November 30- Day four of the Elevation and KOC Invitational Basketball Tournament featured games on the consolation bracket and championship game. The Coach Carl R. Green Gymnasium held a few blowout games and several competitive games during the tournament. Saturday’s action was no different. The first game up was a meeting between Claiborne and West Greene. Claiborne jumped ahead on the scoreboard, but the Buffaloes rallied and took the lead. West Greene led at the half, 39-27. During the third, the Bulldogs made a run and got the deficit down to 10 points, but the Buffs responded with a run of their own. At the end of the third, the Buffs led 51-37. West Greene and Claiborne went to the bench in the fourth, but the Buffs sealed the victory at 59-46. Leading West Greene in scoring was Ayden Lamons with 15. Two Buffaloes had 13 each, including Conner Campbell and Elijah Wilson. Sam Wisecarver also had double figures with 11. Claiborne was led in scoring by Colton Jones with 16.
Next on the floor were the Indians and the Cougars. This one was a back-and-forth game early, but it was Hancock leading by five at 18-13. During the second period, Hancock began to slip away on the scoreboard, but each time, Campbell County would reply with a big basket. At the half, Hancock led 33-28. During the third period, the Cougars stayed aggressive but were down 46-40. Campbell County battled during the final period, but each time Hancock had the answer. The Cougars had it down to two points with 4:02 remaining. With 3:03 left, the game was a two-point one. With two minutes remaining, the game was tied at 58. The Cougars took the lead seconds later and had the opportunity to close it out from the free throw line and dropped in both, extending the lead to 63-60. The final score was 63-60 with the Cougars completing the comeback. The Cougars were led in scoring by both Gavin Cox and Jake Hatmaker with 15 each. Luke Browning and Will Croley had 10.
The third-place game between Scott County and Cumberland Gap started with a 16-3 Highlander run. The first period ended 16-5 in part due to a slow start for the Panthers offense. Cumberland Gap rallied in the second period with great defense that led to layups. At the half, the Panthers were behind 31-24 but were playing better. The third period was the one where the Panthers made their move. They got as close as two-points but never took the lead. The third period ended 42-37 in favor of Scott. Midway through the final period, Scott went on a run that secured a 10-point advantage at 61-51 which ended in victory at 63-53. Wyatt Lloyd led the Highlanders with 21. Landon Goodman had 11 and Isaiah Washam had 10. Brady Harris led Cumberland Gap with 25. Kolton Goins finished with 10.
The championship was next between Lakeway and Northview. These two teams battled like rivals throughout the first and second periods. Lakeway held the lead into the second period that saw an intentional and technical foul plus a fan ejection. With 5:12 remaining in the first half, the Lakeway lead was three points at 20-17. The game remained physical and fast deep into the second period. With 3:02 left in the first half, Lakeway led 27-19. When the first half ended, it was the Lions leading 32-26. To start the third, Lakeway did just enough to stay out front. In the middle of the period, Lakeway made a small run and led 43-36. The Cougars clawed back and by the end of the third period had the game tied at 47. The Cougars took the lead around three four-minute mark and led 59-58. The two teams swapped the lead. With 2:10 left, Lakeway was out front by one point, 62-61. The Cougars were not denied, and they led 66-64 with 24.9 seconds left. The exciting game ended with the Cougars winning 69-66. Northview was led in scoring by Blayne Jackson with 20. Ben Pickel had 19. Lakeway was led by Jaleel Ali with 26 and Ivan Moskalenko with 24.
Northview was the Elevation and KOC Invitational Basketball Tournament Champions. Lakeway finished as runner up and Scott County finished third. Below are a few photos from the games courtesy of The Zone-AE.
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