Clear Creek closed out its basketball season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the league tournament.
The CCMS seventh-grade Bobcats hosted White County last Wednesday to decide who was the league’s best. For over three quarters the teams were even, but CCMS turnovers over the waning moments of the fourth led to a 42-38 Warrior win.
The eighth-grade Lady Cats made their way to Fannin County the next day, and the hometown Lady Rebels claimed a 47-34 victory.
Not much separated the boys teams, and WCMS crept ahead at halftime, 18-19. The fourth quarter began with the score tied at 25-25. Turnovers got the better of the Bobcats late in the game, and White took advantage to earn the four-point championship win.
“They played great and played together. The environment was electric and the gym was packed,” said head coach Tanner Davis.
“I think our players got a little rattled at the end because our players are kind of young. We put a play in to get some points at the end, but the wheels kind of fell off. It was neck and neck until the final 30 seconds.”
The Bobcats finished the season with a 12-2 record.
“I’m excited about the team coming up and excited for the future because we had to play a lot of sixth graders on our seventh-grade team and a lot of seventh graders on the eighth grade,” Davis concluded.
The Lady Cats had played plenty of players up a grade level this season as well.
Only four players scored points for Fannin County in the girls title game, and CCMS struggled early. Fannin ended the opening quarter with a 14-6 lead and was ahead 23-16 at the half.
The Lady Rebels got their offense back in gear in the third quarter and were able to extend the lead to 16 points with only seven minutes to play. The Cats cut into Fannin’s lead, but the Rebels came away with a 13-point win.
Bobcats
1 2 3 4 F
7th 8 9 8 13 38
WC 8 10 7 17 42
CCMS scoring: Silas West 13. Kayson Taylor 9. Kevin Olea 8. Slade Smith 4. Owen McCollum, Noah Rice 2.
Lady Cats
1 2 3 4 F
8th 6 10 8 10 34
FC 14 9 17 7 47
CCMS scoring: Mak Taylor 15. Morgan Palmeri 9. Mary Grace Jones 4. Presley Chancey 3. Rosie Everett 2. Laney Martin 1.