Dobyns-Bennett stays alive in The Classic after surviving Unicoi upset bid

BRISTOL, Tenn. — In the lone battle between two Tri-Cities teams during Monday's action at The Classic at Tennessee High, Unicoi County was hoping to do a little more than hang around with Dobyns-Bennett. The Blue Devils held a three-point lead at the end of the third quarter, but it was the Indians who came out with a 56-44 victory. D-B (12-5) used its pressure defense to take the lead early in the fourth. The Indians took a 39-38 lead just 39 seconds into the frame, due to a turnover forced by their defense. They ultimately went on a 9-0 run over the first two-plus minutes of the period. "Defensively is where the difference was," Indians head coach Chris Poore said. "We got more energy. We had guys rotating quicker. Guys got a little bit fired up, which is where I hoped the game would've started." Unicoi County (9-6) finally ended the run at the 5:53 mark of the quarter, when Carter Simmons netted a put-back layup to make the contest 44-40. However, the Indians continued their strong start to the quarter, out-pacing the Blue Devils 8-2 over the following four minutes. Unicoi County moved to within an eight-point margin after a Carter Simmons put back. Those points were the last of his game-high 21 points. "Eventually, when you're having to handle the ball and do everything, mentally it fatigues you," Unicoi County head coach Brandon Broyles said. "You look here, we turned it over 16 times. I would say a lot of that is in the fourth quarter." In the closing minutes, Carter Atwood and Elijah Thomas each netted layups for the Indians to put the game out of reach. Thomas posted a team-high 17 points and also grabbed five rebounds. Dobyns-Bennett got off to a strong start, opening the affair on a 9-2 run. However, the Blue Devils responded with an 8-0 spurt to take the lead early on, 10-9. Though it was D-B who led after the first eight minutes, 14-12. The second frame was an offensive struggle until late in the period, when the Indians closed the half on a 7-2 run to lead by four. Monday's contest was the first for Kaden Cutlip against his former club. The junior was at Unicoi County for two seasons before transferring to Dobyns-Bennett starting this year. Cutlip scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds and made three steals. "I know there were a lot of emotions (for him)," Poore said. "I knew it was going to be a tough game. I did that when I was in high school and I know what goes into the mental part of it. I was glad to see him get an easy bucket early. I was proud of him and how he approached it." Henry Hill posted 10 points for the Indians while AJ Thomas netted 10 for Unicoi County. The Indians will play Columbia (Ga.) in the sixth-place bracket at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Calvary Baptist (La.) 83, Elizabethton 57 The Cavaliers used their athleticism to push the pace and outrun the Cyclones. Calvary Baptist was already up by nine early in the second quarter, then used a 7-0 run to extend the advantage to 18 points by the five-minute mark of the period. It led Elizabethton by 15 at the break. Betsy (5-6) closed the gap to nine after halftime with the help of a 6-0 run, but the Cyclones could never claw any closer to the Cavaliers. "Trying to rebound the ball was tough," Cyclones head coach Lucas Honeycutt said. "Obviously they've got a lot of speed and athleticism – more height than we do. It was hard to get to the ball. I think that was the story of the game." The Cyclones committed 21 turnovers and were out-rebounded 35-25, with the Cavaliers grabbing a dozen offensive boards. Evan Chambers poured in a game-high 27 points for Elizabethton, adding in six rebounds and four assists. Nathan Bailey netted 15 points and grabbed five boards. Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.) 89, Tennessee High 56 After a tight first quarter, the Orange Wave used an 8-0 run to go up by 10 early in the second quarter and the game snowballed from the tournament hosts from there. "They are just so fast," Vikings head coach Michael McMeans said. "I told our guys that we're not going to see anybody with that kind of speed and athleticism going forward. Even in the state tournament you won't see that." Richard Jackson led the way for Thomas Jefferson with 32 points and seven assists. Trevor Lewis added a baker's dozen, Pavis Roots scored 12, and Kendry Ortiz chipped in 11 points. Caiden Terry netted 15 points with six rebounds and four steals for the Vikings (12-4), who were eliminated from the tournament with the loss.