Mavericks soar, top Eagles
Daylen Cole had four points against the Eagles in the opening round of region play. (photo:Tony Cox )
The two-time defending District 4-AAA Tournament Champion Mavericks opened regional play Saturday night with an easy 85-68 victory over Seymour in the Region 2-AAA Tournament at ACHS.
Anderson County (22-9) put this one away early as it had a 43-24 advantage at halftime on its way to eliminating the Eagles and ending their Cinderella postseason run, despite a game-high 33 points from Cameron Soulages, who dropped 27 points in the second half.
But Seymour (4-25) was never really in this game.
Offensively, Brandon Dake led the Mavs with 31 points and Ryan McGhee added 11 for ACHS, which led, 25-8, at the end of the first quarter.
Anderson County, which edged crosstown rival Clinton,62-61, on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at Scott High School in Huntsville. Hayden Craig made a game-winning shot as time expired.
It was the Mavs’ second consecutive district championship victory over the Dragons.
In his two seasons as Anderson County’s head coach, Jordan Jeffers has guided the team to two consecutive district tournament championships. But he said he’s really enjoyed coaching the 2023-24 edition of the Mavericks
“This team has really been fun to coach,” Jeffers said prior to the District 4-AAA Championship Game. “This team is more complete than we were last year.”
Anderson County, which will host the remainder of the Region 2-AAA Tournament, was set to play league rival Union County Tuesday. Results were not available at press time.
ACHS defeated the Patriots twice during the regular season, both times by 15 points.
A win over Union County would earn the Mavs a berth in Thursday’s region championship game for the first time in more than four decades. Should it beat the Patriots, Anderson County would qualify for Monday’s state sectionals with a state tournament bid hanging in the balance.