CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Northwest High boys’ basketball hosted Northeast High for an inner-city showdown on Tuesday. It was a tight contest throughout the majority of the game, but the Eagles showed no mercy in the second half. After outscoring Northwest 35-20 in the second half, Northeast won 61-39.
The Eagles’ defensive presence was felt early on in the matchup. It was a trend that played out the entirety of the game.
Particularly, Northeast showcased their ability to protect the paint. They made Northwest work for every offensive opportunity and limited their production.
The Eagles offensive production in the fourth quarter was instrumental. The team scored 19 in the final quarter, compared to Northwest’s 9 points.
Nazier Leonard led Northeast in scoring after the guard finished with 22 points.
Coaches corner
“Defense is the one thing we’ve struggled with the most this year,” said Northeast Head Coach Sam Young. “Up to this point I haven’t been able to have them lock in and play defense, but as a coach you can’t ever give up. You can’t put it to the side, you have to keep grinding in practice and hopefully it eventually clicks.
“I’m hoping tonight’s the turning point. We really got after it and there were multiple plays where we got on the floor for loose balls, gained extra possessions and crashed the boards as well. Those are the type of teams I want to coach and what I expect out of them,” said Young.
“I have no complaints tonight; everyone played their role, and the energy level was through the roof. We’ve been on a losing streak for a couple games now, but this win was important for so that we can grow our confidence and swagger back. We’re a good basketball team, and the guys felt it tonight.”
Northwest girls’ basketball wins big
Northwest High girls’ basketball defended home court with authority on Tuesday against Northeast High. From start to finish, the Vikings dominated the contest against the Eagles and came away with a 70-16 win.
Northwest’s defensive pressure caused havoc for Northeast’s offensive production all night. The Vikings consistently forced turnovers and made the most of their opponent’s mistakes.
In addition, Northwest had their way on the offensive end. They had no problem getting their offense set and getting open looks for quality shots.
They took advantage of their field goals and showed how lethal they can be from three-point range. When the game concluded, the Vikings had made 9 trifectas, which accounted for 27 of their 70 points.
Coaches corner
“I like to think our defense sets the tone for us,” said Northwest Head Coach Ben Wallace. “But we’ve been inconsistent all year on that, so that was a focus for us on how to play defense. We’re coming off a game where we forced 31 turnovers, or I should say Dixon made 31 turnovers, but we’ve been getting teams to turn the ball over.
“It was good we were able to take advantage of the other team’s miscues tonight. Against Dixon we didn’t take advantage of those opportunities and we ended up losing the game. Tonight, we had extra opportunities and certainly the defense sets the tone, gets you feeling good and anything you do that disrupts the other thing is positive,” said Wallace.
“After the game I told the girls’ great job, I’m happy about this but we have Henry County on Friday. It’s time for us to go home, watch film and start thinking about our next opponent and start preparing. Ultimately, this win will make us feel good and let us get a little mojo flowing.”
Correction: Northeast boys beat Northwest. An earlier headline has been corrected.