CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – For most prep basketball programs, the teams who win a district title are forever immortalized in the hallways and offices by their individual school.
On Wednesday, Northeast added to its already robust trophy case, as the Eagles reached an unprecedented milestone for Clarksville-Montgomery County boys basketball by wrapping up their fourth consecutive District 10-AAA championship with a 59-56 overtime victory at Rossview.
FINAL@NEHS_Eagles 59@Rossview_ballin 56
Northeast captures its fourth consecutive District 10-AAA championship. pic.twitter.com/lmVjp8LWiY
— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 25, 2021
In his second year at the helm, Northeast boys basketball coach Sam Young noted the degree of difficulty the feat takes considering the overall competitiveness that the district has to offer.
“It’s tough,” Young said. “Night in and night out during the regular season is just a grind. Everybody in the district can potentially beat you. There are a lot of strong coaches in this league and you have to be ready to play every night. Just getting to this point is an accomplishment in itself, but winning it is much more special.”
For the second consecutive night, the Hawks found themselves in an overtime thriller. According to Rossview boys basketball coach Johnny Jackson, experience potentially played a key role down the stretch when the eventual outcome was decided.
“I thought it was a possession-by-possession game,” Jackson said. “It was like that for the whole night. I thought our guys gave tremendous effort. You make a shot here, you get a block out there and maybe it’s a different story. I think their experience may have paid off there at the end. They’ve been in that situation obviously for the fourth time, but for us it was the first time there. A lot of learning happened tonight.”
The Hawks swept the regular-season series between the two teams, outscoring the Eagles 138-107. Jackson understands that the postseason is an entirely different animal and most often late in the year, you can throw the records out.
“You know everyone says that,” Jackson said. “Obviously, if you’re better than somebody then you should be able to beat them three times. Us sweeping them in the regular season, it just is what it is. Kenwood swept us, but when it matters most you still have to buckle down.”
Key plays
Instead of relying on the outside shot to generate offense, the Eagles began to work the ball inside for some easy buckets in the second quarter.
“Well early in the game, they thought it’d be wise to really start from the perimeter,” Young said. “One of our main points of emphasis before the game was to try and get the ball into the heart of the defense. It took us a little while to do it, but we eventually started doing some good things with the ball.”
Eagles point guard Jaylen Miller had eight points on the night, including two made three-pointers. After exiting the game briefly in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, the senior returned and drew a charge to help Northeast cling to a one-point lead at the time.
“He’s definitely a floor general,” Young said. “He’s very smart and has a high IQ. He does a really good job of just leading the team. When he’s on the floor you definitely know it and when he’s off the floor you know it. He’s a heck of a high school basketball player and a fun kid to coach.”
2nd QTR- 4:41
Jaylen Miller hits the pull up jumper to make it 14-11 @NEHS_Eagles. pic.twitter.com/sALWjpsNSy— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 25, 2021
With 12 seconds remaining in regulation, Rossview senior Tim Williams Jr. tied the score at 47-all on a step-back three to send the game into overtime.
4th QTR- :12.6
You can’t tell me Tim Williams Jr. wasn’t responsible for some of the ice we got recently. It’s in his veins for sure. What a step back three to keep @Rossview_ballin in it. pic.twitter.com/odKgf55QYU— Neil Rye (@NryeTBB) February 25, 2021
After Hawk sophomore Ronald Jessamy scored the first points of the extra period, the Eagles got to the foul line and shot 6-of-6 to take a four-point lead.
The Hawks battled back to cut the deficit to three points, but their final shot attempt fell short as the buzzer sounded.
Williams Jr. finished with 18 points followed by Messiah Ward with 12 points for the Hawks.
Jalen Hooks led all scorers with 19 points while Marcus Averhart put up 11 points and Keaton Allen added 10 points for the Eagles.
Northeast has come on strong recently, recording three postseason wins over some of the toughest teams in the district. Young credited his team’s recent success to finally being at full strength.
“It’s the first time that we’ve had everybody back in a month,” Young said. “The kids have finally decided that enough is enough and it was time to get back to our brand of basketball. I thought we did that this tournament.”
What’s next
The Eagles now await Lebanon in the first round of the Region 5-AAA tournament.
Although Rossview would have loved to capture its first District 10-AAA championship in program history, the Hawks remain optimistic about what the rest of the season has in store.
“Hey we’re still playing,” Jackson said. “This one was sort of like a cherry on top. If you got it great, if you didn’t, you were still in business. It depends on what happens on the other side, but it may be a blessing that we got where we got. We’re just excited to be hosting on Saturday. Our girls we be playing in front of us and we should have a really good crowd in here.”
The Hawks will play host to Station Camp in the opening round of the Region 5-AAA tournament.