Anderson County battles ‘rust’ in return to action
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Anderson County’s Brandon Dake scored 18 points against Lenior City on Friday night, Dec. 6. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s Hayden Craig joined Brandon Dake as top scorers in the Mavericks’ Friday night meeting against Lenior City. The pair led all shooters with 18 points each. - Tony Cox
After a nine-day break for Thanksgiving, the Anderson County High School boys basketball team returned to action last week, splitting two games.
The Mavericks edged Lenoir City 62-58 on the road Friday night, with three players scoring in double figures. Hayden Craig and Brandon Dake each tallied 18 points, while Cam Lawson added 17.
The victory came just 24 hours after Anderson County fell 65-61 to Knoxville Halls in a tightly contested matchup. Despite the loss, ACHS had four players score 10-plus points against the Red Devils. Dake scored 15 points, Lawson had 12, and Craig and Ethan Nelson each contributed 11.
Head coach Jordan Jeffers, now in his third season, said the team showed signs of rust following the long layoff.
“We had a break over Thanksgiving, and we didn’t play for nine days, and I think we played like that,” Jeffers said. “It’s a process, man. We just got our football guys back, and we don’t know who we are yet.
“I really like this team. They play hard, and they’re fun to coach. They’ve done some good things, but we have trouble scoring sometimes. We have trouble putting the ball in the hole.”
The Mavericks began a busy stretch Monday night with a game at Scott County against Oneida, followed by a matchup with Northview Academy on Tuesday. Results for both games were not available at press time.
Anderson County will open District 4-AAA play Friday night at home against Cumberland Gap. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
