Friday Night Lights: Basketball Edition

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Games were all across the region Friday night. It was win or go home for most teams. I watched The King's Academy vs Franklin Road, &amp; Cocke County vs Union County. Below is a game review and a few notable performances by athletes:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, let's start with TKA vs Franklin. TKA started off to a hot start with a 15-5 lead. FRA closed the gap a little before the 1st quarter ended at 15-9. [player_tooltip player_id='408998' first='Brady' last='Branam'] scored the first bucket that was assisted by [player_tooltip player_id='583370' first='Skylar' last='Walden'] off the jump! TKA was up at the half 31-28. I was left extremely impressed by [player_tooltip player_id='822483' first='Ava' last='Zenner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='776113' first='Ella' last='Johnson']. These two freshman were going to make sure to put up a fight. Ella scored 5 fast points by knocking down a Caitlin Clark line 3 ball and then hitting a nice floater. Zenner followed that with a score and a 3 of her own! For TKA, [player_tooltip player_id='890282' first='Lillian' last='Sims'] came in and knocked down two beautiful 3's in the 2nd quarter. The first half player that may not score as much as others, but a critical asset for TKA is [player_tooltip player_id='900249' first='Emily' last='Atchley']. Atchley was everywhere; she forced a turnover, rebounded on both ends, and blocked shots!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2nd half went a little like this: Three straight 3 pointers. Walden scored back to back 3's and [player_tooltip player_id='900251' first='Kyle' last='Young'] had one of her own to put TKA up 40-28. Walden, Young, and Sims definitely lit it up from behind the arc for TKA. TKA never let off the gas. [player_tooltip player_id='620459' first='Olivia' last='Loveday'] picked up steals, assists, and a nice bucket! TKA was up 55-36 after 3. The best defensive play of the night was the TWO charges in the 4th quarter that was taken by Loveday! TKA advances! FRA is extremely young, &amp; extremely talented!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few scoring stats: <br>FRA: Alyssa Davis -14 points, [player_tooltip player_id='1210960' first='Ella' last='Gadsey']- 13 points, [player_tooltip player_id='776113' first='Ella' last='Johnson'] 10 points, [player_tooltip player_id='822483' first='Ava' last='Zenner']- 10 points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>TKA: [player_tooltip player_id='583370' first='Skylar' last='Walden'] - 32 points, [player_tooltip player_id='900251' first='Kyle' last='Young']- 12 points, [player_tooltip player_id='1234124' first='Matazja' last='Goins']-10 points, [player_tooltip player_id='890282' first='Lillian' last='Sims']- 9 points, [player_tooltip player_id='408998' first='Brady' last='Branam']- 7 points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final score: TKA 76 - FRA 54. Game MVP goes to: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["583370"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c260dd3302e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Walden deserves this GAME MVP for taking care of business and leading TKA to another Final 4! When she hit the 3 right in front of her student section in the 4th quarter to put TKA up by 23 points, I knew they would erupt! Skylar finished the game with 32 points and 6 assists! She made this 32 &amp; 6 look extremely easy. Walden holds numerous offers to play at the next level and I do believe that she will hear her phone ring non-stop before she graduates! When we talk about athletes that have the "IT FACTOR" - Walden has the it factor! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next Game Up: We have Cocke County vs Union County. One thing that I love about watching Cocke County is how everyone touches the ball and the defensive intensity that they play with. This TEAM gets it! Cocke County led at the half 28-22. Union County's [player_tooltip player_id='409038' first='Kelsey' last='Holt'] went coast to coast off of a defensive rebound to score, she knocked down 3's, and she did what was needed to keep her team close at the half. Cocke County came out to start the 3rd quarter on fire with picking up steal after steal that led to easy buckets. It's hard to only mention one athlete on Cocke County's team because they all play the game the right way, &amp; that's together! It was ALL Cocke County in the 3rd quarter, ending the 3rd quarter up 51-24. Cocke County never let off the gas and ended up winning 70-30. Best Defensive plays goes to the entire Cocke County team and their relentless team effort! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A few point totals from Cocke County: [player_tooltip player_id='821821' first='Karmine' last='Carmichael']- 18 points, [player_tooltip player_id='1234326' first='Brooklyn' last='Clevenger'] - 12 points, [player_tooltip player_id='890372' first='Abby' last='Niethammer'] - 10 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Give the Game MVP ball to: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["821821"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c266a18e202"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Karmine continues to do it all on the basketball court. She is extremely blessed with length and skill. She led her team in scoring with 18 points. She scored in numerous ways. She does a great job of getting the ball in the high post. She knows exactly when to kick it to her open teammate or take it to the rim to score. I love Carmichael's overall game! She's elite! [player_tooltip player_id='821821' first='Karmine' last='Carmichael'] is different and every single coach should know her name!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->