PREP ROUNDUP: Gate City Survives Thriller with VHS

BRISTOL, Va. – Gate City survived a serious scare from Virginia High and moved closer to the Clinch Mountain District title with a 54-50 boys basketball win over the Bearcats on Thursday night at the Bearcat Den.
VHS (7-11, 3-3) led by double figures in the second half and had an eight-point advantage. Hunter McCall and Joey Gibson each scored 13 points for the Bearcats, who were playing for the third straight night.
However, Gate City (10-7, 6-0) rallied for the victory and got a big 22-point outburst from Trevor Smith.
VHS will play at Lee High tonight, weather permitting.

Graham 72, Abingdon 59
Scott Brewster scored 27 points and the Graham G-Men earned an important Southwest District road win at Abingdon.
Jordan Bryan added 18 points, while David Marrs contributed 10 points. Jacob Hess led Abingdon with 18 points, while Alex Looney finished with 15 points.
Abingdon led 26-23 at halftime, but Graham dominated the final 16 minutes.

Castlewood 82, T. Walker 45
Zach Bush scored 19 points and Castlewood crushed Cumberland District rival Thomas Walker.
Justin Smith added 14 points for the Blue Devils, while Aaron Kennedy contributed 11 points.

Rural Retreat 62, Chilhowie 52
Dustin Thompson scored 15 points and Rural Retreat avenged two earlier losses to the Warriors, by picking up a Hogoheegee District victory.
A 19-8 run in the third quarter sealed the win for Rural Retreat. Rhett Sturgill led Chilhowie with 11 points.

Marion 72, Carroll County 67
Gavin Roe gunned in 29 points as Marion downed Southwest District foe Carroll County. Marion (8-10, 5-4) used a full-court press to build a 13-point lead after one quarter and held on.
Garrett Johnson added 10 points in the win.

Coeburn 58, Ervinton 32
Holden Burke had 20 points and Coeburn continued to play well, downing Cumberland District foe Ervinton.

Lighthouse 86, Mtn. Empire Baptist 82
Despite a 42-point outburst by Andrew King, Mountain Empire Baptist narrowly lost to Lighthouse Christian. King hit seven 3-pointers and was joined in double figures by teammate Alex O’Neal (21 points).

KACHEA 42, TACA 36
Jason Pugh scored 13 points for Tennessee Avenue Christian Academy, but it wasn’t nearly enough to help the Crusaders collect a victory.

GIRLS
John Battle 59, Northwood 37
Ashley Bryant had 17 points and eight rebounds and John Battle earned a non-district win over former Hogoheegee District foe Northwood.
Brittni Altmann (15 points, six steals), Peyton Frank (13 points) and Lauren Blankenship (seven rebounds) also played well for the Trojans. Kelsee Smith and Chelsey Cardwell scored 11 points apiece for Northwood.

Virginia High 49, Gate City 22
Adrianne Evans scored 12 points and Virginia High avenged its only district loss of the season with a methodical win over Clinch Mountain District rival Gate City.
Savanah Pippin added 10 points for VHS (15-3, 6-1), which limited Gate City (5-11, 3-3) to just six first-half points. The Bearcats also moved a step closer to clinching the CMD title.

Castlewood 63, Thomas Walker 39
Haley Gilbert (16 points, 10 rebounds) led the way as Castlewood remained atop the Cumberland District standings.
Tayler Banner added 14 points, while Leigha Statzer contributed 10 points and five assists. Kelsey McReynolds also keyed the win for the Devils, pulling down 10 rebounds.

Rye Cove 44, Twin Springs 24
Shasta Edwards had 16 points and 13 rebounds as Rye Cove rolled past rival Twin Springs for a Cumberland District win. Christi Hood added 11 points for the Eagles.

Carroll County 48, Marion 37
Carroll County continued to roll, retaining first place in the Southwest District with a road win at Marion.
Brooke Henderson led Marion with 11 points.

TACA 37, KACHEA 27
Emily Fox had 13 points and five rebounds as the Tennessee Avenue Christian Academy beat a team from the Kingsport Area Christian Home Education Association (KACHEA). Samantha Blevins and Lacey Williams added six points apiece for TACA.