In the world of high school basketball a team’s season can be effected by one game.

And the Cyclones (7-1 TRC, 13-8) took control of their season Saturday night with a 63-41 win over the Blue Devils inside of Unicoi County High School.

With Sullivan South dropping their game to Sullivan East Friday night, it was a three way tie for the top spot of the Three Rivers Conference. However, with EHS’ win over Unicoi (6-2 TRC), the Cyclones knotted themselves up with South for first.

“I think our kids were excited about that,” EHS head coach Lucas Honeycutt said. “We try to get back in control of our own destiny.”

The Cyclones didn’t waste any time with the Blue Devils, going on a 7-point drive early in the first frame. By the time Unicoi was able to answer, the Cyclones were up 10-1, after a three from Austin Cornett. EHS’ Conley Bowers closed the period with a bucket to put the Cyclones up 14-7 going into the second frame.

“Rebounding was key,” Honeycutt said. “We held them to one shot most of the time early on. That is an improvement from game to game, and I thought they did a good job of that early on.”

In the second period the Cyclones held the Blue Devils, a team that drained 10 threes in one half of Friday night’s match with Happy Valley, to just five points. While basically shutting down Unicoi, ’Betsy went on a 12-point run that was capped off by a half-court buzzer beater from Hunter Greene to put the Cyclones up 35-12 going into the half.

“I heard the coach yell, ‘3..2..1’, so I just tried to get it up there and see if it would go in and it did,” Greene said. “It was right off the back board.”

And of course Greene, who finished the night with eight points and two triples, was happy to have beaten Unicoi on their own turf.

“It makes us feel great,” he said. “It puts us right back at the top of the conference. But we know we have a lot of work to do.”

In the third, ’Betsy was able regain control of the game, after a small 7-point run from the Blue Devils, who pushed the score to 38-21 with the Cyclones on top. Towards the end of the frame, Tyler Nichols slammed one for EHS to push their lead out to 52-29 going into the fourth.

Even though the Blue Devils picked up in scoring in the second half, matching EHS 17-17 in the third and out scoring them 12-11 in the fourth, the Cyclones were able to maintain lead.

The Cyclones were led in scoring by Bo Pless who had 15 points. He was followed up by Nichols who had 14. Bowers came on it with nine.

Tuesday the Cyclones will be making their way to Sullivan East.

“We are feeling pretty confident,” Greene said. “We just have to go in there and play some defense—and execute.

For photos from Saturday’s game click here.

Boys Box

Elizabethton 63

Pless 15, Nichols 14, Bowers 9, Greene 8, Jones 4, Chambers 3, Robinson 3, Cornett 3, Townesend 2, Mushayamonda 2

Unicoi 41

Putman 10, Smith 5, Hendrickson 5, Nicksic 4, Thelan 4, T. Hensley 4, Webb 3, Sheldon 3, Simpson 2, McNabb 1

Elizabethton 14 21 17 11 — 63

Unicoi             7 5 17 12 — 41

3-point goals— 5 (Greene 2, Robinson 1, Nichols 1, Au. Cornett 1) Unicoi 3 (Hendrickson 1, Putman 1, Webb 1)