District 3-1A Tournament Roundup – February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019 admin featured

By TerryFutrell

Sunbright Tigers Outsoar the Oakdale Eagles 61-51

Eagles may sometimes fly, but tonight it was the leaping ability of the six-seed Sunbright Tigers that prevailed as Sunbright defeated the three-seed Oakdale Eagles on their home floor 61-51. Oakdale led throughout the first quarter until Sunbright went ahead 11-10 with 1:08 remaining. The Tigers pulled ahead to 16-10 before Oakdale could score again at 4:08 of the second quarter, breaking a six-minute scoreless stretch. Sunbright never trailed again, building a 27-17 halftime lead. The Tigers kept pulling away and led 46-28 at the end of the third period. Oakdale fought back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Tigers 23-15, but could not overcome Sunbright’s 18-point lead.

Sunbright’s ball control and tenacious defense kept the Eagles out of their comfort zone. The Tigers aggressively attacked the basket, often drawing fouls. The Eagles attacks inside often ended with blocked shots or shots that simply failed to go in. Sunbright simply refused to run with Oakdale and patiently passed the ball around to find shooting opportunities. Oakdale’s full-court defense failed to stop Tiger Josh Langley, who did a masterful job of bringing the ball down the court. When trapped, Langley would either slither through or leap high above taller defenders and pass off to gentle giant Wesley Bohanan to break the press.

Sunbright was led in scoring by Hunter Bunch with 18 points. Josh Langley added 13 points, John Freels 11 points, and Wes Bohanan contributed eight points. Rhett Nelson led the Eagles with 17 points, while Clayton Smith added 14 points, and Dawson Smith scored 11 points.

Sunbright moves on to play two-seed Oneida next Monday at 8:00 PM in the District 3-1A semifinals at Roane State. The victory also guarantees Sunbright a spot in regional competition. For the Eagles, it was a disappointing loss that brought the end to their 2018-19 season and kept them out of regional competition for the first time in five years.

Rockwood Romps Over Wartburg Bulldogs 60-38

In a crushing blow to the four-seed Wartburg Bulldogs, the five-seed Rockwood Tigers proved to be unstoppable as they romped over the Bulldogs 60-38. Rockwood took a 13-9 first-quarter lead, built to a 24-16 halftime lead, and pulled away to a 39-24 lea at the end of three quarters. The Tigers outshot Wartburg 21 baskets to 13 baskets, and had a 14-8 advantage at the free throw line.

Rockwood’s balanced offense proved to be too much for the Bulldogs, with four Tigers scoring in double figures. Nate Brackett led the Tigers with 16 points, and Tahj Bazel was close behind with 14 points. Brett Sands and Bryson Boles contributed 12 points each. Caleb Constant paced the Bulldogs with 13 points and Tyler Davis scored 10 points.

Rockwood moves on to play Roane County rival and one-seed Harriman next Monday at 6:30 PM at Roane State in the District 3-1A semifinals. Rockwood will also move on to regional competition. The loss ends the 2018-19 season for the Wartburg Central Bulldogs.