The Herald-News - News Story

The Rhea County High School Lady Eagles made Hixson's Wildcats beg for mercy Thursday night on the basketball court in Evensville.

The hometown girls led 50-10 heading into the fourth quarter, effectively invoking the TSSAA mercy rule - continuous clock save for timeouts - for the remainder of the contest.

Rhea County (5-14) ended up winning by a final margin of 54-16. That was a far cry from the two teams' earlier meeting this season, when the Lady Eagles squeaked out a 46-44 win.

This time, the game was all Rhea County. The Lady Eagles snagged 17 steals to Hixson's two and outrebounded the Lady Wildcats 24-20.

It was scoring, however, that was the most lopsided stat of the night. RCHS outscored their guest 12-6 in the opening quarter and extended their lead to 33-8 by the half.

In the second half, the Lady Eagles drained 21 points to Hixson's eight.

"I'm really proud of their effort, especially to overcome a slow start. I think they got to see how another team handles pressure - and that's how we look when some teams pressure us," RCHS Head Coach Shane Johnston said. "I thought it was a rewarding expereince that they were able to take out a little frustration as to what happened to them over the year."

Several players were instrumental in the scoring success, as four players put up nine or more points.

Freshman Whitney Thompson and sophomores Brittany Landreth and Sarah Nixon each posted 10 points on the night, while fellow sophomore Nicole Shelby added nine more.

"We're glad Shelby got some good open looks and took advantage of them. When we can get her set for a shot she's a real threat," Johnston said. "I think all of those sophomores are starting to grow, especially over the course of January, and hope to see more in February."

Four other Lady Eagles added to the scoring effort, namely Madison Gentry, Julie Keener, Atlanta Ervin and Mary Hickey.

Only six free throws were attempted in the game, none of which were by Hixson.

In the night cap, the Golden Eagle boys' team (7-12) fell to Hixson 46-36.

The two teams had a heated meeting just before Christmas, in which Rhea County emerged with a 52-48 victory.

The Wildcats got their revenge at Thursday's rematch, taking an 11-4 first quarter lead.
Shots just were not falling for Rhea County on the night, but things looked up slightly as senior Branden Logsdon knocked down a jumper and four foul shots late in the second quarter to pull Rhea County within five, and the hometown boys trailed 22-17 at the half.

Scoring stayed low in the third quarter, though Hixson won the period 7-6 to lead 29-23.

That six-point deficit was the closest Rhea County would come to the lead for the remainder of the game.

Both teams reached the bonus with around three minutes to go in the contest, and Hixson utilized the foul lines, sinking 11 of 13 free throws in the final 2:34.

Meanwhile, Rhea County drained only one of five shots from the charity stripe once entering the bonus.

Nonetheless, Logsdon led the Golden Eagles in scoring on the night, netting 17 points followed by Tyler Wilkerson with six and J.J. Hill with five.

Hunter Daniels supplied five rebounds and two blocked shots, while Kenzie Goins added two more blocked shots for Rhea County's cause.

The Wildcats were led in scoring by Kevin Barnette with 15 points.

The Golden Eagles will resume action Tuesday night at District 5-AAA rival Walker Valley High School. Tipoffs are scheduled for 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Cathy Barnes can be contacted at cathy.barnes@rheaheraldnews.com.