CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – When Clarksville and Rossview meet on the field, court, mat or track, you can expect a large crowd and one of the most competitive matchups in the area.
“I think we could probably sell out a gymnasium for a checkers match with Clarksville and Rossview,” said Clarksville girls basketball coach Brian Rush about the rivalry.
Rossview boys head coach Johnny Jackson added, “When you get Rossview and Clarksville High together, no matter if we are playing tiddlywinks, it’s going to be a big crowd, it’s going to be raucous, and it’s going to be fun.”
Boys: The Wheat and Berry show
The last time the Hawks and Wildcats met this season, Clarksville High defeated Rossview on the boys side 65-47 behind 24 points from JJ Wheat and 16 from Jaheim Berry.
“It was an eye-opener for sure,” said Jackson about the first meeting. “(Our) guys had never been in that situation before. The Rossview-Clarksville High rivalry was on full effect for sure because it was packed in there.”
The Wildcats have improved to 17-2 on the season now after a win Monday night against Kenwood. Their last loss was back in December in a double overtime game against Father Ryan. Since the loss, Clarksville High has gone unbeaten in the second half of the season and has received double digit scoring in eight consecutive games from Wheat, with Berry scoring double figures in seven games and setting a career high of 27 points against West Creek.
“I think Jaheim Berry could be the most improved player in the whole county,” said Jackson about Berry. “His shooting ability this year – it has just been outstanding. We have to prepare for him just as much as we do JJ.”
Girls: One-point ending
As for the girls game on Friday, the Hawks and Wildcats are going to face off just two weeks after a thrilling one-point finish that saw the Hawks prevail after a missed shot at the buzzer by Clarksville High School. When the dust settled in the game, the Hawks saw a 41-40 score in their favor on the William Workman Gymnasium scoreboard, and they are hoping to duplicate that success at home this time.
“It was a hard-fought game; both teams were really physical,” said Justin Woods, Rossview’s girls basketball coach. “I think there is a lot that we can learn from that first game. I don’t want them to forget about it. I want them remember. We are actually going to go back and watch that game this week, so we understand when we have a lead late what we have to do to hold it.”
As for the Wildcats, the one-point loss is fresh on their minds, but they are looking to get back to their brand of basketball this week.
Coach Rush had this to say about what can be expected in the second matchup: “We’ve got a group of girls that can really score at any moment, which really makes it hard for any team to come in and say, ‘We are going to try and shut down, Imari (Berry)’ because it won’t be effective in trying to get a win. Both teams are so good you can’t really focus on one player, you have to focus on everybody.”
Clarksville and Rossview will return to battle for a top spot in the district on the line this Friday in both girls and boys basketball matchups from Rossview High. Be sure to get there early if you want a seat for this contest.