Brown, Vikings sink Cyclones with second-half outburst
Published 2:30 pm Monday, February 24, 2025
Ivan Sanders/Star Correspondent Cyclones' post Hudson Smith takes the basketball down the lane for an Elizabethton score.
Ivan Sanders/Star Correspondent Senior Barnett, playing with an injured foot, drives the basketball straight to the basket against Tennessee High’s defense.
Ivan Sanders/Star Correspondent Hudson Pate of Elizabethton tries to get off a tough shot over the outstretched hands of Viking defender Landon Graham.
Ivan Sanders/Star Correspondent Tennessee High star Colin Brown harasses the Cyclones’ Nathan Bailey as Bailey pushes the basketball up the floor.
Ivan Sanders/Star Correspondent Cyclones' shooting guard Justin Whitehead pulls up for a trey during Saturday’s semifinal showdown against Tennessee High.
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
BRISTOL – If there were two words to describe the difference in the outcome of Saturday night’s District 1-AAA boys semifinal between Elizabethton and Tennessee High, those words would be Colin Brown.
The senior sharpshooter was hitting from every angle and every spot on the floor of Viking Hall, firing in 21 of his game-high 35 points in the second half to seal the fate of the Cyclones in a 71-48 Viking win.
Brown’s effort accounted for 49% of the Vikings’ total in the victory.
It appeared that the Cyclones were up for the challenge in the first half, as the game was tied 18-18 at the end of the first period and 38-30 at the half in favor of Tennessee High.
Zack Wallin led the charge for the Cyclones in the opening half, scoring eight points to keep Coach Lucas Honeycutt’s team in the contest.
Hudson Pate and Andrew Barnett contributed six points each, while Justin Whitehead added five.
Brown’s 14 paced the Vikings in helping to build the eight-point advantage for the host team. Reed Miller also played a large part, as the senior chipped in with nine in the half.
Coming out of the break, Brown was simply unconscious in the third period as he had the student body reacting to every shot he put up, recording 15 points in the quarter to single-handedly outscore the Cyclones, who only had 13 points in the period.
That run was more than enough to carry the Vikings to the 23-point victory.
Miller finished behind Brown in scoring with 14 in the contest as the only other Viking in double figures. Zander Phillips added eight.
Zack Wallin finished with a team-high 13 points for Elizabethton. Whitehead hit 2-of-7 treys in the second half to finish with 11. Barnett and Pate recorded nine and eight points, respectively.
Nathan Bailey (5) and Hudson Smith (2) helped to balance the ledger for the Cyclones.
With the win, the Vikings will face off against Crockett in Tuesday night’s final at 7:30 p.m., while the Cyclones will battle Unicoi Co. for third place in a 6 p.m. tipoff.
