Adams leads the way as TA Dugger Improves to 3-0

Published 1:41 pm Thursday, November 17, 2022

By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

The basketball season may be in its infant steps, but the Jr. Cyclones are rounding up nicely. The TA Dugger Jr. Cyclones beat the Tennessee High Middle School Jr. Vikings 52-39 in a very physical game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Isaiah Adams started the game off with a recurring theme for the night, a layup off the glass. The Jr. Cyclones then extended the score to 4-0 off a couple of free throws from Braylon Britt. The Jr. Vikings would cut the lead to 7-5 on a three by Vikings point guard Ryan Potter. Looking to finish strong, Cyclones would end the quarter on a 4-0 run of their own, topped by a basket by eighth grader Adams who powered through three Viking defenders for the overarm layup.

The Jr. Cyclone lead expanded to 19-7 as Adams hit a floater over Vikings Center Colin Branch and then hit a 3-pointer off a Viking turnover forced by Bryson Blevins. The Vikings looked to close the gap as Kaleb Waters got in foul trouble for the Jr. Cyclones, going on 6-1 run, but Adams once again answered the bell when Cayson Blair found in him in the low post with a dazzling assist. The half would end on some strong defensive play by Braylon Britt and Evan Chamber hitting a free throw to push the lead out to 33-18 at the half.

The Jr. Cyclones would pick right back up in the second half with a shot off the glass to extend the lead to 35-18. The Vikings would look to apply more pressure on the Cyclones backcourt, going to a full-court press, but the backcourt combination of Evan Chambers and Braylon Britt would have none of it as they would work through the pressure and find open men. One of those passes found Kaleb Waters near the 3-point line and he did the rest to extend the Cyclone lead to 17. The Vikings would go on a 7-0 lead to cut the lead to its smallest of the night, but the Jr. Cyclones stole momentum right back with a behind-the-back, off-side lay-up that brought the Cyclone fans to their feet. The Cyclones would finish the half with a 16-point lead coming off a putback bucket by Braylen Britt by way of an offensive rebound.

The Cyclones would look to slow the game down and run some time off the clock and finish the game off. The Vikings would be able to close the gap to nine as Viking forward Russell Blevins would score five in a row, but a putback basket by Adams at the 2:00 minute mark and then a 3-pointer by Britt with :54 would give the Cyclones the 13-point win. Isaiah Adams would finish the game with 25 points on the night and Kaleb Waters would chip in 8. The Cyclones outrebounded the Vikings 26-19 on the night. After the game, Isaiah Adams, who is averaging over 20 points a game, said, “If we run the play right, I will get open, our team right now knows its better to play together than play by yourself’. Head Coach Billy Etter likes where his young team is, “guys are buying into our system, you can see it in practice, and it starts with our coaches Adams and Wilson. Repetition allows us to handle different situations as they come up” he also added that “we support each other from top to bottom these guys know they are playing for the name (Cyclones) on the front of the jersey”

The earlier game of the night saw the JV team dig a hole by going getting outscored 14-0 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, it was a hole they couldn’t dig out of as the Jr. Vikings won by 20 on the night. For the Jr. Cyclones, Ryan Jones led the way with 10 points and Bryson Blevins chipped in 5.  Both teams will pick action back up tonight starting at 5 pm at Ross Robinson.