MIDDLE SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Black Knights, Rebels To Clash In Area Semis | Sports

CHURCH HILL — Both the Chuckey-Doak Middle and South Greene Middle boys have secured a spot in the sectional tournament.

Now, their primary focus is each other.

No. 1 seed and conference champion Chuckey-Doak advanced with Saturday’s 43-23 win over No. 8 Happy Valley in the Area 1-2A quarterfinals. As a result, the Black Knights will face the No. 4 seed Rebels after their win over tournament host Church Hill.

Chuckey-Doak was never truly threatened, leading 16-5 after one quarter and 29-9 at the half before taking a 43-12 lead to the fourth.

Jaime Hernandez made two 3-pointers to give him 10 first-quarter points, and he added three more buckets in the third quarter to finish with 16 points.

Shane Cook hit four field goals in his nine-point second quarter before ending with 13 points. Ryland Grindstaff made an early 3 and added seven points, Knox McAmis scored four and Kaine Ricker had three.

Jude Dyer took over in the third quarter and helped No. 4 South Greene keep its season alive.

After a two-point first half, Dyer made four baskets in the third quarter and three more in the fourth to finish with 17 points.

Noah Wright led the Rebels with 20, scoring four field goals of his own in the second quarter while going 6-of-8 at the foul line in the second half.

Gavin Dyer made two 3-pointers in the first half and scored nine points.

Tied 7-7 after one, South Greene led 18-16 at the half before building a 30-20 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Chuckey-Doak and South Greene meet in the Area 1-2A semifinal round Tuesday at Church Hill Middle, with tip set for 5:45 p.m.

Nothing fancy for West Greene Middle. Just a balanced scoring effort and a trip to the area semifinals as well as the sectional tournament.

The Lady Buffaloes (18-4) allowed just one field goal in each half and had already built a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. West Greene was never threatened after that, leading 22-2 at halftime and 33-2 entering the fourth.

Payton Norton and Joie Shipley led the Lady Buffs with nine points each. Norton scored eight of her points in the first quarter on three baskets and two free throws. Shipley hit two field goals in the first and third quarters.

Aleea Aiken drained a 3-pointer in the second quarter before finishing with seven points. Kaylee Gulley, who also hit from 3, Emily Justis and Journey Lamons all had four points with Erica Davis adding two.

West Greene takes on No. 3 seed Unicoi County in Tuesday’s area semifinal game at 7 p.m.

Chuckey-Doak Middle turned to its defense to reach the Area 1-2A semifinal round.

The Lady Black Knights scored just 10 first half points but limited tournament host Church Hill to three, before taking a 14-10 lead to the fourth.

Isabelle Karriker made one field goal in each quarter and led Chuckey-Doak with eight points.

Rylee Rawlings added six, with Jayden Myers and Tralyn Southerland scoring four apiece.

The win also clinched a spot at sectionals for the Lady Black Knights.

Chuckey-Doak faces top seed Sullivan Central in Tuesday’s area semifinal round at 4:30 p.m.

AREA 3-A GIRLS NO. 3 NORTH GREENE 38

ROGERSVILLE — Josie Graham got things started for North Greene Middle, and the defense suffocated Bulls Gap after halftime in Saturday’s win at Cherokee High School.

After scoring all six of her team’s first-quarter points, Graham added three more field goals in the third quarter before finishing with 18 points.

The Lady Huskies led 21-13 at the half before taking a 30-17 lead to the final period.

Kinlea Eastep made a 3-pointer in the second quarter and added six points. Chloe Keys added four with Hannah Brooks and Satine Johnson both scoring three while Heidi Trentham and Teaganne Vakkur each had two.

North Greene, which has secured a spot at sectionals, takes on No. 2 Rogersville City in Monday’s semifinals at 6:30 p.m.

BOYS NO. 3 ROGERSVILLE CITY 40 NO. 6 NORTH GREENE 20North Greene Middle stayed within striking distance for a half. But Rogersville City dominated the third quarter to reach the Area 3-A semifinal round.

After going scoreless in the first quarter, the Huskies pulled within 15-7 at the half. But the winners surged ahead and led 37-13 after three quarters. The Huskies’ season ended with the defeat.

Leon Johnson, the only North Greene player to make two field goals, led the Huskies with six points, and Nathan Tolley added four. Jared Swatzell made a late 3-pointer to matched Matt Boyd with three points, while Kelson Eastep and Eli Franklin both had two.

KINGSPORT — Taren Claridy set the tone right away for the top-seeded Greeneville Middle boys Saturday.

He’d already reached double figures by the end of the first quarter, helping the Greene Devils reach the Area 1-3A semifinals.

Claridy drained a trio of 3-pointers in the second half to give him 22 points for the game, as the Devils’ 20-11 halftime lead grew to 31-16 after the third quarter.

Yordan Gomez-Mills and Cole Smith each made a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, Gomez-Mills finishing with nine points. Cole Englehardt added six, Smith had three, Braylen Kidwell and Parker Quillen each scored two and Jamar Johnson had one.

The Greene Devils face No. 4 seed T.A. Dugger in the semifinal round at John Sevier Middle Monday at 5 p.m.

GIRLS NO. 1 LIBERTY BELL 43

Conference champion Liberty Bell placed six players in the scorebook for Saturday’s win over Greeneville Middle.

Liberty Bell already led 19-6 after one quarter and 32-9 at the half. The loss ended the Lady Devils’ season.

Allison Hayes hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and another in the fourth to give her 11 points for Greeneville. Julia Woolsey scored four, while Takiyah Crum and Kaydynse Gibson each had two.

Allie Conner had 11 points to lead Liberty Bell.

For Greeneville, Woolsey was named to the All-Conference team, with Hayes earning Honorable Mention.

FRIDAY AREA 1-2A BOYS NO. 8 HAPPY VALLEY 42 NO. 9 WEST GREENE 38Tytus Shelton and the West Greene Middle boys went down fighting Friday night.

The Buffaloes’ basketball season ended with a heartbreaking overtime loss, as No. 9 West Greene fell at No. 8 Happy Valley 42-38.

Shelton score 15 points to lead the Buffaloes, which included his 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. He accounted for all three of West Greene’s overtime points before fouling out.

Josiah Dawson hit from 3-point range in the third quarter and finished with seven points. Lukas Winstead had five, Aiden Willett four and Skylar Thornburg hit a 3-pointer. Carter Stills and Eli Brown both had two.

West Greene trailed 18-15 at the half and 30-27 going to the fourth quarter before forcing overtime.

Grady Goulds scored six of his eight points in overtime for Happy Valley. Tyler Berry hit from deep three times to lead the Warriors with 15 points, with Jacob Sims adding 10.

GIRLS NO. 9 HAPPY VALLEY 44 NO. 8 SOUTH GREENE 33Amila Riddick and the Happy Valley girls were ready for South Greene Middle this time.

Riddick made five baskets in the opening quarter and jumpstarted the No. 9 seed Lady Warriors’ 44-33 Area 1-2A tournament play-in win at No. 8 South Greene Friday night.

South Greene closed the 16-5 deficit after one quarter to 25-18 at the break but entered the fourth down 35-25.

The Lady Warriors went 8-of-9 at the foul line in the final quarter, Riddick making five to finish with 21 points.

Madison Fillers scored 12 points to lead South Greene, making three field goals and six foul shots. She and Sadie Knowles, who had six points, both hit one basket in each of the last three quarters. Clarissa Davis hit an early 3-pointer and added five points. Haylee Bird, Athena Corgnell, Khloe Holt, Vivian Wilds and Alyssa Yarboro all had two points.