Bulls Gap jumped out to a 28-7 lead and never looked back en route to a 57-20 win over Fall Branch Saturday morning in the opening round of the TMSAA Class A Area 3 boys’ basketball tournament at Cherokee High School.
“We wanted to get out to a good start so that we could get plenty of playing time for everybody,” said Bulls Gap coach Chris Hughes. “It was good to get everybody in and let everybody enjoy the moment.”
The Bulldogs (19-3), the tournament’s No. 2 seed, moved into Monday’s 7:45 p.m. semifinal to face No. 3-seeded Rogersville City School for a spot in Wednesday’s championship game. Saturday’s win also guarantees Bulls Gap (19-3, as of Saturday) a spot in the Class A sectional starting Jan. 28 at John Sevier Middle School in Kingsport.
Isaiah Jones led Bulls Gap with 16 points. Grayson Hughes added 10 and Branson Mowell 9 for the Bulldogs who had five 3-pointers in the game. Hughes hit a pair of treys, and Mowell, Leland Blair and Hayden Good each added one. Other scorers included Good with 7 points, Parker Arnott with 6, Blair with 5, and Sawyer Housewright with 2.
“This is a special group. These kids have grown up together. They genuinely all love each other,” Hughes said.
North Greene 38, Bulls Gap 19
In the TMSAA Class A Area 3 girls’ opener, North Greene’s Lady Huskies turned up the defensive pressure to beat the short-staffed Lady Bulldogs 38-19 on Saturday at Cherokee High School.
Josie Graham scored 18 points to lead North Greene, the No. 3 seed. North Greene advances to Monday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal to face No. 2 Rogersville City School. The Lady Warriors earned a bye into the semifinals.
Lilliana Ferrell led Bulls Gap with 12 points.
All four semifinal teams in the girls’ and boys’ area tournament advance to the TMSAA Class A sectional. Seeding will be determined by the outcome of Wednesday’s championship and consolation games.
