Clay County travels to Pickett County Thursday night

RED BOILING SPRINGS-The Clay County High School basketball teams were set to tip off District 7-A play this week in their conference opener here at Red Boiling Springs Tuesday night after HORIZON press time, before continuing league action Thursday night at Pickett County, in a game moved up a day due to incoming winter weather.

The Bulldogs entered league play with an impressive 8-2 record, after downing East Robertson 49-24 last Friday, while the Lady Dawgs lost a 54-55 heartbreaker to the same school to get to 4-8 on the season.

Senior Nate Adams led the Dawgs in scoring in the win over the Indians with 13 points, while his classmate cousin Lance Burchett also scored double figures with 11 points.

Juniors Nolan Adams and Cole Eads each added six points apiece, senior Hayden Adams and sophomore Jake Copeland both scored four points, freshmen Ramzy Hayes and Caden Copeland had two points each, and junior Warner Melton had one.

The Bulldogs put on a defensive clinic and only allowed East Robertson five points in each of the first three quarters.  They led 22-10 at halftime and expanded their margin to 24 points heading into the final frame, where reserves finished off the 25-point victory.

The Lady Dawgs battled throughout their one-point loss to the Lady Indians, where junior Ella Eads led Clay County with 17 points, senior Laci Wix joined her in double-digits with 10 points, and the remainder of the scoring came from juniors Claire Kendall (9) and Baylor Walden (8), and sophomores Haylen Garrison (9) and Jenna Thompson (1).

The Lady Bulldogs led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter, as Eads got off to a good start with eight in the period, before East Robertson rallied to tie the game at halftime.

After Clay County led by as many as 10 points, the Lady Indians knotted the contest at 26 at the break.

They then outscored the Lady Dawgs 14-8 in the third quarter to lead 40-34 heading into the final frame.

There Eads fouled out with five minutes remaining and Clay County fell behind by as many as nine (48-39), before Garrison knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to keep her team in it.

Though the Lady Dawgs were threatening, East Robertson pulled ahead 54-50 with under two minutes to play.

That’s when Wix cut it to a two-point game with her final points, before Kendall tied it up in the waning seconds with two of her own.

The Lady Indians then wound down the clock for the last shot, which ended up being a missed three-pointer, but a foul was whistled on Clay County after the fact.

East Robertson went to the line and made one of two with .3 seconds left on the clock, and the Lady Dawgs had no chance to respond as time expired with first ball contact on the final play.

Broadcasts

to continue

Both the Red Boiling Springs and Pickett County games were set to be carried live by the Horizon Sports Network, with a video live-stream available on the Dale Hollow Horizon Facebook page and audio-only coverage online at www.dalehollowhorizon.com/listen.

Next Monday night’s home game with Macon County will also be covered by the live-stream affiliate of the newspaper, as Clay County takes a break from conference action to face the Tiger teams from Lafayette.

Broadcasts begin at 5:45 p.m. with a pregame show, continue with action from both the girls and boys games, and wrap up with a postgame show.

The Horizon Sports Network plans to carry as many regular-season games as possible, along with all of Clay County’s postseason action to come.