CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Northwest Vikings hosted the Clarksville Wildcats for a Tuesday night matchup at Northwest High School.

In a battle of coaches, in which Clarksville High head coach Ted Young coached Northwest High head coach Demarius Smith, the student got the best of the mentor. Despite a shot at the buzzer to tie it, the Vikings escaped with a 45-43 win in their home opener.

The game was back and forth in the first quarter, with the Vikings holding a six-point advantage after the first eight minutes. But the second quarter was a different story.

The Wildcats held Northwest to only two points in the second quarter and scored 15 of their own to flip the game on its head. CHS guard Thomas King scored six of those fifteen points, ending the game with 10 points total. However, despite the lack of scoring, Northwest only trailed by seven at halftime.

‘We have some guys that step up in big moments’

The third quarter was as evenly matched as it gets, with the Vikings trailing by seven again heading into the fourth. However, a 9-0 run to start the fourth, capped off by an and-one layup from guard Jaquez Scott, gave Northwest the lead.

“We pride ourselves in our defense, and it kept us in the game tonight,” said Demarius Smith. “They have a real tenacious attitude, and they’re beginning to not have a problem with doing the dirty work. We have some guys that step up in big moments, and we’re always going to put the ball in their hands. They did just that tonight.”

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Clarksville didn’t go down quietly though, with CHS guard Carvin Sejour nailing a jumper to take the lead 42-41, but Northwest responded right back on the next possession, this time with a bucket from Tobias Santiago.

CHS turned it over on their next possession, with a steal from DJ Dallas, who went on to hit two free throws. Clarksville High got off a great pass off the inbound for a shot at overtime with three seconds left in the game, but it rimmed in and out, and Northwest escaped with the victory.

“Our defense was stellar, but we couldn’t make shots down the stretch,” said Ted Young. “We were taking shots we could make, just couldn’t get them to fall. That’s the learning curve for a young team. What do we do if shots don’t fall, and we didn’t have a backup plan for that tonight.”

For Northwest, it’s a huge win in the city, and one that Smith was happy to see his guys scratch and claw for. The Vikings are 3-1 so far in the young season heading into Thanksgiving Break.

“That’s a well-oiled machine; it’s an honor to coach against a guy like Young,” said Smith. “To see my guys get down and find a way to win, it shows the growth and maturity that we’re developing here. 3-1 looks good on paper, but we’re not satisfied by any means.”

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