PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Tennessee High's season ends with loss to Sevier County

BY JASON DAVIS
The Mountain Press
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee High trailed for the entirety of Saturday night’s opening game of the Region 1-AAA Tournament at Sevier County High School, falling to the top-seeded Smoky Bears 50-42 to end the season for the Vikings (20-13).

But, following a huge Jace Devault 3-pointer, Tyler Place nailed a runner with just under three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and the surging Vikings cut what had been a double-
digit lead to 46-43.

Seconds later, however, Sevier County’s Austin Nave, the MVP of the District 2-AAA tournament, scored inside and drew a foul. The converted free throw would push the lead back to six points, and the Vikings would get no closer than five over the last 2:30, as Sevier County (27-5) sealed the win at the charity stripe.

“We got it to a position where we felt it was manageable,” Vikings coach Roby Witcher said. “But they got some things, and we had some miscommunication. And they shot free throws very, very well, and made plays when they had to. We didn’t.”

Sevier County coach Ken Wright was complimentary of his team’s perseverance when the Vikings made their run.

“You don’t win 27 games in a season unless you answer when teams push at you,” Wright said. “These kids are resilient. They just hang on and keep making the big shots. Hats off
to Tennessee High, they shoot the ball so well, and we knew it. The perimeter game was going to decide it. I just thought our offensive and defensive execution were great all night.”

The Vikings had trouble with their inside-outside gameplan early on, as Sevier County big man Jordan Henrickson turned away Tennessee in the post with several big shot blocks.

“They were trying to attack Henrickson and get him in foul trouble early,” Wright said. “So we just told him to play behind the post and see if they could shoot over him. They tried to take some shots over him and he was there to block their shot and intimidate them.”

Add to that Tennessee’s early shooting woes, and the Vikings found themselves down 24-15 at halftime.

“We missed a lot of open looks early, we were a little bit tight,” Witcher said. “And they made about everything they shot in the first quarter. “

But as Henrickson got into foul trouble in the second half, the Vikings’ offensive game began to flourish.

Trailing by 12 points midway through the third quarter with only 20 points on the scoreboard, Tennessee found its shooting touch.

Back-to-back 3-balls from Ryan Matheson and Jace Devault seemed to ignite the Vikings and their large contingent of fans, and a 7-3 run over the last 1:30 of the quarter found Tennessee within striking distance at 38-33.

“We came back out and battled, and won the quarter by three,” Witcher said.

“They did a good job a forcing help with penetration and then dishing,” Wright said. “Our recovery was just a hair late, and we knew if they got daylight that they were very capable of knocking it down.”

Seconds later Austin Stacy opened the fourth quarter with a steal and layup, getting the Vikings to within three at 38-35 – the closest the contest had been since the opening moments.

But the Smoky Bears’ Nave hit a short hook to spark the Purple and White to an 8-0 run, capped by an easy Henrickson lay-in on an outlet pass.

Trailing by nine, the Vikings made their final run of the night, cutting the lead to three points again at 46-43 before Sevier County pulled out the win.

“We did what we had to do to get back in the game, but then they were able to finish it off,” Witcher said.

Stacy led the Vikings with 13 points on the night. Devault and Place added 12 and 11, respectively, as the pair teamed for six 3-pointers in the second half.

Nave led the Bears with 19 points. Alex Pate added 11, including 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Josh Johnson and Zac Gonzalez chipped in with 10 and nine, respectively.

Sevier County will face Dobyns-Bennett at Morristown East on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7:45 p.m.

The Bears are the only boys IMAC team still alive in the postseason as both Morristown East and West lost Saturday night.

D-B toppled East by a score of 88-64, while Science Hill defeated West 67-58.