Mavericks top Panthers 66-61
Anderson County’s Maddox Tackett drives for a layup against Powell on Friday night. Tackett delivered key minutes after Cam Lawson left with an injury, earning praise from Coach Jordan Jeffers for his steadiness in the Mavericks’ road win. (photo:Ellie Hatmaker )
The Mavericks (2-3) picked up two victories, capped by a hard-fought road win at Powell.
ACHS edged the Panthers 66-61 on Friday night at Jeff Hunter Gymnasium, a venue Mavericks Coach Jordan Jeffers said is never an easy place to leave with a win.
“That was a huge win for us,” Jeffers said. “That’s a tough place to play.”
Anderson County’s challenge grew when standout guard Cam Lawson exited with an injury. Jeffers said the Mavericks were forced to improvise their way through the final stretch.
“We kind of had to keep this together with duct tape because we had our leading scorer and our primary ball handler off the floor,” he said. “We tried our best to give it away. But we have some freshmen, sophomores and juniors who have never been in this situation.”
Jeffers credited his young roster for settling in late.
“Landry Sharp and Maddox Tackett gave us some big minutes, and Elijah Johnson made some big shots early,” he said. “Everybody did a good job. These kids play hard, and this team has been really fun to coach.”
Justin Bunch led the Mavericks with 16 points, delivering timely buckets down the stretch.
“Justin made some big plays and big shots when we needed them,” Jeffers said. “He played really well.”
Johnson and freshman Colton Lawson each scored 13 points, while Tackett and Sharp contributed six apiece.
The Mavericks opened the week with a convincing 73-42 home victory over Oneida on Tuesday, Dec. 2.