Crockett unable to put away Tennessee High

JONESBOROUGH — David Crockett had Tennessee High on the ropes on Tuesday night, but the Pioneers were unable to land the knockout blow. The Vikings made sure Crockett paid the price, rallying to earn a 56-53 victory that gave them a firm grasp on first place in the Upper Lakes Conference. Tennessee High, which moved to 20-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play, committed 17 fouls in the first half and had several key players in foul trouble, including standout Reed Miller. However, Crockett was only able to build a four-point halftime lead. The Pioneers, who are now 19-8 overall and 4-2 in league play, eventually pushed their lead to eight in the third quarter before the Vikings regrouped and mounted a 17-2 run that gave them a 44-37 edge at the end of the period. "The whole night for us is that we didn't execute," said Crockett coach Sam Tarlton. "Early in the game, we got what we wanted with Miller out, and then we miss seven free throws in the first quarter and three layups, so you don't gain that separation." Tennessee High coach Michael McMeans credited his team for responding to adversity early in the game. "We had to get real deep into the bench, and we had guys come in that just played great, played physical and helped us hang in there," he said. "(The deficit) could have easily been 20 points at halftime with all our guys in foul trouble." Lucas Easterling was able to give Crockett its largest lead of the game when he hit a layup in the third quarter to put the Pioneers ahead 35-27, but that's when Tennessee High deployed a 1-2-2 full-court press that changed the course of the game. "All that press is supposed to do - they aren't trying to turn us over, they're just trying to speed us up," Tarlton said. "Where we excel is in the half court with our sets, and I think we went about a five-minute stretch where we didn't run a set." While the empty possessions piled up for the Pioneers, the Vikings used the 1-2 punch of Braden Howard and Cannon Swift to take control of the game. Swift and Howard combined to score 17 points in the final 3:45 of the third period to put Tennessee High up seven points. "It started defensively," McMeans said. "We started getting turnovers there in the press and Braden and Swift and (Caiden) Terry all got out in the passing lane and got some steals and layups in that run." The Vikings managed to keep Crockett at bay in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers got a good look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds, but it bounced off the back of the rim. "I thought he got a good look," Tarlton said. "At the end of the game, you're just trying to get a good look, and that's all you can ask for." Swift finished with 22 points for Tennessee High while Howard added 21. Cam Gouge paced Crockett with 15 points while Caleb Eaves and Nolan Street added 12 apiece.