CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Northwest High Vikings and Henry County Patriots boys’ basketball teams met up at West Creek High School for the district 14-4A championship game on Tuesday night. Viking guard Jacquez Scott hit a floater with 9.2 seconds remaining to give his team the lead, and Northwest made one last defensive stand to earn their first district title since 2017 in a 48-47 win.
The two teams were tied up at 12 after the first eight minutes, but Northwest’s defense held the Patriots to only eight second-quarter points. Meanwhile, they hit three three-pointers of their own, including six points from Deshaun Peterson, to pull ahead by 7 before the halftime break.
The Patriots offense then got hot in the third, with six Patriots scoring in the quarter, tying the game up at 34 points with eight minutes remaining in the contest.
The fourth quarter was then a war, where every bucket mattered. The two teams went blow for blow until Patriot guard Jamari Foster hit a three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to give them a one-point lead. However, that’s when Scott hit the go-ahead shot with just 9.2 seconds remaining.
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“Our guys stayed together,” said Vikings head coach DeeDee Smith. “We had every opportunity to break down, especially with the momentum changing late in the game, and the guys continued to find a way. We did the tough stuff, and we’re just super proud of these guys; they earned it. We have a player in Scott that I trust in those moments to make a game-winning play. He’s an unselfish kid, I didn’t have to draw up much, I just knew he would make me look good.”
The Patriots had one more shot at redemption but couldn’t get a shot off thanks to the swarming defense of the Vikings. A new gold plaque will now hang in the halls of Northwest, led by district 14-4A coach of the year DeeDee Smith in his first season with the Vikings. Now, they’ll set their sights on a region title, with Northeast being the first foe they will have to face.
“Defensively, I’m proud of them, but not satisfied,” said Smith. “We made a lot of mistakes tonight, but we covered that up with effort and communication. It means everything to bring a title back to Northwest. We set a goal, and we accomplished it. Now we have to continue to let our passion fuel us moving forward.”
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