Rebels Get The Trifecta Over Chuckey-Doak To Claim First District Title Since 2012

JONESBOROUGH – Only four different teams figured out how to beat Chuckey-Doak this season, but on Tuesday night it was South Greene who found the right plays in the second half to best the Black Knights for the third straight time.

With the 73-64 win the Rebels claimed their District 1-2A championship, their first district title since 2012.

“My hat is off to these kids, they worked their butts off for this, and they earned this one,” South Greene coach Terry Hoese said. “We knocked down a bunch of big shot tonight. For all of these guys to come in and hit big shots in the same game was the difference. Everybody that went into the game tonight made plays for us. I told them before the game that we haven’t all played at the same time yet, but I felt like we got that tonight.”

Both teams now move on to the Region 1-2A Tournament and will be at home on Saturday for the region quarterfinals. South Greene will host Pigeon Forge while Union County will visit Chuckey-Doak, both games will tip at 7 p.m.

“From here on out its win or go home,” Hoese said. “Obviously you want to see the four seed, but I watched (Pigeon Forge) on Saturday and they are good. We are going to have to play well, but thank God its at our place, we have played well there all year. The kids are fired up and ready. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a 20-win season, and it been long time since we’ve had a district championship.”

Tuesday first half was only more than a two-possession game for nine seconds, and the Rebels took a 32-30 lead into the break.

South Greene then got the third quarter started with a three-pointer from Hayden Birdwell to stretch that advantage to 35-30. South Greene held onto that advantage through the first half of the quarter and with 4:56 left in the period T.J. Buckner put back a miss through contact and turned it into three points for a 42-37 lead.

Christian Derry started a Black Knights’ rally with a turn-around jumper from the paint, and with 3:13 left in the quarter he put Chuckey-Doak in front at 43-42 with a layup over top of the Rebels.

Buckner returned the led to the Rebels when drove the block, pump faked and spun around a defender for two points.

Over the final two minutes of the period Cooper Kelley hit a pair of three-pointers from the left wing, and with four second left Woody Hixson sank a deep shot from the corner to put South Greene in front 55-45.

Kelley led South Greene with 25 points off the bench on Friday and knocked down five three-pointers.

“That stretch was used and Cooper really got going there,” Hoese said. “We kept getting him the ball and once he starts making them you just about have to foul him to stop him. He has all the confidence in the world, and when he gets the ball he expects to knock down shots.”

The three-pointers kept falling for the Rebels at the start of the fourth quarter, with Andrew Thornburg hitting from deep along the left wing on the period’s opening play. Hunter Toth gave South Greene’s a 60-45 lead when he darted through the paint and got a finger roll to fall through the rim.

The three-ball was a difference maker for the Rebels on Tuesday as they connected from beyond the arc 11 times compared to Chuckey-Doak’s five.

South Greene’s biggest lead of the night came with 2:56 left when Conner Marshall finished off a one-minute possession with a layup that pushed the score to 66-50.

Chuckey-Doak was able to close the gap late and two free throws by Cadin Tullock with 56 seconds remaining made it 70-60.

Brock Rush dropped in a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to make it 72-64, but the Rebels held on for a 73-64 win.

Tuesday’s championship game action started with the Knights gaining a 7-4 advantage on a three-pointer by Tullock, but Kelley entered the game and answered with a triple of his own for the Rebels.

Tullock again gave Chuckey-Doak the lead with a three-pointer, and Rush followed it with a runner. With nine seconds left in the opening quarter Dillon Shelton took away possession and set up Isiah Treadway for a breakaway layup and an 18-11 lead. It was Chuckey-Doak’s biggest lead of the night.

Kelley wasted little time getting the ball back up the floor and sank a long triple at the buzzer to narrow the Knights’ advantage to 18-14.

South Greene’s Jase Roderick got the second quarter started with a straight-away trey, and the Rebels tied things at 20-20 when Kelley hit a triple from the right wing.

Marshall rattled in a three-pointer with 4:53 left in the first to make it 23-22. That gave the Rebels their first lead since it was 2-0. Hixson extend that lead 32 seconds later with a triple in transition.

Tullock made it a one-point game at 28-27 when he hit from deep for the third time in the first half. The Knight then moved in front at the foul line with Treadway making two free throws and Ethan Grindstaff adding another.