By Michael Lindsay
A pair of non-district matchups went to Cookeville Thursday evening as the UC #1-ranked Cavaliers and Lady Cavaliers earned victories over both #2-ranked York Institute programs.
The Lady Cavs overcame a double-digit second-half deficit en route to a 50-45 overtime victory followed by a 75-48 win by the Cavalier boys.
Girls
The Lady Cavaliers used a second-half surge to overcome a 14-point deficit against York Institute Thursday as they defeated the Dragonettes in overtime, 50-45.
“We knew what we wanted as our game plan,” said Cookeville head coach Jamie Gillies. “(York point guard) Reese Beaty is really good, and we lost her some in the first half. That, and making shots. We missed some easy stuff.”
Beaty, a Clemson commit, poured in 35 points to lead the Dragonettes while senior forward Isabel Garcia led Cookeville with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.
“Isabel missed some stuff she doesn’t usually miss, so I told her we’re going to keep going to you because we trust you,” said Gillies. “She made some big shots.”
Cookeville jumped out to an 8-3 lead early in the first before the Dragonettes stormed back to take a 13-10 lead after one period. Beaty went 4-4 from three-point range in the opening frame.
York took control in the second quarter as the Dragonettes extended their advantage to double digits by halftime at 28-18. Beaty had 23 of York’s 28 first-half points.
The Dragonettes pushed ahead by as many as 14 points (32-18) early in the third quarter before Cookeville reeled off a 16-2 run to tie the contest at 34 points each late in the third period.
“We got the ball inside and got it to Isabel,” said Gillies. “They doubled her, we made better decisions and the ball just went in. The ball just didn’t go in in the first half and it did in the third. We had the same opportunities and we just made them.”
York’s Emma Pile drained a three-pointer to give the Dragonettes a 37-34 lead entering the fourth quarter.
York Institute held their lead until the 2:38 mark of the fourth quarter as an Allie Gillies three-pointer gave Cookeville a 39-37 advantage. York went back ahead by three (44-41) until Garcia finished an and-one to tie the game at 44 points with 34 seconds remaining.
Following a Beaty free throw to put York up 45-44, Garcia answered with one with 2.8 seconds left to tie the game at 45, forcing overtime.
Cookeville controlled overtime as they held the Dragonettes scoreless in the extra frame to win by a 50-45 final score.
The Lady Cavaliers improve to 14-3 overall while York Institute falls to 12-4. Cookeville’s win was their 31st consecutive home victory.
Cookeville is set to travel to Wilson Central Friday while York Institute travels to Jackson County.
Cookeville (50): Isabel Garcia 17, Allie Gillies 13, Macy Hudson 9, Cara Lee Gilbert 6, Charlie Roby 5
York Institute (45): Reese Beaty 35, Emma Cooper 5, Emma Pile 3, Raylee Werner 2
Boys
The Cookeville Cavaliers kept their undefeated home record in tact on Thursday as they ran away with a 75-48 victory over York Institute.
“They came out in a matchup zone and tried to pull some of our own magic on us,” said Cookeville head coach Josh Heard. “We didn’t shoot the ball well in the first quarter, but our defense sustained it. After a while, we started running the ball and getting out on breaks.”
Ten Cavaliers scored Thursday, led by 16 points from Jack Oakley and 14 from Colin Ayers. Heath Wattenbarger led York Institute with 22 points.
Cookeville jumped out to an 11-1 lead in the first quarter before York battled back to tie the contest at 16 points each via a Bryson Bilbrey three-pointer with 4:14 remaining in the second period.
The Cavaliers responded with a 7-0 run to take a 23-16 lead with 2:38 left in the second quarter. Cookeville pushed their run from 7-0 to 17-2 by halftime as they led 33-18 at halftime.
Cookeville kept control in the second half as they led 52-34 after three quarters before winning by a 75-48 final score.
The Cavaliers improve 15-3 overall while York falls to 9-6. Cookeville is scheduled to travel to Wilson Central on Friday while York is set to play at Jackson County.
Cookeville (75): Jack Oakley 16, Colin Ayers 14, Josh Heard 10, Joseph Owens 7, Bennett Reeves 6, Jaren Davis 6, Walker Redding 5, Bryce Herren 5, Jalen Heard 4, Layne Garrett 2
York Institute (48): Heath Wattenbarger 22, Jackson Conatser 9, Carter Gibson 7, Bryson Bilbrey 6, Will Beaty 2, Andrew Hall 2
