CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The West Creek Coyotes traveled to the Eagles Nest at Northeast High on Monday, Dec. 9, for a back and forth, physical battle which resulted in the Coyotes pulling out a 63-47 victory.
Early on, both teams couldn’t get much going offensively, with exceptional defense being the main reason. Both squads were diving for loose balls, making contact at the rim, and overall giving it their everything to defeat their rival. Going into the half, West Creek High led 25-18.
West Creek head coach Matthew Hardaway said his guys just needed to relax a little bit. “They were almost trying too hard,” Hardaway told Clarksville Now. “We didn’t play disciplined ball in the first half; we were doing too much and not playing our brand of basketball. We just needed to come together and play as a team.”
In the second half, it was a different story for the Coyotes who forced a number of turnovers, and the team took full advantage of their opportunities, which included WCHS building a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter. Despite Northeast forward TayShawn Mozee leading all scorers with 17, the Eagles fell, 63-46.
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Despite the loss, Eagles head coach Ivard Brimley thinks that there is something special to take away from this game. “In the two years I’ve been here, that was the first time I’ve seen the team as a whole play with heart,” he said. “I’ve seen individuals, but collectively they came out and showed tenacity. You can’t train heart, and I’m so proud of them. This truly was them growing as men.”
On the Coyote’s end of things, it’s their third straight win over their rival, and one that Hardaway looks to build off of.
“It’s the little things, and they fixed those in the second half,” said Hardaway. “It was like night and day between the two halves. They bought in and everyone did their jobs. We’re just focused on the next game and focused on stacking quality wins.”
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