by Rusty Ellis
The Gordonsville Tigers are the Region 4-A Champions, as they took down Pickett County 61-51 in the fourth meeting between the two teams this season.
J Foster got his night off to a red-hot start, as he scored all 13 of the Tigers’ first-quarter points to give them a 13-10 lead. Brodie Sykes took over scoring duties in the second, as his 10-point second-quarter kept Gordonsville out in front.
It all added up to a 26-19 lead at the break for the Tigers, who’s defense shut the Bobcats out from three in the first half.
Pickett put together their most complete quarter of the game in the third, as they even took a one-point lead late in the frame, but a Tristan Wood bucket gave Gordonsville a 34-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
There, both teams battled back-and-forth, and Jacob Amonett finally got the Bobcats on the board from three with his two makes from long-range, but Gordonsville ultimately proved to be too much for Pickett County, as the Tigers closed out the 10-point victory.
Foster finished with a game-high 26, earning the sophomore Tournament MVP honors. Sykes added 14 in the win as well.
Amonett led Pickett County with 19 points, while Eli Reagan scored 11 of his own.
It may have taken four meetings to get over the hump for head coach Greg Bibb’s squad, but he says it was a sweet moment that saw his team rewarded for their ability to battle adversity all season.
“You look at the whole first half of the year, we didn’t get to put our whole roster together until about mid-January,” Bibb said. “That’s a true testament to these kids, they didn’t whine or make excuses. They just came to work.”
Foster’s big game is what propelled the team forward on Thursday night, and Bibb knew when he was just a freshman that he would put together showings like this.
“He’s our energy, and we said that about him last year as a freshman,” Bibb said. “It’s not just the scoring, it’s all the other things he does as well. That’s why I love these team, they do what they do for each other.”
The Tigers will now host South Pittsburg on Monday night, while Pickett County will hit the road to Chattanooga Prep. Bibb made sure to thank all of the GHS faithful who showed up on Thursday, and he knows it’ll be a raucous environment on Monday.
“The community came out and go behind this team, and they love this team,” Bibb said. “It’s a wonderful place to be…it’s just an amazing environment that everyone would want to be apart of.”