Falcons Tear Down the Teepee

Rogersville- Volunteer took the drive down to West Hawkins County to battle bitter rival Cherokee in a night of exciting basketball! It is always a fantastic addition to the long history of Volunteer vs Cherokee when they meet, and this chapter was no different. To start the night, the JV boys were down 21 points in the 3rd period. While their comeback effort was stopped, they still managed to only lose by one point on a late free throw. That wild game was only the start. In this article we will cover the dominating Lady Falcons game, then the adrenaline-laced Falcon boys game. 

Lady Falcons are truly hitting their stride. After Friday night's great win, they kept the momentum moving with a 63-15 thumping on the Lady Chiefs. Veda Barton started the scoring first in a first period that saw a record number of tie tie-ups. Cherokee had plenty of trouble to even get the ball past half-court. Once again the depth and strength of this roster showed as Barton, Begley, Jackson, Mailloux, and the Houck sisters took control. 

At the half the Lady Falcons had control with a 32-12 lead. To start the second half, the girls went on a 17-0 run to push their lead to 47-12. The dominance didn’t stop there as they cruised to a win. The Lady Falcons now improve to 14-10 on the season.

When the Falcons boys team took the court tension was already high, and it only got higher as the game progressed. With a packed gym accompanied by crazy student sections for both sides, the atmosphere was perfect for rival basketball. When these two teams first met the Falcons took care of business 70-48. This game was a bit different. 

To start the game star player Tucker McLain put up a few easy points as he scored 22 on the night. His presence was very much felt all night. Other incredible performances on offense and defense came from the usual suspects; Owen Tullock, Nolan Amyx, and Lucas Gilliam. The roster as a whole worked hard for this gritty win. 

At the half though, the win seemed like an uphill battle as it was 27-20 in favor of Cherokee. When the Falcons came back out adjustments were made and it showed. Plenty of substitutions and hitting free throws were key. It was truly a battle as these teams went back and forth. 

In the last few minutes of the game, things were looking good for the Falcons to steal one and that is exactly what they did. Plenty of great defensive plays, well well-hit shots the Falcons found themselves down only one point with 6.7 seconds left. After a great inbounds play, Tucker McLain went up for a layup. That shot was missed, but sophomore post Lucas Gilliam secured the rebound and nailed the putback shot to get a 45-44 lead. With only 3.2 seconds left, the Chiefs could not make a play and the game went final as a win for the Falcons! 

Both Lady Falcons and Falcons are back in action tonight against Dobyns-Bennett looking for their third consecutive win before a two-day break. Plenty of basketball left and we will have all the content of the Volunteer Sports Network. Visit us at volunteersportsnetwork.com to find all the links and more.