Mavericks finish as runner-up in Christmas event
Hammer’s Hardwood Classic
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Anderson County’s Hayden Craig is fouled on his way to the basket during the Hammer’s Hardwood Classic championship game against Kingston on Saturday. Craig finished the game with 18 points. - Tony Cox
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Brandon Dake (15) continued adding to his scoring record in the Hardwood Classic. Dake’s tournament performance included 19 points in the championship game. - Tony Cox
Last week was a whirlwind for the Anderson County High School boys basketball team, as the Mavericks played four games to close out the 2024 calendar year.
The Mavericks’ final game of the year came on Saturday in the championship of the Hammer’s Hardwood Classic, a tournament presented by 5Star Preps.
Anderson County fell 80-69 to Kingston in the title game.
The Mavericks had three players score in double figures.
Senior standout Brandon Dake, the program’s all-time leading scorer, led with 19 points.
Ethan Nelson added 14, and Hayden Craig contributed 13. Anderson County held a 22-20 lead after the first quarter, but trailed 44-35 at halftime.
Cam Lawson chipped in with eight points for the Mavericks (7-6 overall, 2-0 District 4-AAA).
Anderson County reached the championship game with a dominant performance in the semifinals, defeating former district rival Knoxville Halls for the second time this season. Both wins against the Red Devils, now coached by former Lady Mavs assistant Brian Stewart, came in Clinton.
Dake had 36 points in the semifinal, while Lawson had 12 and Craig had 11.
The Mavericks opened the tournament on Thursday with a 76-53 victory over McMinn County.
Anderson County rolled past Scott 60-28 in a District 4-AAA road matchup on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Despite the loss in the championship game, Coach Jordan Jeffers expressed satisfaction with his team’s progress heading into the holiday break.
“This is probably the best week we’ve had in three years,” Jeffers said. “We played four games in five days and played really well.
“It’s not like we played poorly against Kingston,” he said. “They’re just really good, and I think they got into our legs a little bit. That’s a substate or state tournament team in Double-A. If it had been a district game or a home-and-home, we might have done things differently.
“In a tournament, you don’t have a lot of time to prepare, so we just did what we could,” Jeffers said.
The Mavericks return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 7, traveling to Strawberry Plains to face the Carter Hornets.
