Boone, Elizabethton girls roll in District 1-3A semis; Cyclones, Vikings to meet in boys final

BLUFF CITY — Andrea Flores paced three double-digit scorers with 26 points as top-seeded Daniel Boone cruised past David Crockett, 75-30, in a District 1-3A semifinal on Saturday in the Dyer Dome. Flores, a Mississippi State signee, made four of the Trailblazers' 11 3-pointers. Laney Britton (11 points) made three treys and Aaliyah Story's 15-point outing included a 3-pointer. Boone (27-3) secured a home game in the Region 1-3A quarterfinals on Friday and will play Elizabethton (17-12) in the district championship game on Monday at approximately 7:30 p.m. Crockett (5-20) will take on Tennessee High (19-12) in the consolation game at 6 p.m. Flores scored 12 points in the second quarter, helping the 'Blazers take a 42-16 halftime lead. "We get to play for a championship, and we get to play at home next Friday," Boone coach John Good said. "That's what is most important." Tireless point guard Kayleigh Doner led Crockett with 13 points. "I think Boone played a great game tonight," Crockett coach Latisha Belcher said. "Their transition layups are what hurt us in the long run." Elizabethton 75, Tennessee High 40 Sydney Minton scored 18 points to pace a balanced Cyclones attack. Tennessee High's second-leading scorer, Jasmine Jones, was lost for the season early in the year, and the Vikings were also again without leading scorer Addie Wilhoit and point guard Addi Moore. Elizabethton was missing starter Reagan May (broken nose), but hot perimeter shooting helped fill the void. Minton hit four of Elizabethton's nine 3-pointers. Addison Bunn (14 points) and Adrian Heading (10 points) each made a pair treys, and Rylee May (15 points) made a 3-pointer. Skilled post player Jamira Smalls scored 15 points. "We don't usually shoot it well here," Elizabethton coach Lucas Andrews said. "I don't know anybody that does but Sullivan East. I thought we shot it well. "We followed the game plan pretty good. We wanted to work the inside early to see how they were going to rotate and double, because they'd been doing that against us the last two games." BOYS Elizabethton 54, David Crockett 40 The Cyclones' Twin Towers were double trouble for the Pioneers. Senior 6-foot-6 post Jackson Buckles scored eight of his 15 points while Elizabethton jumped out to a 17-5 lead and 6-foot-8 senior forward Nathan Bailey scored 11 of his 17 while helping the Cyclones take a 46-27 lead by ending the third quarter on an 18-8 run. Buckles missed the summer due to a leg injury. Cyclones coach Lucas Honeycutt said he continues to improve since his recovery. "His confidence has gotten so much higher in the last little bit," Honeycutt said. "I think a lot of that has to do with his teammates. They're telling him, 'Hey, score the ball. We know you can score it. We know you can shoot it.' He wants to help the team any way he can, and he helped in a big way tonight." Bailey made three 3-pointers and one emphatic, left-handed dunk. "Nathan was phenomenal in a lot of different ways," Honeycutt said. "I mean, he was guarding their best player. He's dealing with Eaves and then going down on the other end, getting hot and knocking down those threes. It gave us the separation that really gave us the cushion." Elizabethton also got 11 points from sophomore guard Evan Chambers. Crockett's Caleb Eaves scored a game-high 23 points. Pioneers coach Sam Tarlton said it looked like Elizabethton wanted it more than his players, something he said he didn't think had happened since a game against South Greene in November in the Hardee's Classic. "I just think this was the first game of the year where we didn't compete," Tarlton said. "We got punked from the start. We talk about the force we play with, the urgency we play with, and toughness; that's kind of what we hang our hat on. And from the jump tonight we didn't do that. And they did. So, you've gotta tip your cap to them. "I guess they did a better job preparing, and we – I hadn't seen that all year. So we'll have to go back to the drawing board and get it fixed quick." Tennessee High 56, Daniel Boone 44 Athletic 6-foot-6 senior Reed Miller piled up 14 of his 19 points in the final 15 minutes and the top-seeded Vikings held Boone scoreless for a 4:20 span of the fourth quarter. Tennessee High (25-6) will play third-seeded Elizabethton (14-14) in the championship on Tuesday. The Vikings also got 15 points from sophomore wing Cannon Swift and 14 from senior point guard Braden Howard. Luke Lawrence scored 14 points for Boone, including a 3-pointer that gave the Trailblazers a 42-39 lead with 6:12 remaining. But Boone wouldn't score again until Lawrence's driving basket with 1:52 left. It snapped an 11-0 skid, but it was too little too late. "That's what won it for us – that stretch where we just kind of locked it down," Tennessee High coach Michael McMeans said. Connor Carpenter scored 13 points for Boone. Trailblazers coach Cody Connell, who starts four sophomores and a junior, was pleased with his players' effort. "There's a reason Tennessee High's a one seed," Connell said. "They're gonna play in the championship. They're a great team and they're older guys. They've played this game (district semifinal) before. "I'm super proud of my guys. They battled."