Prep roundup: North Murray basketball takes two at Southeast

Published 11:51 pm Tuesday, November 29, 2011

After dropping two straight games following a season-opening win over Rome, North Murray’s boys basketball team had something to prove Tuesday night at Southeast Whitfield.

It also didn’t help the Raiders that the Mountaineers had a chip on their shoulders just for them.

Junior center Zach Vess had 14 points and 11 rebounds and was one of four players in double figures for the Mountaineers, who won 85-32. The victory completed a sweep at Southeast after the Lady Mountaineers broke open a close game in the third quarter for a 57-41 victory.

While losses to Model and Gordon Lee in Southeast’s tournament over the holiday weekend provided the Mountaineers with the drive to get back to the win column, coach Eric Bishop said it was the Raiders who provided the biggest motivation.

“The boys saw the Southeast players cheering for Model during the tournament when they didn’t have a dog in that fight,” Bishop said. “So our players were ready to go just because of that. We had some setbacks with Model and Gordon Lee, and that letdown for the boys took the wind out of their sails a little bit, but it was good to get back on track tonight.”

After Southeast’s Devin Gentry hit a 3-pointer from the wing early in the first quarter, North Murray went on a 16-2 run that ended with a 3-pointer from Tyler Duckett and was never threatened from there. Southeast (1-3) scored its most points in the third quarter, with 12, but the Raiders were still outscored 31-12 in that period and trailed 69-28 heading into the fourth.

Austen Horn had 14 points to help pace the balanced North Murray attack, while Duckett finished with 12 and Austin Owen added 10. Southeast’s Ashton Storey was the only Raider in double figures with 11 points.

• North Murray girls 57, Southeast 41: Southeast’s Megan Collins had 22 points, but she couldn’t overcome the balance of North Murray (2-2), which steadily pulled away from Southeast (0-4) in the second half after leading by just four points at the break.

Even knowing that Collins would be Southeast’s main offensive weapon, coach Keith Robinette’s team couldn’t stop her.

Employing a box-and-1 almost from the start, with Megan Pittman fronting Collins, the junior post still was able to get her points.

“Megan Collins is a great player, and after seeing them on film from last year, I knew her role would be a lot larger part of what Southeast would be doing,” Robinette said. “That was our focus, and she still had 22 points. She just flat out gets it done.”

Other than Collins, the Lady Raiders struggled, and the game took its big turn midway through the third when junior guard Tavi Parris picked up her fourth foul. Collins was the only Southeast player in double figures — Judelle Herrera was the team’s second-leading scorer, with eight.

North Murray used balance with 11 different players scoring, led by freshman post Erin Robinson, who had 10. Abigail Bradley finished with eight and Hannah Hensley added seven.

“I love it,” Robinette said of the balance. “The more kids that can score takes a lot of pressure off of me as a coach as far as play-calling. We have a few more options this year, and we have a good rotation and I like the way our freshmen are playing. We are excited about that.”

• Silverdale Baptist girls 53, Coahulla Creek 37: Coahulla Creek’s Erin Orem and Hannah Locke each had 10 points, but the Lady Colts (0-3) fell short in their trip to Chattanooga as Silverdale’s Mariah Massengill led all scorers with 32 points.

“She’s a player,” Lady Colts coach David Friend said.

Coahulla Creek trailed 14-3 after the first quarter and 24-13 at halftime, but made a run in the third quarter to cut the margin to 38-31 going into the final period.Jamie Steadman added seven points for the Lady Colts, while Nikki Ross, a freshman, chipped in six.

• Silverdale Baptist boys 60, Coahulla Creek 37: Levi Wilson led Coahulla Creek (0-3) with an 11-point effort, while Jordan Tant nine points and 13 rebounds as part of a good night on the glass for the Colts.

Coahulla Creek, down 19-5 after one quarter, trailed 31-19 at halftime and 41-28 going into the fourth.

“I thought they showed some signs there of real development and maturity,” Colts coach Matthew Queener said. “We got down real bad after the first quarter, but our guys came back and showed some composure and maturity beyond their age bringing the lead to where we were only down 10 or 11 points. I think that was the big thing I saw tonight.”

JV basketball

• Northwest Whitfield girls 53, Murray County 7: Mallory Souther had 22 points and four steals to lead the Lady Bruins, who were ahead 33-5 at halftime on their way to remaining undefeated through five games this season.

Karli Williams added 10 points, Macy Weeks had eight points and six rebounds and Ashlee Huynh finished with six assists.

• North Murray girls 34, Southeast 18: Kelsey Shelton led the Lady Mountaineers (2-2) with eight points, while Emma Gossage and Bailee Sutton each added seven.