postseason play.

“Me and Sara are [tight],” Burleson said. “When she makes her shots, it helps me. We both gel really well together.”

Rachel Huneycutt scored a team-high 13 points for the Vikings (20-2, 13-1), while Danielle Montgomery added 12.

Johnesia Good’s game-high 23 points and three made 3-pointers topped the Hilltoppers.

Down 22-20 midway through the second quarter, the Vikings ended the first half on a 10-2 run. A short-range basket by Huneycutt from the right baseline gave Tennessee High a 26-22 advantage. A pull-up 2 from the left baseline by Montgomery with two seconds left in the second period then gave the Vikings a 30-24 lead heading into halftime.

Science Hill pulled within 40-38 when Good sank a layup early in the fourth quarter. But 3-pointers by Burleson and Wysor late in the period put the contest away.

“We got a little lost there late,” Tennessee High coach Barry Wade said. “But we felt comfortable.”

SCIENCE HILL (46) – Goodman 6, Hill 6, Johnesia Good 23, Hensley 3, Collins 4, Sutherland 4. Totals: 18 5-6 46.
TENNESSEE HIGH (57) – Blakeley Burleson 10, Vance 2, Danielle Montgomery 12, Wysor 9, Wood 4, Thornsberry 1, Baker 6, Rachel Huneycutt 13. Totals: 20 12-22 57.
Science Hill 11 13 10 12–46
Tennessee High 14 16 10 21–57
3-point goals – SH 5 (Good 3, Hensley, Goodman); TH 5 (Burleson, Montgomery, Wysor 3).

btsmith@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2569