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By C.Y. Peters

On a cold winter night, the Unaka Rangers boys’ and girls’ basketball teams made the nearly two-hour trek to Washburn to close out their regular season in dominant fashion. The Lady Rangers secured a 68-57 victory, while the boys followed suit with a convincing 75-58 win.

Lady Rangers Cruise to Victory

The Lady Rangers set the tone early behind a scorching start from Michelle Shields. Shields was unstoppable in the first quarter, pouring in 14 points and finishing the first half with 18, helping Unaka build a commanding 44-24 halftime lead. From there, Coach Kenneth Chambers’ squad controlled the pace and never let Washburn back into the contest.

Eight Lady Rangers contributed to the scoring column, with three players reaching double figures. Shields led all scorers with a stellar 27-point performance, while Kalli Shepard added 16 and Brooklyn Campbell chipped in 10. Unaka’s sharpshooters caught fire from deep, connecting on 13 three-pointers, and they were nearly perfect from the free-throw line, hitting 7 of 8 attempts.

Washburn’s Hannah Williams led the Lady Pirates with 25 points, while Taylie Proffitt contributed 18 in a valiant effort.

Wilson Ignites Rangers’ Second-Half Surge

In the boys’ matchup, Mason Wilson came out firing, knocking down three three-pointers en route to a remarkable 21 points in the first quarter for the Rangers. Despite Wilson’s hot hand, Washburn managed to keep pace, trailing by just four at the half, 40-36.

The second half, however, belonged entirely to Unaka. The Rangers locked down defensively, allowing only nine points in the third quarter and 13 in the fourth, while pouring in 35 points of their own to seal the 75-58 victory.

John Hardin led all scorers with 24 points, while Wilson finished with 15. T.J. Good added 11, Aiden Walsh contributed 10, and Austin Lambert just missed double figures with nine. Washburn’s Dillon Mullins paced the Pirates with 18 points.

District Tournament Awaits

Coach Chambers and the Lady Rangers finished their season with an impressive 20-8 record, while Coach Aaron Dugger’s Rangers closed out at 16-8. Both teams now set their sights on the district tournament, which begins Saturday, looking to carry their winning momentum into postseason play.

 

Boys

Unaka 21 19 19 16 — 76
Washburn 13 23 9 13 — 58

Unaka: John Hardin 24, Mason Wilson 15, Rylan Crabtree 3, Austin Lambert 9, T.J. Good 11, Aiden Walsh 10, Peyton Guess 3.

Washburn: Bryson Clay 8, Storm Carpenter 2, Dillon Mullins 18, Justin Bailey 4, Landry Coffey 5, Bryson Coffman 6, Matthew Harville 12, Chase Davis 3.

 

Girls

Unaka 18 26 8 16 — 68
Washburn 9 15 17 16 — 57

Unaka: Lauren Lund 2, Emma Douglas 3, Michelle Shields 27, Ari Sutherland 3, Brooklyn Campbell 10, Katlyn Dugger 5, Kalli Shepard 16, Keyona Hague 2.

Washburn: Sara Booker 3, Leah Collins 3, Ebony Hill 6, Hannah Williams 25, Natalie Harville 2, Taylie Proffitt 18.