TAD surrenders OT thriller to Vikings
Photo By Dave Boyd
TAD's Ryan Green swoops in for a shot.
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By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR STAFF
wholtsclaw@starhq.com
The T.A. Dugger Junior Cyclones battled back,
but it was Vance which pulled the chestnuts from the fire.
After overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit
to take a fourth-quarter lead, T.A. Dugger watched its lead
evaporate, forcing overtime.
Neither unit could muster a score in the extra
quarter until Vance's Sam Stipes stole the ball and drained
an inside jumper with under ten seconds to go, giving the
Vikings a 39-37 win.
"We play Greeneville tomorrow night and that's
all they've talked about all week," said T.A. Dugger coach
James Jacobs. "We've got to come out and be ready for every
game. We didn't realize that until the third quarter that
we had better play."
The Junior Cyclones opened up with solid, all-around
effort from Ryan Green, Aaron Bradford and Bo Carter. They
struggled in stopping Thomas Turnsell, who dropped three buckets
in the first period.
Bradford and Brent Thomas keyed TAD in the second
quarter, but Vance went on a strong run to take a seven-point
lead (21-14) at the end of the half. Josh Carter dropped in
five points for the Vikings in the period.
Bradford and Carter led the Cyclones' charge
in the third quarter as they rallied from their deficit to
take a lead. Turnsell fouled out for Vance after two buckets
as the team seemed to lose its edge.
The shot of the night took place at the buzzer
when Bradford nailed an NBA-length three-pointer.
Vance fought hard, with Stipes and Carter both
hitting a trey in the fourth quarter. T.A. Dugger had a hard
time holding onto the ball as time ran down and a swap of
turnovers put the game into overtime.
Turnovers and missed shots hurt both teams early
in the extra frame. T.A. Dugger had a good shot at taking
a lead, but Green missed a jumper.
Another turnover put the ball in Stipes' hands.
This time he pulled through with a two-pointer with six seconds
remaining in the game.
Bo Carter missed a half-court shot as the final
horn sounded to give the visiting unit the win.
"Our decision-making is going to have to be better
in game situations." Jacobs said. "You can practice and get
better at that. But it really hurt us in the last minute.
"Vance is a good team. They are well-coached
and tough. They always come out ready to play."
Bo Carter and Turnsell led the game with 12 points
apiece. Josh Carter and Bradford finished with 10 apiece for
their teams.
Junior Varsity
Vance 40
T.A. Dugger 17
Marvin Pierson keyed a strong 17-1 second quarter
run for the Junior Vikings.
T.A. Dugger only trailed by five at the end of
the first period, but Vance struck hard and fast with speedy
offense. T.A. Dugger outscored its opposition in the third
quarter, but it wasn't enough to close in on a win.
Pierson finished with 13 points for the Vikings,
while teammates Matt McClellan, Trevor Crump and John Frebs
finished with 8, 7 and 6, respectively.
Jared Lyons led the Junior Cyclones offensively
with 12 of the team's 17 points.
