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PrintDAVID HUNTER
Each of the six Cannon County grammar schools have played four basketball games apiece before the well-deserved Thanksgiving break this week. The action has been fast and furious, and I'm glad we decided to increase our local grammar school basketball league coverage this season.
In the previous two weeks, I've witnessed all 12 teams in action. As of now the two league favorites are the Woodland Lady Warriors and the Westside Eagles, as they try to make it four seasons in a row without a loss in the county. However, the rest of the 10 teams will give them a fight for the top spot in the area, and that's what makes this league special.
So far this season, I've visited Westside, Woodland and Short Mountain for regular season games and Woodbury for the preseason tournament. I want to thank each of the coaches and their support staff for their hospitably. I really appreciate it, and I can't wait to go back later this season. As for Eastside and Auburn, I promise to visit and view your home court atmosphere before the end of the season as well.
As for the games, I've covered Eastside at Woodland, Auburn at Short Mountain and Woodbury at Westside, and I've been very impressed with all of the action from all of the teams.
On November 9th, I traveled to watch Auburn at Short Mountain for two very competitive games. The Lady Knights duo of Madison Gaither (18) and Katie Hancock (11) stepped in nicely for a couple of their missing teammates in the 44-25 win.
"That helped out a lot, so it was not depending on one person," Hancock said after the win.
In the boy's game the Bears made a defensive stop to win, 41-39, with AJ Glenn scoring 14, and Luke Alexander adding 13.
"It was very hard, but we pulled it off," Glenn said after the win. "We did what we were told, and everybody did their job."
Three nights later, Westside swept Woodbury in both games with the Lady Eagles winning 20-16, and the Eagles winning 42-20. The Lady Eagles held the Lady Cubs scoreless in the final quarter, 6-0 to pull off the win.
"Since we worked as a team, we slowed out offense and defense down and controlled the ball a little more than the first three quarters," Lady Eagles leading scorer Abbie Maynard said as she finished with eight points.
The Eagles were led by the trio of Wade Love (16), Gus Davenport (15) and Brady Cunningham (10).
"The main thing was we played defense and scored off of defense," Cunningham said.
