Claiborne High hosted Cherokee, February 10. All four teams were on schedule with the Lady Bulldogs being the first on the floor. They quickly got behind in the first period and tried to come back in the second period; however, at the half the Lady Chiefs led 36-9. Cherokee substituted a lot in the third period, but Claiborne never made a run to pressure the Lady Chiefs. The final score was 56-36. Leading Claiborne in scoring was Ily Bussell with 17, Katie Hicks had five, Daisy Bailey and Carley Hall had four each, Madison Ferguson had three as did Neveah Cobb. B. Markham led Cherokee with 16.
The second game featured the junior varsity Bulldogs battling the Chiefs. Claiborne looked in control and comfortable during the first period and led by three at its end, 10-7. The Bulldogs played inside-out basketball during the second with some good defense and led at the half, 16-12. Coming out of the break, Claiborne was cold from the field early on, but free throw shooting helped them stay out front. Later in the period, the Bulldogs hit a few from the field and led by seven. At the end of the third, Claiborne had pushed their lead out to 34-21. During the final period, the Cherokee fans were displeased with some of the calls made by the officials and were letting them know it. With 2:51 remaining the Chiefs had made it an eight-point game. Claiborne made a run and won the game, 44-37. Leading Claiborne in scoring was Jake Smith with 11, Josh Bolton had 10, Brady Hamlin had eight, CJ Cox had six, Cole Holt had five and Brennan Fugate finished with four. G. Catron led the Chiefs with eight points.
The first of two varsity games featured the Lady Bulldogs. Cherokee grabbed the early lead and Claiborne was keeping it close. The Lady Bulldogs had a four-point run and led by three at 9-6. At the end of one period CHS still led 13-12. The second period was.one where Cherokee pressured Claiborne but the Lady Bulldogs led at the half, 17-14. Claiborne came out of the locker room strong and pushed their lead out to 26-14. The Lady Bulldogs got a lift from a student section full of energy and pushed the lead on out to 15 points. The third period ended with CHS leading by 35-22. Claiborne needed only to not fall apart during the final period, and they did just that and more. By the final buzzer, Claiborne had won the game, 46-31. Leading Claiborne in scoring was Hannah Fugate with 19, Allie Jones had nine, Taylor Pressnell finished with eight, Hailey Sexton had seven and Emma Myatt had three. Leading Cherokee in scoring was Anna Houck with six.
The final game featured the varsity Bulldogs, and they needed a win to improve their chance at hosting a first-round tournament game. Cherokee opened with a 6-1 run and had the home fans restless. By the end of the first the visitors led 12-6. Claiborne tried to stage a comeback during the second period and chopped away at the Chiefs advantage. With 3:38 left in the opening half, the Bulldogs were within one point in part to great defense. At 2:43 the game was tied at 17. With 1:19 left Claiborne led 24-21 and the student section was up and cheering. One final run before the half gave Cherokee a two-point lead at 26-24. The Bulldogs tied it at 26 to start the third period then let the Chiefs get away. At 3:26 Claiborne tied and then went ahead by one at 33-32. The Bulldogs found back-to-back three-pointers and then a Cherokee player was issued a technical foul that helped extend the Claiborne led to 41-36. By the end of the period, Claiborne led 44-41. The final period was a classic one. Both Claiborne and Cherokee played tough, competitive basketball. With 1:52 left the home team led by four. 63-57 was the final score at the end of a very good basketball game with the Bulldogs taking the victory. Leading Claiborne in scoring was Ethan Cupp with 24, Levi Peoples had 19, Landen Wilson had 10, Tyler Myatt had six and Seth Morelock completed the total with four points. Colten Mclain led Cherokee and all scorers with 26 points.
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