Fast start carries Hawks past Lebanon

Feb. 7—MT. JULIET — A packed house and thousands more watching on MyTV30 saw Green Hill's boys lay an opening knockdown punch and Lebanon spending the rest of the night trying unsuccessfully to get off the hardwood as the Hawks pulled even atop District 9-4A with the Blue Devils via 62-42 win last Friday night.

The Hawks, playing before what appeared to be an even larger crowd than the Senior Night throng which turned out two weeks earlier for neighboring rival Mt. Juliet, jumped to a 14-2 lead and 21-4 late in the first quarter.

"Green Hill played really well," McDowell said. "They came out and hit us in the mouth in the first four minutes... We dug ourselves a hole we couldn't dig out of. They were ready to play. I thought our guys in these type of atmospheres, have been in these types of games both this season and last season, I thought our guys would be ready to go. For one reason or another, I didn't do a good job of getting them ready. So that's on me tonight.

"It's not a bad time for a wake-up call."

Lebanon played Green Hill to a 7-7 second-quarter draw and 15-15 in the third before the Blue Devils trimmed the margin to just inside single digits in the fourth. But the emotions of the game may have gotten the best of LHS in the fourth quarter as Coach Jim McDowell drew a technical foul and forward Jaylen Abston a double-technical, resulting in his ejection from the game and suspension from the next two contests. The visitors also lost guard Wyatt Bowling to fouls early in the fourth.

Aaron Mattingly was consistent all night for Green Hill with a game-high 17 points. Big man Jason Burch got the Hawks off to the fast start with seven of his 16 points and, after being nursed through foul trouble of his own, helped seal the deal with 9-of-10 free-throw shooting in the fourth, a quarter in which the Hawks hit 13 of 17 from the line. Sophomore Antjuan Welch scored 10 of his 16 during the third quarter.

Green Hill coach Troy Allen said the roots of the Hawks' start may have come from intense practices during the three days school was out due to the threat of ice coming in the wake of a six-point win at Brentwood on Monday.

"I thought we had overpracticed," Allen said after the Hawks won their fifth straight to improve to 18-7 for the season and into a tie with Lebanon atop the district at 5-1. "We acted like we were college coaches when we didn't have school. We did a lot. We put a lot in. Teams talk about resting this time of year. We didn't rest. We didn't play well the second half against Brentwood on Monday. They do a lot of the same stuff (McDowell spent time on Bruins coach Troy Bond's staff at Wilson Central and both played or coached under Randall Hutto at LHS) and we had to get it right. We got it right. I was worried we had done too much, but we didn't. We really executed from the get-go."

Kenny Ellis added eight points for Green Hill while Garrett Brown bottomed out an early 3-pointer and Jordan Lukins two.

Lebanon star Jarred Hall was held to a first-half free throw before coming alive in the second half with 15, including four 3-pointers, as he tried to bring the Blue Devils back into the game. Abston added 11 while Bowling scored six, Landen Engles three and Marcus White, Caden Baird and Chaseton Dixon two each.

Allen praised the early defensive work of guard Parker Overath on Hall.

"He's 5-8, 5-9 and guarding (the 6-8) Hall, just a relentless kid," Allen said of Overath.

"I knew they would make some adjustments from the first time they played us (a 50-43 Lebanon win at Campbell Brandon Gym/Hester Gibbs Court last month)," McDowell said. "They did a good job, especially in the first half, of getting the ball out of Jarred's hands and make it really hard for us to get it in there.

"First and foremost, our effort level wasn't where it needed to be from the jump."

Both teams will be back in District 9-4A action against county rivals tonight — Lebanon (16-8, 5-1) at home against Mt. Juliet and Green Hill at Wilson Central.

Allen blasted TSSAA for its recent restructuring of the districts which will have Lebanon and Wilson Central in a league separate from Mt. Juliet and Green Hill for at least the next two years. Though all of the schools are expected to continue playing each other, the non-district matchups will likely be held earlier in the season without the high-stakes district intensity. Over 1,700 tickets were sold for the game in the 2,405-seat gym and countless others got in on passes, including Wilson County Schools employees, making an official crowd count impossible, GHHS athletic director E.J. Wood said. Those who couldn't get in the bleachers stood or sat in all four corners of the gym.

"It's why it's such a special place," Allen said. "It's why it's such a crime we won't be in the league with them anymore after this year. It's a criminal thing. It's awful that we're not going to be district opponents with them and Wilson Central. It's a special, special night."

Many of the fans wore purple in memory of GHHS sophomore Ambria McGregor, who died in December from injuries sustained in a car crash earlier that month. A ceremony remembering her was held during the boys' halftime.

Cavaliers cook from the foul line in Mt. Juliet winCOOKEVILLE — Four Cavaliers scored in double figures last Friday night as Cookeville broke a first-quarter tie and pulled away from Mt. Juliet 71-56.

The Cavaliers broke an 8-8 tie togo up 28-22 by halftime and opened a 49-40 margin going into the fourth as Cookeville climbed almost into a third-place tie with Mt. Juliet for third place in District 9-4A with two wins apiece. The Golden Bears, who have had both their byes, have one fewer loss than the Cavs, who will get their second league bye tonight while MJ goes to Lebanon.

Jalen Heard hit two 3-pointers and 8 of 9 free throws to lead Cookeville with 19 points. Bennett Reeves knocked down 9 of 10 from the line on his way to 17. Jason Davis dropped in 7 of 8 from the charity stripe in finishing with 14 while Josh Heard had 12. The Cavaliers connected on 28 of 34 from the foul line.

Two Bears fouled out as Mt. Juliet had just 10 chances from the line, sinking seven.

Caronne Goree led Mt. Juliet with 19 points while Osize Daniyan fouled out with 12. John Lloyd added six of his eight in the second quarter while Jon'Mikael Crudup scored all of his six after halftime before fouling out. Zion Sanders finished with four points, Eric Williams and Dylan Work a 3-pointer apiece and Ashton Kirkendoll a free throw.

Friendship boys open district play at ChristianFriendship Christian lost at Clarksville Academy 70-40 last Friday to finish fifth in District 4-IIA.

The Commanders, who finished 6-8 in the district and are 13-15 overall, will travel to No. 4 Nashville Christian at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the league tournament.

The winner will buy three more games, starting with either No. 8 Mt. Juliet Christian or No. 1 Goodpasture at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals at Donelson Christian. The four semifinalists will also advance to the Middle Region tournament.

Friendship and Nashville Christian, which went 7-7 in the district and 12-13 overall, split the season series with each losing at home. The Commanders won 64-53 at NCS in the most recent meeting last month. The Eagles prevailed 66-61 in the district opener in early December at the Bay Family Sportsplex.