CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Whitehaven Tigers traveled to “The Pit” at Kirkwood High School Monday for a win-or-go-home sub-state matchup against the Cobras, with the right to go to the state tournament on the line. The contest was a scrappy, defensive battle that needed overtime to decide, and the Tigers outlasted the Cobras for a 64-54 win. That ended the Cobras’ season, along with high school basketball season in Clarksville.

Buckets were hard to come by early, with both teams feeding off the momentum of runs but struggling to pull away. The Tigers led 28-23 at the half, with the leading scorer being Eric Winston, who had 10 of his 22 total points in the first. In the second half, the Cobras came alive to close the deficit and got stops when it mattered. Kirkwood forward Aaron Hines was battling for rebounds down low, while guard Aree Hines was getting buckets in big-time moments as just a freshman.

“Aree and our freshman class are just studs,” said Cobras head coach John Stigall. “Not only are they talented, but they’re high-character guys. Aaron is a warrior, and he’s so valuable to our team. They’re just what high school sports are about: buying into their roles and all contributing to winning.”

| ADD US ON GOOGLE NEWS: Click here to see more local news from Clarksville Now

The Cobras entered the fourth quarter tied, and thus began the Armani Smith show. Smith was the only Cobra to score in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t seem to matter, as he scored 13 points in the period, including a put-back to tie the game at 51 with 30 seconds left. The Cobras forced a carry on Whitehaven’s next possesion, but were then called for an illegal screen, and we headed to overtime.

In the overtime period, there seemed to be a lid on the rim for the Cobras. They made enough stops, but couldn’t get shots to fall. It forced them to play the foul game late, and the Tigers made their free throws to advance to state.

District title, region championship

While this one stings for the Cobras, they’ve got plenty to be proud of, with another district title and their first region championship in tow. The even better news is that this team has no seniors and will bring everyone back to the squad next season. Stigall’s message? Run it back.

“I’m just proud,” said Stigall. “They played hard, they played tough, and they showed what this program is all about. I’m hurt and devastated for those guys in the locker room. I’ve never had a locker room like that where you’re not saying goodbye to anyone. What sucks is they know what it took to get here, and now we have to start over, and we just have to run it back.”

| SPORTS REPORT: Sign up for the new weekly Clarksville sports newsletter