Mavs keep it close (for a half) against Oak Ridge

January 13, 2021 by Collin Riggs

The Mavericks lost their basketball game 85-55 at Oak Ridge Friday, facing the second-ranked Wildcats.

Despite keeping the game close for the first two-and-a-half quarters, the Mavericks lost their footing halfway through the third, ending the night the loss to the Wildcats just days after their heartbreaking 80-77 defeat at Fulton.

The Mavericks were behind from the start with a quick lead taken by Oak Ridge.

But for the first two quarters, that lead never reached double digits, and most of the time remained under six points.

The game entered the second half with Oak Ridge leading 37-30, and it was midway through the third when the Mavs lost their footing.

They closed their deficit to four points (39-35), only for the Wildcats to hit a hot streak and, after sinking two treys, quickly increasing their lead to 11 points.

The Mavs couldn’t catch up in the fourth, and sank further behind, leading to the final 30-point deficit.

Derek Wallace, head coach for the Mavericks, said the game started really well.

“I thought we had a solid game plan, and executed it really well,” said Wallace. “We made enough shots, and kept their two big kids in check. We got in foul trouble and that was our downfall. Still, it was a two-point-game at the end of the first quarter and I felt good about the pace. We didn’t give a lot of transition points.

“Second quarter, same thing. We had a variety of guys scoring. I thought we were giving their best guys trouble. We just could not stop fouling. Had a lot of blocked charges and that kind of thing.

“Those are 50-50 calls and they just didn’t go our way. It was 37-30 at halftime, so a good place to be with them. Subs were coming in quick and the wheels fell off when we started subbing.”

Wallace said the players are actually looking at the loss positively.

“It was a much closer game than the score makes it look like, and our guys were very positive for a loss, because they saw they deserved to be on the court with that team,” Wallace said.

Stat-wise, Oak Ridge dominated the court, beating Anderson County 24-13 on two-point shots, but tying 5-5 on treys.

Anderson County gave Oak Ridge a whopping 35 free throws, although many of those came in the fourth quarter.

Carter Jett led the Mavs on points with 14, including two treys. He tied with Connor Martin for most treys, with Martin coming in second for the night with 10 points. Jett also finished with three steals and three deflections, as well as five assists.

Luke Lowery led the team on rebounds with six, while Martin came in second with five.

On other notable stats, Stone Hatmaker finished with four deflections and two steals.

Meanwhile, Anthony White finished with three deflections. Anthony White, Brandon Webb, and Luke Lowery all fouled out.

“Carter Jett had a really nice week,” said Wallace. “I was really proud of Eli Varner and how he held an All-State guy in check, as well as anyone could have. I was proud of our team overall. I thought Stone Hatmaker was excellent overall. Him being back in the starting lineup has been amazing for us, and now it’s just redefining the roles for the other guys.”