Cyclones fall in defeat despite yeomen’s work against Volunteer
Published 10:01 am Friday, February 3, 2023
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Cyclone post Mason Ball shows great range by nailing a trey against Volunteer in the early going.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Andrew Barnett goes in for a highly contested shot in the Cyclones home game with Volunteer.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Cyclone Nate Stephens takes the ball to the rim against the Volunteer defense.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Will Churchill takes the basketball to the hoop late in the Cyclones game with Volunteer.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Mac Paulson pulls up for a one-handed jumper over a Volunteer defender.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton guard Luke Whaley drives hard through the paint where he is picked up by a pair of Falcon defenders.
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
Elizabethton boys head coach Lucas Honeycutt can only hope that his team remembers all the uppercuts and punches to the gut that his team has experienced during their regular-season slate as they head into the district tournament next week.
The Cyclones took another one on the chin when they hosted the Volunteer Falcons at John Treadway gym, falling behind in the early stages only to battle back to go ahead by one point late in the fourth quarter before the Falcons regrouped and charged back to take a 77-67 Upper Lakes Conference victory.
Once again, it was the shooting from beyond the arc that put the Cyclones in an early hole as Volunteer’s Blake Head nailed four treys and Joltin Harrison added three as the Falcons built a 47-31 lead at the half.
Harrison had 15 first-half points, while Head and Andrew Knitel each chipped in 13 points in the opening two-quarters of play.
Mason Ball tallied 13 in the opening half to help keep the Cyclones within firing range of the visitors. Andrew Barnett stroked two treys to add eight points, while Jackson Hobbs used his height to bully for six points. Dalton Mitchell pitched in with four points.
The Cyclones locked in the defense in the third quarter to whittle the game to a 61-55 Falcon lead heading into the final eight minutes of regulation.
Elizabethton fought to tie the game at 61-61 with six minutes and took a one-point lead before the Falcons eventually managed to claw their way back in front and hold off any last-minute Cyclone rallies.
Harrison led four players in double figures for the Falcons as he scored a game-high 26 points. Head finished with 15, while Knitel and Cason Christian finished with 14 and 13, respectively.
Ball finished with a team-high 19 points in the defeat. Nate Stephens came on late in the second half to reach double figures with 13. Barnett, Mitchell, and Mac Paulson tossed in eight points apiece. Hobbs (6) and Will Churchill (5) finished out the Cyclones scoring.
