Its a long way to come for your first meeting but ask
everyone involved and they would tell you the trip was more than worth the
drive.
The scene was the 14 and under Tennessee AAU state
tournament. Pigeon
Forge High
School was the host and it was clear early that
we were headed for a showdown.
In the end a tight game with some great action determined
the outcome as Team Thad rallied to post a 60-55 victory over Team Penny.
Blake Williams (Bartlett) was the
star of star scoring 23 points and dishing out several assists for Team Thad. Chase Hayden (St. George's) finished with 17 for Team
Thad and got the squad off on the right track with 10 big point in the first
quarter.
Team Thad held the lead until 3 minutes left in the 3rd
quarter when Isaiah Stokes (Lausanne) converted
an inside bucket to give Team Penny the short lead 37-36. Williams promptly
squashed that with a driving hoop to capture the lead back which carried to the
end of the quarter.
Trailing 44-39 to start the final stanza Team Penny went to
their strengths using Stokes and D.J.
Jackson (Memphis East) to surge ahead briefly 53-52 and alternated leads
till the final minute when Williams took control with his skillful handles and
deadly foul shooting prowess.
Jackson led Team Penny with
14 followed by Stokes with 12 and Terrance
Moss (Memphis
East), who was plagued by early foul trouble, with 11 markers.
Stay tuned as I will post a list of the top players from the
event on the site most likely the middle of the week.
