After beating Halls, Mavs come up short in tourney against Central

February 24, 2021 by Collin Riggs

Anderson County traveled to Halls on Tuesday, Feb. 16 to face Halls High School, winning 73-61, before traveling to Central on Thursday, Feb 18, and losing to the Bobcats 78-69. That put the Mavericks out of the running for the district championship.

In the Tuesday game against Halls, Anderson County took an early 21-13 lead in the first quarter before increasing it to 41-21 before the end of the half. Halls made adjustments at halftime, putting up 15 points in the third quarter and outscoring Anderson County in the fourth (the first time all night), but it was too late for the Red Devils.

Connor Martin led the team with 19 points, as well as 15 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. Behind Martin came Brandon McGhee with 15, as well as an assist and a deflection. Carter Jett brought up third place with three rebounds and four assists as well as a steal, while JaTrevor Stagnolia finished the night with 12 points and three assists. Eli Varner contributed 9 points and two assists.

In their next game, the Mavs travelled to Central to face off against the Bobcats. Despite a rough start in the first three quarters that put the Mavs down by 19 going into the fourth, they made a roaring comeback to cut their deficit down to only five midway through the fourth. Unfortunately for the Mavs, multiple fouls plagued them, especially in the fourth quarter, and continually stunted their momentum, allowing Central not only time to catch their breath but also multiple free throws. On top of that, due to an injury, the team was without one of their starting players.



The Mavs gave up 25 points to free throws across 41 attempts, while Central only gave up five free throws the entire night. Despite that, though, the Mavs came incredibly close to evening the score in the fourth, outscoring Central 37-25. It still wasn’t enough, though, and led to Anderson County’s elimination from the district with a 78-69 loss.



Carter Jett, despite being double guarded for most of the night, still came away with 21 points against Central as well as three rebounds. Carter Jett, too, came away with 21 points, including nine assists and a steal before he fouled out in the fourth. Eli Varner came in third with a respectable 10 points and four assists, while JaTrevor Stagnolia finished with nine points. Stone Hatmaker and Brandon McGhee finished with nine points apiece. Hatmaker finished with one of the team’s two steals of the night, while McGhee finished with two rebounds and an assist.



Head coach Derek Wallace said that the team played well, but ultimately, it just wasn’t enough.



“We played really well in the fourth, but we were already down by 20. Against a team like Central, you have to have some things go your way and the foul count didn’t go our way. We got in foul trouble early and stayed in it the whole game. I mean: 41 free throws to five. I don’t know how you overcome that unless you have an amazing fourth quarter – which we did. We cut the lead down to five and then Carter Jett fouled out and it was over.



Still – it was amazing to watch the kids not give up. Carter was awesome, Connor Martin was great, and Eli Varner was solid. We made a run, and it was just a little too late.”



Asked why the fourth quarter was so different, Wallace said he thought the team got desperate – and they played better like that.



“We played with some desperation all year long. Central is too good a team to get down 23 to, but, you know everybody plays better when you’re that far down, because you don’t think about it as much. You play with a little more risk, and we were awfully good inside that mindset all year long – but we just couldn’t always get to that mindset.”



Wallace stressed, though, that he was just happy to have a season.



“I really want to thank the four seniors for everything they gave to the program. It’s been a tough year for everyone involved, but I’m just happy that we had a season. I’m not happy with how it went, but I’m happy that it happened.”