Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Cavaliers saw their season come to an end on Tuesday, as they fell to Beech in the Region 5/AAAA Semifinals 61-46.
Beech jumped out early on the Cavs, taking an 11-2 lead with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter. The Cavaliers fought back however, and trimmed the lead down to 11-9 after a Jackson Madewell three-pointer.
Beech scored the final two buckets of the quarter to halt the run, giving the Buccaneers a 15-9 lead at the end of the first.
The second quarter was where Beech began to take control, and a layup at the halftime buzzer gave the Buccaneers a 31-18 lead going into the locker room.
Cookeville came out strong in the third, scoring the first five points and cutting the deficit down to 31-23, but Beech quickly responded and pushed the lead back to double-digits. Catastrophe struck at the end of the third, as CHS turned the ball over on an inbounds pass, leading to a Beech three-pointer to beat the buzzer.
Heading into the fourth, Cookeville trailed 46-33. The offense struggled in the fourth and just couldn’t muster up enough made shots to keep their season alive, as Beech advanced to the region title game with a 61-46 victory.
Madewell and Josh Heard each knocked down a trio of three-pointers and tied for team-high honors in scoring with 11 points apiece. For head coach Josh Heard, it all came down to the lack of production on offense in the long run.
“We just couldn’t make shots,” Heard said. “We knew what type of defense they were going to have, we had a lot of drives to the basket. We just couldn’t capitalize…we shot 29 percent, and you’re not going to beat a good team shooting the ball that poorly.”
Cookeville battled back early and showed the fight all night, but as much as Heard liked what he saw effort-wise, it was nullified by the lack of shot-making in his eyes.
“That is something that we always do,” Heard said. “Along with that fight, we’ve got to show our skillset a bit more…I know we can make shots, but when your fight is bigger than your shot-making, it hurts you. Tonight was very evident of that.”
The Cavaliers finish the season with a 17-15 overall record.
