PREP BASKETBALL: Tennessee downs Sullivan East

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BLUFF CITY, Tenn. – Tre’ Webb was everywhere. Webb patrolled and commanded the perimeter. He flew through the paint. And he owned the in-between spaces, knocking down shots and grabbing every loose ball that found his hands.

Webb added a team-high 17 points to his impressive all-around game, and he led the Tennessee High Vikings to a 73-63 victory over the Sullivan East Patriots on Tuesday evening at Patriot Palace in a Big Nine Conference before an estimated crowd of 550.

“It helps to be versatile on the court,” said Webb, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound senior forward. “I’m starting to take more advantage of it. As the year comes to the end, it’s really paying off.”

Denzel Gilmore contributed 15 points for the Vikings (15-7, 9-1 Big Nine), while Corey Young added 14 points. Gilmore and Young each hit three 3-pointers for Tennessee High, who shot 20 of 26 from the free-throw line.

Koree Deeb scored a game-high 21 points and knocked down four 3-pointers for the Patriots (11-8, 5-5), while Trey Gilreath contributed 14 points.

The Vikings dominated the rebounding battle throughout the contest, and the second chances resulted in a multitude of inside putback points and follow-up 3s.

“I felt like we played hard, we just gotta find a way to rebound,” Deeb said. “That’s really the only reason I feel like we got beat. … We’re smaller than a lot of teams, so we’ve just got to try a little harder, I guess.”

TENNESSEE HIGH (73) – Corey Young 14, Cook 2, Denzel Gilmore 15, Stacy 0, Taylor Harmon 11, Tre’ Webb 17, Place 2, Mason Canty 12, Linnen 0. Totals 22 20-26 73.
SULLIVAN EAST (63) – Johnson 4, DePew 3, Koree Deeb 21, Cross 6, Trey Gilreath 14, Campbell 7, James 8. Totals 23 9-13 63.
Tennessee High 17 16 15 25—73
Sullivan East 12 16 11 24—63
3-point goals – TH 9 (Young 3, Gilmore 3, Harmon, Webb 2); SE 8 (Deeb 4, Gilreath 3, DePew)

GIRLS

Tennessee High 67, Sullivan East 55

Danielle Montgomery was Danielle Montgomery. Blakeley Burleson and Kimberly Wood fired away from the perimeter. And the Vikings rolled on.

Montgomery scored a game-high 20 points for Tennessee High (15-2), while Burleson added 10 and Wood poured in 12.

The Vikings held a 16-6 advantage after the first quarter and took a 35-18 lead into halftime. Tennessee High then withstood a late Patriots (7-12, 4-6) rally to prevail.

“We’re a real put-together team,” Burleson said. “We play very well together and we have a real chemistry, so that helps.”

Kelsey Trivett scored a team-high 17 points to lead the Patriots, while Callie McGrew added 14 points, including four made 3-pointers.

Tennessee High mixed solid inside performances from Cheyenne Thornsberry (seven points) and Rachel Huneycutt (six) with strong, pinpoint shooting from outside throughout the game.

“We’re starting to see a lot more zones,” said Vikings coach Barry Wade, whose team shot 66.7 percent (20 of 30) from the free-throw line. “We’ve really been concentrating on our shooting.”
Sullivan East outscored the Vikings 25-16 in the final period.

“We got down … and just kept fighting,” Sullivan East coach Michael Forrester said. “The character and the fight that we showed down the stretch in that game is something that we need to see more of, and I was extremely proud of our effort.”

TENNESSEE HIGH (67) – Blakeley Burleson 10, Grinnell 2, Danielle Montgomery 20, Wysor 6, Kimberly Wood 12, Keen 2, Thornsberry 7, Baker 2, Huneycutt 6. Totals 21 20-30 67.
SULLIVAN EAST (55) – Callie McGrew 14, Dishner 3, Bawgus 3, King 1, Lindsay Loudermilk 10, Hamilton 3, Kelsey Trivett 17, Erika Sexton 4. Totals 20 7-10 55.
Tennessee High 16 19 16 16–67
Sullivan East 6 12 12 25–55
3-point goals – TH 5 (Wysor, Wood 2, Burleson, Montgomery); SE 8 (McGrew 4, Dishner, Bawgus, Loudermilk, Hamilton).

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