By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – The Spring Garden basketball teams both earned their opportunities to continue their Cherokee County Tournament dominance on championship Saturday.
The Class 1A, No. 1 Lady Panthers blew past Cedar Bluff 65-24, while the top-ranked Panther boys shook off a sluggish start for a decisive 68-27 win in Friday’s tournament semifinals at Richard Lindsey Arena.
In the girls game, Ace Austin led the Lady Panthers (25-1) with 25 points, including three 3-pointers. Olivia Law netted 16 points. Maggie Jarrett rang for 12 points. Montana Highfield had six points on a pair of treys.
Kylie Vadon led Cedar Bluff (13-7) with 11 points. Janaya Higgins had six points and Caley Bruce finished with five points.
Spring Garden jumped out on a 31-0 run and led 33-2 at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Panthers pushed their advantage to 47-7 at halftime.
The Lady Panthers will be seeking their sixth straight and 22nd overall Cherokee County Tournament title on Saturday against Sand Rock at 5 p.m. It’s the second straight year Spring Garden’s girls will battle Sand Rock in the championship game and the fourth time in the past six seasons.
Spring Garden’s boys (21-0) will also tangle with Sand Rock in the boys title game at 7 p.m. The Panthers will be seeking their third county championship in the past four seasons and back-to-back titles following their 68-27 victory over Cedar Bluff.
But the Tigers (7-12) hung tough early by taking a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. Spring Garden finally settled in by going on a 20-4 second-quarter run to take a 32-17 advantage at halftime. The Panthers lead swelled to 56-24 after three quarters.
Jake Welsh and Jaylen Brown both rang for 15 points to lead Spring Garden. Brown hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter.
Connor Bates and Noah Barber also delivered three treys apiece. Bates had 11 points while Barber came away with nine. John Welsh tossed in seven points. Brady Ruark had six points and Joel Hunter finished with five points.
Kuper Bradley topped the Tigers with 10 points, including a pair of treys. Shon Gleen finished with five points.
