CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – In two regular season games last year against Clarksville, Rossview boys basketball was outscored 149-91 by the Wildcats.
It was a completely different narrative on Friday, as the Hawks’ hot shooting and work on the glass lifted them to a 68-54 win over their rival at home.
“Well I think we’re young, so we definitely have a big upside,” said Rossview boys basketball coach Johnny Jackson on his team’s potential. “These guys come prepared every day and it’s a battle at practice. We have a lot of depth and everyone wants minutes. I think this win just proved to them that they can play with the big boys. I thought it was a great team win.”
Last time out, the Wildcats poured in 111 points in their win against Montgomery Central.
Clarksville High boys basketball coach Ted Young believes fatigue may have played a factor in his team’s trouble manufacturing offense.
“It was actually our third game this week,” Young said. “I was a little reluctant to schedule three games in a week this early in the year. We played Monday and Tuesday as well. Maybe a little bit of fatigue or a lack of stamina made a difference in our shots. Our guys were really frustrated after missing on some quality looks. That’s usually where you start to see maybe the legs and conditioning have an impact on the scoring.”
On the other hand, the Hawks shot the lights out on their home court. Young didn’t necessarily attribute poor defense by his group to Rossview’s stellar start.
“We knew the game was going to be tough when they actually scored on the jump ball,” Young said. “I hadn’t had a team score on the jump ball ever I don’t think and they were able to. I looked at my assistant coach and said, ‘I’m not sure we’re mentally and physically ready yet’. We only went 6-of-12 from the free-throw line and with wide open jump shots not falling and Rossview playing extremely well, that’s the combination for a 14-point loss.”
Key players
Rossview’s Tim Williams Jr. was a big reason for the Hawks’ success from beyond the arc, connecting on three deep-range baskets.
“Tim played a big role tonight,” Jackson said. “Our starter wasn’t here, so he had to play the point. I thought he did a great job tonight making shots, but also just being able to run the team. He was exhausted at the end, but we needed him out there because we trust him with the ball.”
Hawk sophomore Ronald Jessamy also gave the Wildcats problems throughout due to his size and exceptional rebounding ability. Jackson discussed the progression he has seen his bigman make from year one to year two.
“He’s turning into a grown man,” Jackson said. “He had to play last year as a freshman and we typically don’t like freshmen having to go out and log the minutes that he did. He’s come a long way and he’s just now learning how to play. He’s got a huge upside.”
Jessamy finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks on the night.
Key plays
Jahiem Berry was able to knock down three first-half triples for the Wildcats to help spark some momentum early on.
CHS faced an eight-point deficit at the break before JJ Wheat began to find his rhythm. With six minutes remaining in the third quarter, the junior guard stepped up from deep and knocked down an open jumper to dwindle the Hawk lead down to just four points.
Rossview was able to run some clock after taking advantage of multiple defensive breakdowns by Clarksville late in the game to runaway with the victory.
“The number of baskets we gave up inside the paint off of drives is something that we really got to work on and try to fix that leak in our defense,” Young said. “They were able to shoot some difficult layups and score on them.”
Wheat recorded a game-high 24 points while Wesley Booth added 13 points for the Wildcats.
Messiah Ward stepped up in the absence of Bryant Rippy to lead the Hawks with 20 points followed by Williams Jr. with 17 points.
What’s next
Clarksville will have a week off before returning to game action after Springfield forfeited the district contest set for Tuesday, Dec. 8.
“We really needed to come back and try to have a good performance against somebody,” Young said. “It’ll give us a chance to even watch some game film together as a team on Tuesday. We’ll have a good practice, maybe eat together and then prepare for next Friday when we have our next game.”
Rossview welcomes in Northeast Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in what promises to be an intriguing District 10-AAA contest.
“Obviously, they’re defending district champs,” Jackson said of his team’s next opponent. “They have a bunch of guys back that know how to win. We just have to come out ready to go and look to compete.”