The gym was loud inside of Lower Afton on Saturday night, and the home crowd left happy after Chuckey-Doak took down Union County 85-56 in the Region 1-2A quarterfinals.
“Huge win. One win away from sub-state,” said Chuckey-Doak coach, Sam Broyles after the Black Knights victory.
The Black Knights find themselves in a familiar situation, Coach Broyles reminded his team of that after the win, “I told the guys, you’re back where you were a year ago. You’ve been in this spot. Let’s go to Crockett and hopefully have a better showing. Might pull an upset, who knows?”
Chuckey-Doak advances to the tournament semifinals where it will meet Alcoa at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday at David Crockett. Last year Alcoa end the Knights' season with a 103-74 defeat in the same round.
Chuckey-Doak started off hot on Saturday, opening on a 7-0 run. The Black Knights were able to navigate the Union County full court press early in the first, granting a flurry of transition points. Successful press offense and transition baskets propelled the Chuckey-Doak's offense, but it was a relentless defense that extended their lead to 14-2 midway through the first period.
The Patriots would not go away, though, as they would score on three of their next four possessions. After an 8-0 run of their own Union County closed the gap to 14-10 with two minutes remaining in the first period.
The Black Knights would regain the offensive edge to close out the first quarter with a 20-12 lead.
The second quarter of action began similarly to the first. Chuckey-Doak went on a 10-2 run before the Patriots defense could slow down the fast-paced offense of the Black-Knights, but their lead had extended to 30-16 only two minutes into the second period.
After a slowdown in the offense for nearly three minutes of play, both teams traded buckets across 9, consecutive possessions. A turnover with 18-seconds left in the half set up Chuckey-Doak’s Luke Myers for a buzzer-beating put back. The Black Knights took a 42-27 lead to halftime.
Offensive efficiency took a dive in the opening of the third quarter. Neither team recorded a field goal within the first two minutes of the period, though both teams added points from the foul line during that stretch.
The first field goal of the second half came with just under six minutes to play in the third quarter, when Cadin Tullock hit a three from the corner. Union County converted their first field goal of the half on their next possession, and with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Chuckey-Doak’s lead sat at 15-points.
The Black Knights flexed their defensive muscle in the quarter, allowing only four points midway through the third period.
The Patriots found a spark of hope, hitting back-to-back three-point baskets. Chuckey-Doak stalled offensively for much of the third quarter, allowing Union County to close the gap momentarily.
And that is when Christian Derry went to work. The junior scored six points in three trips down the floor, drawing contact, fouls and making two free throws. Derry’s efforts gave his team a 20-point lead with under a minute remaining in the third quarter.
After two additional free throws from Tullock, the Black Knights led the Patriots, 61-42 at the close of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started with a bang, and in a very literal sense.
Christian Derry lifted the roof with a one-handed dunk. The dunk was followed by a skirmish at mid-court that ended with double technical fouls and a coach’s conference with officials.
Union County scored a quick six points, closing their deficit to 17-points with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Both teams were in the double bonus for much of the fourth quarter, and Union County took advantage of the situation in an attempt to slow the game down. The Patriots fouled early in each possession, sending the Black Knights to the line.
Chuckey-Doak took advantage of the free throws, quickly extending their lead to 22-points midway through the fourth quarter.
Union County struggled to find open shots down the stretch, while Chuckey-Doak continued to convert offensively.
With less than five minutes remaining in the game, Chuckey-Doak’s lead was 27-points, and the Black Knights felt comfortable enough to slow things down to run the clock.
With two minutes to play Broyles took out the starters for Chuckey-Doak, allowing for valuable playing time for younger Black Knights. The opportunity was not wasted, as Chuckey-Doak quickly added to its lead.
The remaining time would expire with little action in the scoring column, as Chuckey-Doak celebrated the 85-56 victory over Union County.
“What a team win. It wasn’t just one player tonight,” said Coach Broyles.
Derry led the Black Knights in scoring with 30 points, while Tullock added 23 points in the victory.
Braxton Buckner and Ty Edda led Union County with 12 points in the game.
