Wildcats run out of time against Riverdale

GLADEVILLE — It might be a good thing Riverdale still has a few players in football.
The remaining Warriors were enough to hold off a scrappy Wilson Central bunch 59-57 Tuesday night in a TSSAA Hall of Champions game.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Michael Young's 14 points. Center Tanner Gore added 11 while E.J. Wilcox and Blake Howard each tossed in two three-pointers on their way to 10 apiece.
But it was Kevin Smith, who scored eight of his 10 points in the second half, who put Riverdale ahead to stay on a driving one-hander with just under six minutes to play for a 43-42 Warrior edge.
Riverdale went up by as much as 53-45 on Howard's running one-hander.
But the Wildcats had some lives left as Kody Woodard, who led Central with 14 points despite missing the entire second quarter with three fouls, fired in one of his four triples to begin a comeback.
A running one-hander and a three-point play by Teraes Clemmons, who didn't enter the game until late to give fouls, made it a one-point contest before Wilcox flipped in a free throw for the final margin. A final Central basket was ruled to have come after the buzzer.
Center Travis Adkins added 11 points for Central while JaJuan Brooks added eight, including a pair of threes; Daniel Palmer six; Clemmons, Kelten Stewart and Arcavius McMurray five each and Ethan Duke two.
Central led most of the first quarter before Howard, who had eight in the opening eight minutes, connected for one of his two triples to bring Riverdale into a 15-15 tie.
After a runner by Palmer, Young sank a pair of free throws with just under a minute left to tie the game 17-17 going into the second quarter.
The teams continued to go back and forth in the second quarter. A free throw by Gore in the final seconds inched Riverdale in front 26-25 by halftime.
Riverdale twice opened up seven-point leads in the third quarter before Central stormed back with a 9-0 run to lead 39-37 on McMurray's putback in the final minute. Toni Raye's pullup jumper brought the Warriors into a 39-39 tie entering the fourth period.
Two free throws by Adkins and one by Palmer gave the Wildcats their final leads early in the fourth quarter. Smith's go-ahead one-hander ignited a 10-0 Riverdale run.
Central will host Siegel in a regular-season game next Tuesday.

Watertown wears out Monterey
WATERTOWN — Watertown used its depth to force early turnovers and wear out Monterey 50-47 in a TSSAA Hall of Champions season opener Tuesday night.
The Purple Tigers, using 10 players, led the whole way, including 17-6 following the first quarter, 25-18 at halftime and 41-40 through three periods. Watertown led by three with 15 seconds to play when James Shrum snagged an offensive rebound of a missed free throw, enabling the Tigers to run more time off the clock.
Aaron Fountain fired in 14 points for Watertown while Ben Smith and Levi Tschaekofske each scored seven. The Tigers, who tossed in just 2 of 10 free throws, sank seven three-pointers, including two each from Shrum and Justin Breece. Seth Pritchett finished with four and Dalton Phillips three.
Joey Meredith threw in three triples on his way to a game-high 19 points for Monterey while Chris Phipps added 11.
Watertown will travel to Jackson County on Friday for another Hall of Champions contest.

Saints snared by foul trouble, Vikings
UNIONVILLE — Victor Underwood scored two points per minute and Bryce Middleton one per minute Tuesday night.
Unfortunately for Mt. Juliet Christian, the rules of basketball limit players to five fouls each. And heavy foul trouble kept both on the bench for the majority of the game in a 70-62 come-from-ahead loss to Community in a TSSAA Hall of Champions contest Tuesday night.
Underwood knocked down 29 points, including a pair of three pointers, in just 15 minutes.
"They didn't have anybody to stop him," Mt. Juliet Christian coach Paul Christensen said of Underwood.
Middleton finished with 14 in about the same amount of playing time.
But while Underwood and Middleton were piling up the points, they were also compiling fouls as the Vikings repeatedly took it to them until Christensen had to pull them.
The Saints shot out to a 20-5 first-quarter lead before the Vikings shrank the margin to 34-23 by halftime and 48-43 going into the fourth period.
"We played very well in the first quarter," Christensen said. "We got in foul trouble and depth is not a strength for us."
Guard Josh Hull notched 19 points for Community while Chris Molder tossed in a pair of threes on his way to 11.
Austin Wortman also tossed in two triples on his way to 11 points for Mt. Juliet Christian while Devon Bradshaw and Zach Womble each threw in three and Daniel Shedd two.
Mt. Juliet Christian will host Portland in another Hall of Champions game Thursday night.
Sports Editor Andy Reed can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 17 or by e-mail at andy.reed@lebanondemocrat.com.