Happy Valley swept by Cougars
Published 11:00 pm Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Lady Warrior Kadie Bailey tries to work the basketball around a Central defender.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley's Holly Moore battles a Central player for a loose basketball.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Gabby Wood pulls up for an outside jumper against the Lady Cougars.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Marcida Moore of Happy Valley pulls a 50/50 ball out of the air for a rebound against the Lady Cougars.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Lady Warrior Olivia Absher drives the ball toward the basket against Central.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Warrior Andrew Little attempts to get a bounce pass by a Central defender.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Andrew Clawson has his toes just beyond the arc as he prepares to let the shot fly.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Blake Young of Happy Valley leaps high for a jumper over top of the Central defense.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley's Alex Lunceford works toward the paint while being double teamed.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Landon Babb works for a loose basketball to record a rebound for the Warriors.
Star Photo/Dawn Lambert Happy Valley's James Murray pulls up for a jumper shot over a Central defender.
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BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
BLOUNTVILLE – A slow start in which Happy Valley scored just 16 first-half points doomed the Warriors as Sullivan Central took a 64-44 decision on Tuesday evening at Dickie Warren Dome. The Lady Cougars – led by Bre Yarber – also took an easy 49-20 victory over the Lady Warriors.
“(Slow starts) has been a trend and if I knew how to fix it I would,” Warriors head coach Jeremy Maddox said. “We have outscored, I think, every team we have played in the second half.
“But, it is my job to get the team ready to play and we have had games where in the first quarter we just don’t show up. We trailed by 15 in the first quarter and give Sullivan Central credit, they have kids who can shoot it and they did a good job of executing.”
The Cougars (5-7, 2-2 conference) led 19-4 after one period hitting on three treys while HV (2-6, 0-4 conference) shot just two-for-11 (18.8 percent) from the field and were zero-for-two from the free-throw line.
Things got a little better for the Warriors in the second period but Central took a 39-16 lead into the halftime break. Forward Ethan Lane scored a game-high 28 points for Central, hitting three triples and Joltin Harrison added nine points on his three treys.
Post Landon Babb and forward Blake Young each scored 12 points for Happy Valley with Babb good for 10 rebounds as well. Alex Lunceford hit the boards for eight rebounds and scored 10 points.
“We tried to switch things up defensively in the second half,” Maddox said. “They seemed to have an answer for everything we did and that’s to their credit.
“We have to figure out how to get off to a better start. As the game wore on we played well, but the first and second quarters of games have been our nemesis.”
GIRLS
Sullivan Central…49
Happy Valley…….20
A depleted Lady Warriors squad – with just seven players suiting up – scored just nine first-half points to trail 32-9 at the break and simply couldn’t make up that deficit in the second half.
Forward Bre Yarber scored 14 of her game-high 16 points in the first half as the Lady Cougars built a huge lead by forcing 12 first-half HV turnovers.
The Lady Cougars (8-5, 3-1 conference) connected on seven three-balls in this contest to none for HV (2-4, 1-2 conference).
Senior guard Olivia Absher led the Lady Warriors with 10 points with post Kadie Bailey adding four. Jaelyn West scored 11 points for the Lady Cougars with Rachel Niebruegge scoring eight.
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GIRLS
Sullivan Central 49-20
Happy Valley (20)
Street 2, Wood 2, Absher 10, M. Moore 2, Bailey 4.
Sullivan Central (49)
Yarber 16, E. Niebruegge 3, Pendleton 5, West 11, R. Niebruegge 8, Horne 6.
Happy Valley 5 4 3 8 – 20
Sullivan Central 13 19 13 4 – 49
3-point goals: SC 7 (Horne 2, R. Niebruegge 2, E. Niebruegge, Pendleton, West)
BOYS
Sullivan Central 64-44
Happy Valley (44)
Clawson 6, Young 12, Babb 12, Lunceford 10, Little 2, Murray 2.
Sullivan Central (64)
Barb 8, Harrison 9, Ho. Sherfey 3, Sams 6, Lane 28, Ha. Sherfey 2, Arnold 4, Beverly 4.
Happy Valley 4 12 13 15 – 44
Sullivan Central 19 20 15 10 – 64
3-point goals: HV 3 (Clawson 2, Babb), SC 8 (Lane 3, Harrison 3, Barb, Ho. Sherfey)
