COSBY-The start of the high school basketball season is just a few short weeks away, and the just-released schedule for Cosby High School is a dandy.

Beginning its' third season in District 2A, Cosby will face their District foes, Hancock County, Clinch, Washburn and J. Frank White, home and away, as usual, but it's the out-of-District part of the schedule that's interesting.

"It's a good schedule," said Eagles' head coach Brad Flatford," a challenging schedule. We tried to mix it up a bit this season."

Back on the schedule this season is former District 3A foe Greenback for a home-and-away series.

"My coaching roots are there," said coach Flatford, "and I still have friends there. Greenback always puts tough teams on the court. So it will be a good test for us."

Also back on the schedule this season are home-and-away series' with Berean Christian, Maryville Christian, Unaka, Pigeon Forge, and one that has everyone buzzing, Gatlinburg-Pittman.

The Highlanders landed five Division I prospects through transfer in the off season, and are everyone's pick for a state tournament berth even before the new season begins.

"I've had folks ask me why I didn't drop those games from the schedule," said coach Flatford. "I'm not going to do that. We committed to them so we're keeping them on the schedule. Besides, we're actually looking forward to playing them."

Also new to the schedule is a holiday tournament that will be played at the Eagle's Nest.

"We've been on the road for a lot of holiday tournaments in past years," said coach Flatford. "So, we decided that it would be nice to stay home this year. And it's going to be a fun tournament too."

The Cosby Christmas Classic is slated for December 28 and 29 and will feature Cosby, Copper Basin, Washburn and the Knoxville Ambassadors. The Classic will have two girl's and two boy's games each day.

Earlier in December, both the Eagles and Lady Eagles will play at the Grace Christian Tournament in Knoxville.

"It'll be a tough tournament," said coach Flatford. "Grace has been tough for the past few seasons, plus there will be Knox Webb, Union County and some other teams, including Grace Chapel out of Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Grace Christian Tournament runs December 10, 11 and 12.

Cosby's season begins on Monday, November 23, at home against Berean Christian, and finishes on Tuesday, February 16, at Unaka. In fact, Cosby finishes out the regular season with three straight road games at Pigeon Forge, J. Frank White and Unaka.

The District 2A Tournament is slated for February 18-23 with the Region 1A Tournament set for February 27-March 4. Sites for both tournaments have yet to be determined.

2009-10 Cosby Basketball Schedule:

Monday, November 23-Berean Christian (GV, BV)

Tuesday, November 24 @ Maryville Christian (BJV, GV, BV)

Friday, December 4 @ Gatlinburg-Pittman (BGJV, GV, BV)

Monday, December 7-Greenback (BJV, GV, BV)

Thursday, December 10 @ Grace Christian Tournament (GV, BV)(TBA)

Friday, December 11 @ Grace Christian Tournament (GV, BV)(TBA)

Saturday, December 12 @ Grace Christian Tournament (GV, BV)(TBA)

Thursday, December 17-Clinch* (BJV, GV, BV)

Friday, December 18 @ Hancock County* (GJV, GV, BV)

Monday, December 28-Cosby Christmas Classic (GV, BV):

   3:30 p.m.-Knoxville Ambassadors vs. Washburn (Girls)

   5 p.m.-Knoxville Ambassadors vs. Washburn (Boys)

   6:30 p.m.-Copper Basin vs. Cosby (Girls)

   8 p.m.-Copper Basin vs. Cosby (Boys)

Tuesday, December 29-Cosby Christmas Classic (GV, BV):

   3:30 p.m.-Copper Basin vs. Washburn (Girls)

   5 p.m.-Copper Basin vs. Washburn (Boys)

   6:30 p.m.-Knoxville Ambassadors vs. Cosby (Girls)

   8 p.m.-Knoxville Ambassadors vs. Cosby (Boys)

Friday, January 8-J. Frank White* (BJV, GV, BV)

Saturday, January 9 @ Greenback (BGJV, GV, BV)

Tuesday, January 12-Gatlinburg-Pittman (BJV, GV, BV)

Friday, January 15 @ Washburn* (BJV, GV, BV)

Tuesday, January 19-Maryville Christian (BJV, GV, BV)

Friday, January 22-Hancock County* (BJV, GV, BV)

Monday, January 25-Pigeon Forge (GJV, GV, BV)

Tuesday, January 26 @ Berean Christian (GV, BV)

Friday, January 29 @ Clinch* (BJV, GV, BV)

Tuesday, February 2-Unaka (GV, BV)

Friday, February 5-Washburn* (GJV, GV, BV)

Tuesday, February 9 @ Pigeon Forge (BJV, GV, BV)

Friday, February 12 @ J. Frank White* (BJV, GV, BV)

Tuesday, February 16 @ Unaka (GV, BV)

February 18-23 @ District 2A Tournament (TBA)

February 27-March 4 @ Region 1A Tournament (TBA)

*Denotes District Game

Tip Times: JV (5 p.m.), GV (6:30 p.m.), BV (8 p.m.) unless otherwise noted.

©2008 NPT PHOTO BY PAUL MEADOR

Cosby senior Trenten Dunn had a game-high 34 points including six three-pointers in the Eagles 54-51 loss to Gatlinburg-Pittman Tuesday night.
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COSBY-Not exactly the way the Cosby Eagles and Lady Eagles wanted their first performances in front of the home folks to be, but it wasn't because they didn't give it everything they had.

The Lady Eagles (0-3) gave Gatlinburg-Pittman (2-2) everything they could handle through the first three quarters, only to disappear in the fourth quarter in a 69-53 loss.

The Eagles (2-2) were coming off two straight wins, and went toe-to-toe with the Highlanders (5-0) to the final shot, but came up three points short, 54-51.

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©2008 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby freshman Andrew Adams had seven points in the Eagles 73-31 victory over J. Frank White Tuesday night in Harrogate. Adams also had nine points in the Eagle JV victory over the Knights.

HARROGATE-The Cosby Eagles (5-2, 2-0) and Lady Eagles (2-4, 2-0) are getting the job done when it counts, in District 2-1A play. And that blue-collar play in the District paid off again Tuesday night at J. Frank White, on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate.

The Lady Eagles have found District play much to their liking, and handled the Lady Knights (1-2, 1-2) with solid play on both ends of the court, 60-36.

The Eagles continue to improve, game-by-game, and found a complete game effort ending in a 73-31 pasting of the Knights (1-4, 1-3).

LADY EAGLES HAVE THE TOUCH

In the Lady Eagles four losses this season, inconsistency has been the main problem. But, with youth and new faces, its taking head coach Richard Coggins some time to get the ladies into a rhythm. That rhythm arrived in a big way on Tuesday night in Harrogate.

The Lady Eagles jumped on the Lady Knights early, and took a 15-4 first quarter lead. But, the Lady Knights refused to roll over, and out-scored the Lady Eagles 16-13 in the second frame. Even still, the Lady Eagles held an eight-point advantage at the break, 28-20.

The second half for the Lady Eagles was pretty much like the first quarter when everything was working, especially senior Kalsea Mantooth.

The Lady Eagles came out of the locker room with a vengeance, and took the third quarter 14-4. Mantooth was on fire, getting 8 of her game-high 16 points over the eight-minutes span, including two three-pointers. Mantooth also had a steal, which she converted into a lay up.

The Lady Eagles held an 18-point advantage, 42-24, going into the final stanza. The Lady Eagles kept their intensity at both ends of the court, and took the last quarter 28-12. The Lady Eagles defense spoiled several Lady Knight scoring opportunities, and the Lady Eagles made the Lady Knights pay as a result. For instance, Maddie Hall got a steal that ended with one of senior Stevie Gorrell's three three-pointers. The Lady Eagles also got it done on the free throw line, connecting on 14 of 18 attempts. With the Lady Eagles clicking, the 24-point victory was good to see for coach Coggins.

"We shot the ball well tonight," said coach Coggins, "especially Kalsea (Mantooth) and Stevie (Gorrell) combining on five three-pointers. Everybody got to play tonight. But what really matters is that we're undefeated in the District. If we can beat Washburn on Friday, we'll go into the holiday break tied with Hancock County, and that's where we want to be."

Cosby scoring (60): Kalsea Mantooth 16, Stevie Gorrell 13, Alyssa McMahan 10, Jessi Daruna 6, Maddie Hall 4, Preanna Davis 4, Amy Hunt 3, Maggie Gregg 2, Brooklyn Stuart 2.

J. Frank White scoring (36): Clanissa Medley 16, Katie Mundy 10, Leslie Lowry 7, Tatum Barnett 3.

EAGLES SOLID

The Eagles started strong, and finished strong, putting together an effort that extended all four quarters.

The Eagles jumped on the Knights early and often, scoring the first seven points of the game. Before the Knights were able to open their eyes for the first time in the game, Robert Herzog connected on a three-pointer, Trenten Dunn scored on a breakaway lay up, and Chris Grooms knocked down two free throws to give the Eagles a 12-point first quarter lead, 17-5.

The Eagles continued to push in the second frame with defense and transition working well. Herzog got a steal and Jonathan Manning finished the play with a lay up to give the Eagles a 22-7 lead with 5:31 remaining in the quarter. The Eagles continued the onslaught with four three-pointers, two by Manning, and one each for Andrew Adams and Zach Webb to give the Eagles a comfortable 42-11 lead at the break.

There was no let-up in the second half. The Eagles continued their pressure defense that included a steal by senior Spencer Grooms, who fed Manning for the transition lay up to put the Eagles up 50-15 with three minutes remaining in the third frame. The Knights began to hit a few buckets of their own, but the Eagles were firmly in control 57-24 heading into the final eight minutes.

There was no let-up in the fourth quarter either, as the Eagles out-scored the Knights 16-7, and cruised home with the 42-point victory.

"I thought we came out with a lot of intensity in the first half, got the lead, and extended it," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "We did what we needed to get done both on offense and defense. Everybody contributed, and did some good things tonight. I thought Jonathan (Manning) played really well, and Spencer (Grooms) did a good job in the second half for us. We still have a lot of stuff to work on though."

Cosby scoring (73): Jonathan Manning 20, Trenten Dunn 11, Spencer Grooms 9, Andrew Adams 7, Zach Webb 7, Chris Grooms 6, Robert Herzog 5, Nick Baxter 4, Brandon Gates 4.

J. Frank White scoring (31): Jordan Smith 14, Cody Standifer 8, Anthony Ramos 4, Jordan Treece 3, Dakota Robertson 2.

EAGLES JV CRUISE

The Eagles junior varsity squad dominated the Knights on this night on both ends of the court.

The Eagles raced out to a 14-2 first-quarter lead, and made it 22-5 at the break. The Eagles were rolling in the second half as well, making it 38-13 after the third, and cruising home with a 40-point victory, 60-20.

"Our defense really played well tonight," said coach Eric Coggins. "We had 17 steals and forced a lot of turnovers. And, everybody got to play getting some experience for our varsity squad."

Cosby scoring (60): Dakota Sane 11, Brandon Gates 9, Andrew Adams 9, Zach Webb 8, Tanner Phillips 8, Jake Ledford 7, Robbie Livingston 5, Marvin Green 3.

J. Frank White scoring (20): Winston Kelly 10, Cyler Vanchin 5, Will Hooper 3, Jacob Myers 2.

UP NEXT

The Eagles and Lady Eagles resume District 2-1A play this Friday night, Dec. 19, when they host the Washburn Pirates and Lady Pirates. Boy's JV action will start things off at 4:30 p.m., followed by girl's varsity at 6:30 p.m. and boy's varsity starting at around 8
 p.m.
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Senior Trenten Dunn is on the move in Cosby's sweep of Maryville Christian Tuesday night at the Eagles' Nest.

COSBY-Ask any coach or player and they'll tell you that playing three nights a week can be tough. How about four nights in five days?

The Cosby Eagles and Lady Eagles have done just that, beginning with a trip to Hancock County last Friday night, a trip to Gatlinburg-Pittman on Saturday night, a trip to Berean Christian in Knoxville on Monday night, and to complete the rush, a return to Cosby for a match-up with Maryville Christian on Tuesday night. Whew!!!

The Lady Eagles (11-6, 8-0) have taken the four-game swing in stride, winning three-out of four, finishing off the blitz last night with a dominating 64-21 victory over Maryville Christian.

After dropping the first two games of the four-game set, the Eagles (12-7) have rebounded nicely, taking the last two, including a resounding 81-39 victory last night over M-C.

LADY EAGLES POUNCE EARLY

The Lady Eagles wasted little time in establishing their will Tuesday night, blitzing Maryville Christian early and often.

The Lady Eagles soared out to a 22-2 first quarter lead with senior point guard Whitney Hartsell continuing her recent scoring blitz. Hartsell connected on three three-pointers en route to 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first quarter alone. The Lady Eagles were also dominating the paint as senior Megan Tinker scored six points inside, four of them on put-backs. Tinker also finished with six rebounds on the night. While the offense was clicking, the Lady Eagle defense was creating opportunities, forcing nine first-quarter turnovers, five of which were steals. One of those steals resulted in a lay-up by senior Stevie Gorrell of a beautiful feed from fellow senior Preanna Davis. The Lady Eagles defense held Christian scoreless until the 45-second mark.

There was no let-up in the second quarter either, only the names had changed. The quarter began on an assist by sophomore Alyssa McMahan, who fed Brittany Frisbee for two. McMahan and Frisbee combined for 10 of Cosby's 14 second-quarter points, three of those from McMahan beyond the arc on an assist by senior Kalsea Mantooth. The Lady Eagles unselfish play led to 15 total assists, and the Lady Eagles went into the break with a commanding 36-10 lead.

The third frame started much like the first as Hartsell scored. Gorrell then fed Davis for another deuce, and the Lady Eagle lead was at 30, 40-10. Hartsell connected on another of her four three-pointers on the night, and Amy Hunt found the rim on a driving lay-up. And to cap things off, Davis hit a shot to give the Lady Eagles a 49-17 lead after three.

The Lady Eagles continued their dominance the rest of the way, taking the fourth quarter 15-4. Frisbee tallied six of her nine points over the final eight minutes, and McMahan scored four and added two more assists, pushing her total to four on the night en route to the 43-point victory.

The Lady Eagle numbers were impressive, finishing the night 20-50 (40%) from the floor, 8-16 (50%) from three-point range, and 7-11 (63%) from the charity stripe. The boards belonged to Cosby as the Lady Eagles hauled down an incredible 49 rebounds on the night led by Brittany Frisbee's 9. The Lady Eagle defense forced 24 turnovers, 15 of which were steals.

"This was a total team effort," said Lady Eagle head coach Richard Coggins. "Everybody was involved, and we were taking good shots. We wanted to send a message to teams in our Region. We needed to prove to everybody and ourselves that we can play with those teams. We've got to beat some of them to advance further in the post-season tournament. That's why were hoping for a lot of fan support come Monday night when we play Unaka."

Cosby (74): Whitney Hartsell 21, Alyssa McMahan 11, Brittany Frisbee 9, Megan Tinker 6, Kalsea Mantooth 4, Preanna Davis 4, Stevie Gorrell 2, Amy Hunt 2, Maggie gregg 2, Whitney Black 2, Jessie Daruna 1.

Maryville Christian (21): Catherine Humphreys 7, Amber Shults 6, Sarah Smith 5, Hannah Reynolds 3.

EAGLES GET IT TOGETHER

The Eagles really haven't been themselves of late. That changed completely beginning Monday night at Berean Christian, and even more so last night against Maryville Christian.

The Eagles came out of introductions hitting on all cylinders, and powdered Christian for a 23-6 first quarter lead. Seniors Jonathan Manning and Trenten Dunn combined for 20 of the points over the first eight minutes. Manning had 12, including two from long range, while Dunn had eight, including two from downtown. Manning was also doing it defensively with a steal and two of his three blocked shots on the night.

The game slowed considerably in the second quarter, however, as the two teams combined for only 14 points and Christian taking the quarter 8-6. Manning scored four of the six points, two off a spinning lay-up on an assist by Dunn. The Eagles lead at the break 29-14. Manning had quite a half with 16 points, three blocked shots, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

The third quarter nearly mirrored the second as the two teams managed just seven points each. Sophomore Robert Herzog tallied six of the Eagles' seven converting transition lay-up off defensive turnovers.

The Eagles tightened the screws defensively in the final frame, holding Christian to just a single point. The Eagles managed 10, starting on a pass from freshman Andrew Adams to senior Spencer Grooms for a basket. Following a fouled shot from Chris Grooms, Dunn canned a jumper to give the Eagles a 20-point lead, 42-22. Manning knocked down two more free throws before Chris Grooms scored on an assist from Zach Webb to give the Eagles the 24-point victory, 46-22.

The Eagles finished 19-41 (46%) from the floor, 5-13 (38%) from three-point range and 6-12 (50%) from the free throw line. The Eagles forced 22 turnovers, nine of them steals led by Manning and Dunn who finished with three each. The Eagles had 26 rebounds led by Manning with six. Of the eight assists on the night, Manning had three, and there were five blocked shots led by Manning with three and Corey Conard with two.

"We shot the ball pretty good in the first quarter," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "I thought our half-court defense was good. We didn't press much tonight, just played half-court man, and we did a pretty good job of it. We forced 20 turnovers, but we turned the ball over 16 times, and I'm not pleased with that at all. Our offense had a letdown after the first quarter. We had some turnovers and missed some open looks. I would like a little more consistency on the offensive side. Jonathan (Manning) played really well tonight, but we've got to do better in the post. We dropped way to many balls after being hit in the hands. In the post, you've got to catch those passes and get it to the hoop."

Cosby (46): Jonathan Manning 19, Trenten Dunn 11, Robert Herzog 6, Chris Grooms 5, Spencer Grooms 2, Corey Conard 2, Nick Baxter 1.

Maryville Christian (22): Josh Parker 8, Paul Branebill 6, Arron Burroughs 5, Austin Lundsford 3.

BOY'S JUNIOR VARSITY

The junior Eagles were just as impressive as their varsity counterparts on the night, and remain undefeated on the season at 9-0 with an 81-39 victory over Maryville Christian.

The Eagles raced out to a 13-3 first-quarter lead and never looked back, taking a 42-14 lead at the break, a 63-27 lead after three, and soaring home with the 42-point victory.

Cosby (81): Andrew Adams 16, Dakota Sane 12, Jake Ledford 10, Tanner Phillips 10, Robbie Livingston 8, Zach Webb 7, Brandon Gates 7, Marvin Green 6, Corey Conard 5.

Maryville Christian (39): Matt Connar 11, Andrew Campbell 7, Tanner Shields 6, Kurtis Branum 4, Eric Fields 3, Tyler Burns 3.

SATURDAY'S JV

The Cosby JV squads split in action Saturday night at Gatlinburg-Pittman.

The junior Lady Eagles were down 12-9 at the end of the first quarter, and were trying to keep pace with the junior Lady Highlanders. But, G-P was too much as they moved out to a 27-18 lead at the break, a 46-25 lead after three, and then cruised home with the 28-point victory, 60-32.

Cosby (32): Alyssa McMahan 7, Maggie Gregg 6, Whitney Black 7, Emily Hall 4, Brooklyn Stuart 3, Madison Hall 3, Lindsey Wines 2.

Gatlinburg-Pittman (46): Morgan Dodgen 17, Lacee Tinker 16, Alyssa Craig 9, Alisha Johnson 8, Sami John 6, Macy Shults 4.

Thee junior Eagles found themselves in an all-out battle, and were forced to come from behind to keep their record perfect.

The junior Highlanders held a 19-17 first quarter lead, but the Eagles came back to take a five-point advantage, 36-31, into the break. The Highlanders stormed back to take a three-point lead, 46-43, into the final eight minutes. But, the Eagles were up to the task, out-scoring the Highlanders 12-6 over the final frame for the three-point victory, 55-52.

Cosby (55): Andrew Adams 19, Brandon Gates 11, Corey Conard 10, Jake Ledford 5, Dakota Sane 5, Robbie Livingston 4, Zach Webb 1.

Gatlinburg-Pittman (52): Chris Ledford 11, Jake Johnson 11, John McCroskey 11, Drew Barton 11, Josh Ball 6, Marcus Watson 2.

UP NEXT: The Eagles and Lady Eagles will get a well-deserved break for the remainder of the week before returning to action with three more nights of basketball next week.

On Monday, Cosby will host Unaka in a Region 1A showdown at the Eagles' Nest. On Tuesday, the Eagles and Lady Eagles hit the road for a re-match with Maryville Christian. And then on Friday, a key District 2A get-together with Jellico on the road at Jellico.
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby's Chriss Grooms takes it to the paint in the Eagles' loss to Gatlinburg-Pittman Saturday night. The Eagles rebounded with a resounding 20-point victory Monday night at Berean Christian in Knoxville. Both the Eagles and Lady Eagles will be playing for the fourth night in five days when they host Maryville Christian tonight at the Eagles' Nest.

KNOXVILLE-After taking it on the chin atGatlinburg-Pittman Saturday night, the Cosby Eagles and Lady Eagles needed aconfidence-booster. And they got it Monday night at Berean Christian inKnoxville.

The Lady Eagles (10-6, 8-0) poured it on in the firsthalf, then hung on in the second to come away with a 58-47 victory over Berean(1-12)

The Eagles (11-7, 6-2) used a strong first quarter to setthe tone, and cruised home with a 20-point victory, 61-41, over the BereanEagles (2-16).

Whitney Hartsell was bombing away from beyond the arc onMonday night. The senior point guard had four of the Lady Eagles' eightthree-pointers to pace Cosby to an 11-point victory.

The Lady Eagles raced out to a 17-9 first quarter lead,and out-scored Berean 15-5 in the second quarter for a comfortable 32-14advantage at the break.

Berean came back to out-score the Lady Eagles 19-14 inthe third quarter, and 14-13 over the final eight minutes. But, Cosby hadalready done the damage in the first half for the 11-point victory.

Cosby (58): Whitney Hartsell 20, Alyssa McMahan 10,Kalsea Mantooth 8, Amy Hunt 7, Brooklyn Stuart 6, Stevie Gorrell 3, PreannaDavis 2, Megan Tinker 2.

Berean (57): Kelly Hastings 22, Kara Lee 19, Dreitlein 2,Saylor 2, Graybeal 2.

The Eagles had three players in double figures, JonathanManning, Chris Grooms and Trenten Dunn, en route to their 20-point victory. TheEagles also hit eight three-pointers on the night, four coming from Dunn.

The Eagles soared to a 19-7 first quarter lead and neverlooked back, out-scoring Berean 12-11 over the second eight minutes for a 31-18lead at the break. The Eagles then out-scored Berean 14-9 in the third and16-14 over the final eight minutes to secure their 11th victory of the season.

Cosby (61): Trenten Dunn 14, Chris Grooms 13, JonathanManning 10, Andrew Adams 8, Corey Conard 6, Brandon Gates 4, Robert Herzog 2,Dakota Sane 2, Nick Baxter 2.

Berean (41): Nathan Mee 17, Wilson 7, Maples 7, Wells 7,King 1.

LADY EAGLES UPENDED

Sometimes, you just can't get a call to go your way. TheLady Eagles held the lead over Gatlinburg-Pittman (7-9) through three quartersSaturday night in Gatlinburg, but saw the Lady Highlanders take advantage offree throws down the stretch to pull away with a 45-39 victory.

It's always a struggle when these two teams get together,and Saturday night was no different.

The Lady Eagles held a 12-10 first quarter lead withHartsell hitting one of here three three-pointers and scoring seven of hergame-high 18 points over the first eight minutes. Mantooth added a three, andGorrell a deuce to give the Lady Eagles a two-point advantage.

In the second frame, points became more difficult forboth squads. The Lady Eagles managed only six, a three-pointer from Davis alongwith a free throw and another two-pointer from Hartsell. The Lady Highlanderscould manage only seven points of their own, and it was 18-17 Lady Eagles atthe break.

Points continued to be few and far between over the thirdframe. Hartsell knocked down her second three-pointer while Stuart and Mantoothadded buckets to keep the Lady Eagles in front, 25-23, heading into the finalquarter. The scored could have well been 27-27 as McMahan hit a lay-up, andthen landed on the floor and turned away as the buzzer sounded. However, theofficial, on the other end of the play, waved it off.

The fourth quarter became a foul-fest, much to thedelight of the Lady Highlanders, who went to the free throw line 21 times,compared to 11 for the Lady Eagles. The Lady Highlanders converted 11 from thecharity stripe while the Lady Eagles converted on six. Those free throws provedto be the difference, as the Lady Highlanders escaped with the six-pointvictory.

"The calls didn't go our way tonight," saidEagle head coach Richard Coggins. "You really don't expect them to whenyou play here, and it really cost us because they wouldn't let us play. I got atechnical from one of these guys the other night, and obviously it carried over.Alyssa (McMahan) hits that shot at the end of the first half way before thebuzzer sounded. Two of the officials are leaving the court while the third runsover to the table and waves it off. They went to the line 33 times while wewent 12. I feel sorry for the girls because they played so hard. Both teams aresupposed to have a chance to win. We didn't get that chance tonight. I told thegirls after the game to forget about it. It's not a District game. I just hatedto see them treated like that."

G-P (45): Caroline Conner 10, Leah Bryan 9, Katie Tierney8, Jaclyn Hardin 6, Mordan Dodgen 4, Sammi John 3, Alisha Johnson 3, AbiEdwards 2.

Cosby (39): Whitney Hartsell 18, Preanna Davis 6, KalseaMantooth 5, Stevie Gorrell 5, Brittany Frisbee 2, Brooklyn Stuart 2, JessieDaruna 1.

EAGLES MISSING IN ACTION

Maybe the disappointing hard-fought loss to HancockCounty Friday night took it out of them a little, but the Eagles were not insync, and really never in it as the Highlanders (12-6) cruised to a 21-pointvictory, 43-22.

The Eagles simply couldn't find the rim Saturday night asthe Highlanders went out to a 12-5 first-quarter lead, and out-scored theEagles 15-7 over the second frame for a 27-12 lead at the break. TheHighlanders managed only 10 points in the third quarter, but the Eagles couldonly get seven, and trailed 37-19 after three. The Eagles could only get threepoints over the final eight minutes. The Highlanders only got six points in thefinal frame, but the damage had already been done, and they came away with the21-point victory.

"We just can't score," said Eagle head coachBrad Flatford. "We missed point-blank shots and we made bad decisions withthe ball that ended up with 24 turnovers. We're struggling right now. We'vescored 57 points in the last two games, and we've had halves where we havescored 57. We don't take care of the ball, we're not shooting well, and we'renot running much of an offense. It's like having one hand tied behind your backgoing to every game. We'll keep working on that though."

G-P (43): McKinley Maples 13, Taylor Ogle 7, Hinton 6,Hagen Sims 4, John Edwards 4, Tweed 3, Barton 2, McCroskey 2, Nathan Cantrell2.

Cosby (22): Trenten Dunn 6, Robert Herzog 5, Corey Conard4, Nick Baxter 4, Jonathan Manning 3.

UP NEXT: Cosby will be playing for the fourth out of thelast five nights when they return to the Eagles' Nest tonight for anout-of-District match-up against Maryville Christian.

The undefeated Eagle Junior Varsity squad will take tothe court first at 5 p.m., followed by girl's varsity at 6:30 p.m. and boy'svarsity at around 8 p.m.

Both varsity games will be broadcast live on WLIK,AM-1270, beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Brian Evans providing the play-by-play.
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby senior Kalsea Mantooth drives to the hoop in the Lady Eagles' victory over District 2A foe Jellico Friday night.

COSBY-It was one special night at the Eagles' Nest. Celebration was afoot with homecoming festivities, the crowning of a queen, Preanna Davis, and the Eagles and Lady Eagles taking care of business in District 2A. Yep! The Cosby faithful all went home smiling on Friday night.

 

The Lady Eagles (8-5, 7-0) are flying high in District 2A. And they continued to soar on Friday night in a 70-33 cruise past the Jellico Lady Blue Devils (0-11, 0-4). The Lady Eagles remain alone atop the District 2A standings while the Lady Blue Devils remain at the bottom.

 

The Eagles (10-5, 6-1) had a chance to pull into a three-way tie atop the District 2A standings if they could upend undefeated Jellico (11-5, 4-1). The Eagles got the job done with a convincing 62-32 victory over the Blue Devils, who were playing short-handed. The Eagles are now tied for first in the District with the Blue Devils and Hancock County.

 

LADY EAGLES ROLLING

 

The Lady Eagles took it to the Lady Blue Devils early with pressure defense and a fast-paced offense.

 

The Lady Eagles started the first quarter with back-to-back steals by Whitney Hartsell, who promptly turned both into lay-ups. After a rebound and put-back by Kalsea Mantooth, the Lady Eagles were in front 6-1 with only two minutes gone. The Lady Eagles' thievery continued as Brittany Frisbee and Preanna Davis would help push the number of steals to nine in the quarter en-route to a 19-6 lead heading into the second frame.

 

Amy Hunt helped get the Lady Eagles started in the second quarter with a put-back basket. She then fired a pass inside to Brooklyn Stuart for a hoop. Stuart was fouled on the play, and converted the free throw giving the Lady Eagles a commanding 25-8 lead. Hartsell converted another steal into two points and sophomore Alyssa McMahan dished to Maddie Hall for another two, and the Lady Eagles were cruising 29-8. But, the Lady Eagles weren't finished yet. They finished out the quarter on a three-point scoring spree. Senior Megan Tinker calmly dropped in two and Mantooth and Mcmahan knocked down one apiece totaling four from beyond the arc to give the lady Eagles a 41-12 lead at the break.

 

There was no let-up for the Lady Eagles coming out of the locker room as Mantooth secured a deuce, Hartsell canned another three and Jessie Daruna got a put-back to push the Lady Eagles' lead to 37, 49-12, midway through the third quarter. Whitney Black closed out the Cosby scoring with two buckets, and it was 55-23 heading into the final eight minutes.

 

Cosby's bench finished off the Lady Blue Devils with a 15-point fourth-quarter flurry as Black hit a three-pointer, and a basket and free throws by McMahan to give the Lady Eagles a comfortable 37-point victory, 70-33.

 

"Everybody got to play again tonight," said Lady Eagle head coach Richard Coggins. "That's really going to help us down the stretch and in post-season because our bench has seen a lot of playing time. Every win in the District is big, and this one pushes us to 7-0. We're hoping the Cosby faithful does a little traveling with us next week. We're going to need their support with two big road games, first at Gatlinburg-Pittman on Tuesday and then at Hancock County on Friday."

 

Cosby scoring (70): Whitney Hartsell 17, Alyssa McMahan 9, Kalsea Mantooth 9, Whitney Black 7, Maddie Hall 6, Megan Tinker 6, Brooklyn Stuart 5, Brittany Frisbee 4, Amy Hunt 2, Maggie Gregg 2, Jessie Daruna 2, Stevie Gorrell 1.

 

Jellico scoring (33): Noel Tiller 16, Kayla Bolton 8, Amber Barton 4, Ashley Omimette 3, Ashley Gulley 2.

 

The Lady Eagles' stats were impressive. Cosby committed just five turnovers while forcing the Lady Blue Devils into 25, 15 of which were steals led by Hartsell's 8. The Lady Eagles also had 15 assists, led by Mcmahan's 5, and 33 rebounds, led by Daruna, who had 8.

 

EAGLES POUNCE

 

The Blue Devils were undefeated in District 2A coming into this one. But, that would change before the night was over. Four Blue Devil starters did not suit up, sidelined serving suspensions for undisclosed team violations. As a result, the Eagles took full advantage.

 

It was slow going at the start as a Trenten Dunn deuce and a Nick Baxter free throw gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead at the six-minute mark, a lead that the Eagles did not relinquish for the rest of the contest. With 1:40 remaining, Zach Webb found Jonathan Manning open for a three-pointer. Manning then got an assist as he dished to Dunn, who promptly nailed another three to give the Eagles a 9-3 lead at the end of the first.

 

Defensively, the Eagles were playing tough. In the second quarter, they got their offensive shoes going. After a steal by Manning, Robert Herzog found Dunn open, and the senior knocked down the second of his five three-pointers on the night. Dunn then found Chris Grooms open in the paint for another two to give the Eagles a 14-3 lead. After baskets by Grooms and Dunn, and another for Manning off a steal, the Eagles pushed their lead to 20-5. Herzog followed with two quick steals, which he converted on lay-ups to make it 27-10. A Nick Baxter bucket and a tip in by Corey Conard at the buzzer gave the Eagles a 34-17 advantage.

 

The Eagles kept up the pace in the third quarter, out-scoring the Blue Devils 15-4 with Dunn hitting two more shots from beyond the arc and senior Spencer Grooms picking up two baskets to make it 49-21 heading into the final frame.

 

Cosby's bench came up with some solid play down the stretch with Conard scoring six of his seven points in the game, a three-pointer by Webb and two free throws from Dakota Sane to seal the Eagles' 30-point victory, 62-32.

 

"What you saw tonight is not what you'll see when we travel to their place," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "Five of their best players did not play tonight. I thought we did some good things defensively tonight and shot the ball well as the game went on. We played hard, but we played smarter, and I was happy with that. We've got two tough road games next week, so I'm hoping our fans will come along with us because we're going to need that support."

 

Cosby scoring (62): Trenten Dunn 19, Jonathan Manning 11, Corey Conard 7, Chris Grooms 6, Robert Herzog 4, Spencer Grooms 4, Zach Webb 3, Nick Baxter 3, Andrew Adams 2, Dakota Sane 2, Brandon Gates 1.

 

Jellico scoring (32): Michael Smith 13, Thomas Ridenour 10, Jeremiah Thompson 4, Chris Lay 4, Ethan Shely 1.

 

The Eagles forced 19 turnovers in the game, which included 11 steals led by Manning's 4. They also had 15 assists in the game, led by Manning's 6. The Eagles hauled down 40 rebounds, led by Conard's 8.

 

UP NEXT: The Eagles and Lady Eagles return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 20, when they travel to Gatlinburg-Pittman. Both squads will be looking for some payback after being defeated by the Highlanders and Lady Highlanders earlier in the season at Cosby. Girl's Junior Varsity will start the evening off at 4:30 p.m.

 

A huge District 2A road trip awaits on Friday, Jan 23, when Cosby travels to Hancock County. The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Indians earlier at Cosby, but playing in Sneedville is a whole different story. A battle for the top spot is on the line when the Eagles tangle with the Indians. The Eagles will also try to exact some revenge after falling to the Indians at Cosby on Jan. 9. Girl's Junior Varsity action will start the evening off at 4:30 p.m.

 

(Editor's Note: Congratulations to Preanna Davis on being crowned homecoming queen. I'll bet mom and grandpa couldn't be prouder!)
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby freshman Alyssa McMahan had 11 points and three steals in the Lady Eagles' 71-26 win over J. Frank White Tuesday.

COSBY-Just what the doctor ordered!

Cosby needed a pick-me-up following losses at Pigeon Forge on Monday night. And they got it when returning to District 2A play against J. Frank White Tuesday night at the Eagles' Nest.

The Lady Eagles (7-5, 6-0) remained undefeated and in firm control of the District 2A standings rolling past the Lady Knights (2-4, 2-2) 71-26. The Eagles (9-5, 5-1) remained in the hunt for the District 2A top spot by rolling past the Knights (1-4, 0-3) 82-45 to end a two-game skid.

The Lady Eagles remain alone atop the District 2A girl's standings while the Eagles remain tied with Hancock County for 2nd place in the District, just one game in arrears of Jellico.

LADY EAGLS SOAR

The Lady Eagles were slow to start, but so were the Lady Knights.

The Lady Eagles took the lead, 6-5, early on a three-pointer by senior Whitney Hartsell and an assist by senior Kalsea Mantooth. At the same time, the Lady Eagles' full-court pressure began to pay dividends forcing seven Lady Knight turnovers in the first eight minutes. Three of those turnovers were steals by freshman guard Alyssa McMahan. Following her first steal, McMahan streaked to the bucket for a lay-up to give the Lady Eagles a three-point lead, 8-5. Jessi Daruna also got a steal, and was fouled trying to convert a basket out of it. Daruna hit the first foul shot. After missing the second, the Lady Eagles got the rebound, and Hartsell made the Lady Knights pay with her second three-pointer. The Lady Eagles finished out the quarter strong as McMahan got another steal and a transition lay-up, and Maggie Gregg knocked down two free throws to make it 16-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Eagles started to light it up from long range in the second frame. Mantooth hit the first of five three-pointers in the quarter for the Lady Eagles. And, while the Lady Eagles were tickling the twine, their defense was forcing another seven turnovers. In a span of just 90 seconds, Hartsell banged home three three-point shots to make it 28-7 with 4:51 to play in the half. Amy Hunt and Maddie Hall hit two-point shots to make it 32-11 with 2:26 remaining. Hunt and Hall were also stellar defensively, with Hunt getting two tie-ups and Hall a blocked shot. Hall also got an assist as she fed Hartsell, who promptly knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the half. Senior Megan Tinker closed the first half in style with a rebound and put-back at the buzzer to give the Lady Eagles a 26-point lead, 37-11, at the break.

The Lady Eagles kept up the defensive pressure out of the locker room with Hunt getting a steal. Then Brittany Frisbee got an offensive rebound and a put-back for two to put the Lady Eagles up 29-13. The Lady Eagles' onslaught from three-point range continued as well with senior Stevie Gorrell getting two of her three baskets from beyond the arc in the quarter. Whitney Black closed the quarter with an offensive rebound and put-back to make it 58-22 heading into the final eight minutes.

Despite the big lead, the Lady Eagles were still giving it their all. Maddie Hall got two more steals, one of which she converted on a transition basket. Black also connected for Cosby's 11th three-pointer of the night. And, McMahan put the icing on the cake with a basket at the buzzer to give the Lady Eagles the 45-point victory, 71-26.

"Everybody got to play," said Lady Eagle head coach Richard Coggins, "and everybody got into the scoring column. That was one of our goals tonight. We didn't start well, sometimes it takes us a little while to get going. But, I'm pleased with our overall effort. Whitney (Hartsell) and Stevie (Gorrell) shot the ball really well tonight. And, hey, we're 6-0 in the District. That's another one of our goals, to win the District outright."

Cosby scoring (71): Whitney Hartsell 15, Alyssa McMahan 11, Stevie Gorrell 9, Whitney Black 7, Kalsea Mantooth 6, Maddie Hall 4, Brittany Frisbee 4, Amy Hunt 2, Maggie Gregg 2, Preanna Davis 2, Jessie Daruna 1.

J. Frank White scoring (26): Clarissa Medley 15, Katie Mundy 6, Tatum Barnett 3, Leslie Lowry 2.

The Lady Eagles dominated the boards, hauling down 46 rebounds on the night, led by Frisbee, who had seven. The Lady Eagles also forced 27 turnovers, 11 of those steals, lead by McMahan and Hall, who had three each.

EAGLES REBOUND

The Eagles have been flat in their last two contests against Hancock County and Pigeon Forge, and it appeared early that their woes would continue, falling behind 6-0 early. On a positive note, senior Trenten Dunn has had the stroke for the Eagles of late, and his hot hand continued Tuesday night. Dunn scored eight first-quarter points, including two three-point buckets to get the Eagles rolling, and to put them in front by two, 8-6, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night. Senior point guard Jonathan Manning connected on a driving one-hand shot, and on the next play, hit senior Spencer Grooms in the lane who converted another two-pointer to put the Eagles up by six, 14-8. The Knight's Will Hooper cut the Cosby lead to two, 14-12. But the Eagles finished with a bang as Grooms got a steal, and off a pass by Dunn, Manning connected from beyond the arc to give the Eagles a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Matt Bailey kept the Knights close to start the second quarter getting an old-fashioned three-pointer on a two-point bucket and a free throw to cut the lead to two. But, Dunn responded with a two-pointer, Nick Baxter went the length of the court for another two, and they fed Zach Webb, who nailed a three-pointer to push the Eagle lead to nine, 24-15, at the 6:03 mark. After back-to-back baskets by Manning and Corey Conard, Baxter knocked down a trey to make it 31-18. The Knights refused to roll over, however, and finished out the quarter on a 9-2 run to make it 37-28 Eagles at the break.

The Eagles came out strong to start the second half as Dunn got a steal and took it home for two. After another J. Frank White turnover, Dunn swished another three-pointer to put the Eagles up 42-30 with only one minute gone on the quarter. The Eagles' pressure defense was paying dividends as Dunn got another steal and fed Manning for another deuce. Dunn got another of his six assists on the night when he fed Grooms for a basket to make it 48-34. After Baxter connected for two and Conard got two offensive rebounds and put-backs for four more points, Dunn finished out the quarter in style when he hit a driving shot to give Cosby a 14-point lead, 56-42, at the end of three.

The Eagles imposed their will in the fourth quarter starting off on a 9-0 run. The Eagles were playing pure team basketball with crisp passing and plenty of assists. Freshman Andrew Adams dished the ball to Grooms, who got the final bucket of the night giving the Eagles the 37-point victory, 82-45.

"I thought we played well tonight," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford, "especially the final 10 minutes of the game. I thought we could have played better defensively. We had a hard time controlling the dribble and defending the post. We're going to have to play a lot better than the way we're playing now to win on Friday. Jellico is coming in, and their tough, which is why they are leading our District. That's going to be a really big game for us."

Cosby scoring (82): Trenten Dunn 23, Jonathan Manning 11, Spencer Grooms 10, Andrew Adams 9, Corey Conard 8, Nick Baxter 7, Brandon Gates 7, Zach Webb 5, Chris Grooms 2.

J. Frank White scoring (45): Matt Bailey 15, Anthony Ramos 12, Smith 9, Treece 4, Hopper 4.

BOY'S JUNIOR VARSITY

The junior varsity Eagles continued their perfect season with an emphatic 62-13 win over the junior Knights to go 7-0 on the season.

The Eagles had control of this one from the get-go, leading 20-1 at the end of the first quarter, 36-8 at the break, 47-10 at the end of three and took the fourth quarter 15-3 for the 49-point victory.

"I'm happy for the guys," said Eagle head coach Eric Coggins. "Everybody got to play and everybody scored. We got to work on some things offensively, and were able to get the job done. I'm really proud of these guys going 7-0 like this."

Cosby scoring (62): Brandon Gates 8, Todd Logan 8, Zach Webb 8, Tanner Phillips 7, Robbie Livingston 7, Jake Ledford 6, Andrew Adams 6, Corey Conard 4, Marvin Green 4, Cody Ball 4.

J. Frank White scoring (13): Cyler Vaughn 5, Will Hopper 5, Jacob Moyer 2, Cid Oculum 1.

UP NEXT: Another huge District 2A match-up awaits Cosby this Friday night, Jan. 16, when they host Jellico. The Lady Eagles will look to remain perfect in District play while the Eagles will have a chance to pull into a first place tie with Jellico and Hancock County with the win. Adding to the excitement will be homecoming for the Eagles and Lady Eagles, and the crowning of Cosby's homecoming queen.

Boy's junior varsity will start things off at 4:30 p.m., followed by girl's varsity at 6:30 p.m. and boy's varsity at around 8 p.m.

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©2008 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby's Maddie Gregg goes up for two in the Lady Eagles rout of Clinch Friday night to open District play.

CLINCH-Both teams were coming off losses and needed a boost. Both the Cosby Eagles and Lady Eagles found it tough going Tuesday night in their home opener against Gatlinburg-Pittman. The Lady Eagles, especially, have had some tough times in their first three games of the season, and really needed a victory for some confidence.

It happened, as the Lady Eagles (1-3, 1-0) took care of business, and routed the Lady Wildcats (0-1, 0-1) 81-17. And, the Eagles (3-2, 1-0) followed suit, although in a closer fought contest, holding off the stubborn Wildcats (0-1, 0-1) 56-43.

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COSBY-When starting the second half, and stretch run, of your season, you want victories, especially victories in your District. Mission accomplished for Cosby.

The Lady Eagles (5-4, 4-0) stayed atop the District 2A standings with a convincing 75-13 victory over the Clinch Lady Wildcats (0-8, 0-5), while the Eagles (8-3, 4-0) also remain undefeated and atop the District standings with a solid 62-37 win over the Wildcats (0-4, 0-3) Tuesday night at the Eagles' Nest.

LADY EAGLES POUNCE

Lady Eagle head coach Richard Coggins used a little mix-and-match against the lady Wildcats, perhaps looking forward to Friday when Hancock County comes a calling.

"Everybody got to play tonight," said coach Coggins. "And, even better, everybody scored."

That bodes well for team confidence to start off the stretch run.

Playing for only the third time in 12 games on their home floor, the Lady Eagles got the Cosby faithful into the game early. Even though the Lady Eagle offense has sputtered at times in the early part of the season, defense has not been a problem.

The Lady Eagles started the game forcing eight Lady Wildcat turnovers in the first three minutes of play, and raced out to a 13-0 lead capped by a three-point basket by senior point guard Whitney Hartsell. The offense continued to click. Following a steal, a lay-up and an ensuing free throw by freshman Alyssa McMahan, Maddie Hall made a nice feed to Morgan Tinker for a bucket, and Brooklyn Stuart fired a beautiful pass to an open Brittany Frisbee for another bucket to put the Lady Eagles up 20-0. Jessi Daruna closed out the quarter for the Lady Eagles with an old-fashioned three-pointer to put the Lady Eagles up 27-0 at the end of the first quarter.

It didn't matter that coach Coggins continued switching the line-up. It wasn't until the five-minute mark of the second quarter that the Lady Wildcats scored their first point off of a fould shot by Holly Sauceman to make it 32-1. Meahwhile, the Lady Eagles were making frequent trips to the foul line, going 16-of-23, giving the Lady Eagles a dominating 45-4 lead at the break.

Whitney Black came alive big time in the second half, knocking down 11 of the Lady Eagles' 19 third-quarter points, and it was 64-9 heading into the final eight minutes. Brittany Frisbee had seven of her nine points in the final frame as the Lady Eagles cruised home with the 62-point victory.

"It was important that all of our girls got to play tonight," said coach Coggins, "and I couldn't be more pleased with their effort. I'm hoping for a packed house on Friday, though, when Hancock County pays us a visit. That game will be for first place in the District, so we're going to need a lot of support."

The Lady Eagles finished with 19 steals on the night, led by Maddie Hall and Alyssa McMahan, who had four each. The Lady Eagles also dominated the boards with 49 rebounds on the night led by Maggie Gregg with eight. The Lady Eagles finished 19-27 from the free throw line on the evening.

Cosby scoring (75): Whitney Black 11, Whitney Hartsell 9, Brittany Frisbee 9, Maddie Hall 8, Metan Tinker 8, Amy Hunt 6, Kalsea Mantooth 6, Maggie Gregg 6, Preanna Davis 4, Alyssa McMahan 3, Jessi Daruna 3, Brooklyn Stuart 2.

Clinch scoring (13): Holly Sauceman 5, Ashley Massengill 4, Kayla Short 3.

EAGLES DOMINATE

When these two teams got together the first time in December, the Wildcats played the Eagles tough, and made it a close game. But in the rematch on Tuesday, the Eagles stepped it up a bit.

The Eagles came out gunning with a basket by senior point guard Jonathan Manning and a free throw by Chris Grooms. But, neither team could find the rim over the next three minutes. The Eagles finally got back into the scoring act by tough defense. Robert Herzog got a steal and converted with a lay-up. A little later, Manning got a steal and fed senior Trenten Dunn for a basket to give the Eagles an 11-4 first quarter lead.

Dunn and Chris Grooms both picked up two quick fouls each to start the second quarter. But, Manning overcame the loss of the two starters by knocking down eight of his game-high 25 points over the second eight-minute stretch. Herzog also stepped up his game, nailing a three-pointer, dishing out two assists and getting a blocked shot to give the Eagles a 25-14 lead at the break.

The Eagles continued with their pressure out of the locker room, and took the third quarter 16-9. Manning was still pumping in points and Zach Webb got into the act with two big three-point buckets to give the Eagles a 31-19 lead at the five-minute mark. Another steal and transition basket by Herzog, and a beautiful back-door pass from Dunn to Manning for a bucket closed out the third frame with the Eagles on cruise control, 40-23.

Manning and Dunn hooked up for several assists and baskets accounting for 14 of the Eagles' 22 fourth-quarter points to keep the Wildcats at bay, and giving the Eagles the 25-point victory.

"We played good defense tonight," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "We held their two leading scorers to just 17 points combined. I don't think we shot the ball as well both inside or outside, but we'll take the 25-point win."

And, like his Lady Eagle counterpart, the focus was already on Hancock County.

"We're hoping for a huge turnout on Friday," said coach Flatford. This is a really important game for us, and we can really use that home-court advantage."

Cosby scoring (62): Jonathan Manning 25 (4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals), Trenten Dunn 14 (9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals), Chris Grooms 8 (10 rebounds, two blocks), Robert Herzog 7 (3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals), Zach Webb 6, Andrew Adams 1, Brandon Gates 1.

Clinch scoring (37): Cody Lamb 10, Matt Lamb 8, Tobey Norris 7, Ethan Murell 7, Justin Short 2, Dylan Seals 2, Cody Sauceman 1.

BOYS JUNIOR VARSITY

The Eagles' JV squad pushed their season worksheet to 4-1 with a 64-31 victory over the junior Wildcats.

The Eagles blitzed the Wildcats for a 19-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back, leading 35-13 at the break, and 54-26 after three.

The Eagles were led by freshman Andrew Adams, who pumped in a game-high 25 points. Brandon Gates also made double figures with 11, followed by Corey Conard with 9, Zach Webb with 9, Jake Ledford with 3, Robbie Livingston with 3, Marvin Green with 2, Tanner Phillips with 1 and Cody Ball with 1. Conard saw his first action of the season coming off an ankle injury.

The Wildcats were led by Dylan Lamb's 9 points, followed by Trevor Lamb with 8, Freddy Kammer with 5, Dylan Seal with 5 and Kevin Seals with 4.

UP NEXT

First place in District 2A will be on the line when Hancock County invades the Eagles' Nest on Friday, Jan. 9. Boy's junior varsity action will tip things off at 4:30 p.m., followed by girl's varsity at 6:30 p.m. and boy's varsity at around 8 p.m.
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby's Brittany Frisbee (center) finished with a double-double, 14 points and 14 rebounds, in the Lady Eagles' loss at Pigeon Forge on Monday night.

PIGEON FORGE-Cosby went on the road Monday night for an out-of-District get-together with Pigeon Forge. Fortunately, they were out-of-District as the Lady Eagles (6-5) fell 53-40 to the Lady Tigers (12-6), and the Eagles (8-5) also fell 65-46 to the Tigers (7-9). Remember, however, that Cosby moved up a class to renew this rivalry.

LADY EAGLES FALL SHORT

The Lady Tigers are having a great season in a very tough District, and they brought their 'A' game against the Lady Eagles Monday night.

The Lady Tigers raced out to a 7-0 lead, despite a tough and swarming Lady Eagle defense. The Lady Eagles wouldn't get their first two points until the 2:39 mark when senior Whitney Hartsell knocked down two free throws. A three-pointer from Pigeon Forge's Kelsey Brooks was followed by an offensive rebound and put-back by Cosby's Brittany Frisbee to bring the first quarter to an end with the Lady Tigers in front 12-5. Both defenses were working hard through the first eight minutes with the Lady Tigers forcing eight Cosby turnovers and the Lady Eagles forcing five turnovers.

The Lady Eagles turned up their offense for the second frame and got back into the game. In a two-minute span, the Lady Eagles closed the game to 14-13 off of a three-pointer by Hartsell, foul shots by Jessi Daruna, Frisbee and Kalsea Mantooth with 4:50 remaining. That was followed by a Pigeon Forge 9-3 run, including a three-pointer by Courtney Ball, to make it 23-16 at the 1:35 mark. But Frisbee gave the Lady Eagles a strong closing grabbing two more of her 14 rebounds on the night, and getting put-backs on both to make it 25-21 Lady Tigers at the break.

The Lady Eagles came out of the locker room fighting to start the second half. Frisbee scored following an assist by Mantooth, and returned the favor feeding Mantooth for a bucket to tie the score at 25-25. Pigeon Forge's Ashlyn Trotter knocked down a three-pointer to regain the lead, but Hartselll responded with another three-pointer of her own to even things up. But, the Lady Tigers went on a three-point scoring binge to finish out the quarter, hitting three straight for a 38-28 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

The Lady Eagles continued to attack on offense, but the Lady Tigers defense responded with steals and forcing turnovers. The Lady Eagles were down by as many as 14, and managed to cut the lead to single digits, 9, but couldn't overcome the Lady Tigers offensive attack. The Lady Tigers took the final quarter 15-12, and cruised home with the 13-point victory, 53-40.

"Brittany (Frisbee) played big tonight, getting a double-double (14-points, 14-rebounds)," said Eagle head coach Richard Coggins. "Our goal tonight, win or lose, was to play hard, and we did that the entire game. If we had hit our foul shots, we would have had a chance. But, Pigeon Forge is a good team. We played them hard and that's really all you can ask."

The Lady Eagles finished 13-56 (23%) from the floor, 3-14 (21%) from 3-point range, and 9-21 (43%) from the free throw line. The Lady Eagles had 39 rebounds and suffered 21 turnovers.

The Lady Tigers finished 19-55 (35%) from the floor, 6-22 (27%) from 3-point range, and 9-17 (53%) from the free throw line. The Lady Tigers suffered 14 turnovers on the night.

Cosby scoring (40): Brittany Frisbee 14, Whitney Hartsell 13, Kalsea Mantooth 8, Jessi Daruna 3, Alyssa McMahan 2.

Pigeon Forge scoring (53): Megan Kilgore 13, Kelsey Brooks 12, Courtney Ball 10, Chelsea Webb 9, Ashlyn Trotter 5, Danielle Rauhoff 2, Ashley Wojnowski 2.

EAGLES TRY LONG RANGE

A contrast in styles offensively in this game. The Eagles were firing from long range while the Tigers were pounding the ball inside.

Senior Trenten Dunn got the Eagles in front with a three-pointer early, but the Tigers jumped out to an 18-6 lead before Dunn connected on another shot from beyond the arc. Sophomore Robert Herzog followed by a two to make it 21-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Dunn cut the lead to seven to start the second quarter on a potential four-point play. He hit the three-point shot, and after being fouled on the play, missed the free throw. The Tigers canned the next six points before Dunn struck from long range again to make it 27-17 Tigers at the five-minute mark. After a basket by Chris Grooms and a two by Dunn, the Eagles cut the lead to eight, 29-21. But, the Tigers closed the quarter on a 6-2 run for a 35-23 lead at the break.

The Eagles kept up the fight in the third quarter to stay within striking distance. A three-pointer by Herzog got the Eagles to within six, 35-29, but the Tigers answered back with a three-pointer of their own. Then, senior Jonathan Manning got a steal and a fast-break lay up, and a free throw after being fouled on the play to make it 38-29 at the 5:40 mark. Even still, the Eagles were fighting just to keep pace. Despite three-pointers by Nick Baxter and Herzog and a two-pointer from Dunn, the Eagles trailed 48-38 heading into the final quarter.

Herzog got the Eagles off on the right foot draining a two to cut the lead to eight. But the turnover bug struck the Eagles and the Tigers scored seven unanswered points to up their lead to 18, 58-40, with 5:35 remaining. Dunn hit two more of his game-high seven three-pointers to get the Eagles to within 12. But, they could get no closer as the Tigers finished on a 7-0 run for the 19-point victory, 65-46.

"We just couldn't play any defense," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "They really did what they wanted to do against our defense. I though we played hard at times, and we had a chance to cut their lead to seven in the fourth quarter, but turnovers bit us. The same thing happened to us in the Hancock County game. We keep shooting ourselves in the foot, and have to stop doing that if we're going to win games again."

The Eagles finished 16-39 (41%) from the floor and 9-22 (20%) from 3-point range. The Eagles had 22 rebounds and 18 turnovers in the game.

The Tigers finished 27-50 (54%) from the floor and 3-6 (50%) from 3-point range. They had only eight turnovers in the game.

Cosby scoring (46): Trenten Dunn 28, Robert Herzog 10, Jonathan Manning 3, Nick Baxter 3, Chris Grooms 2.

Pigeon Forge scoring (65): Ben Cave 15, Justin Carter 15, Mark Isaacs 13, Cody Dixon 11, Adam Gwinn 7, Tommy Todd 2, Nick Kascawski 2.

BOY'S JV

This reporter made a mistake in Sunday's story about the Cosby boy's junior varsity squad. We had the junior Eagles at 4-1, when, in actuality, they are undefeated at 6-0 following their 49-48-nail biter victory over the junior Tigers Monday night.

The Eagles had a 17-14 first-quarter lead, but trailed the Tigers by one, 25-24, at the break. The Eagles took the third quarter 12-9 to make it 36-34 heading into the final eight minutes and then hung on for the one-point victory, 49-48.

Cosby scoring (49): Corey Conard 17, Andrew Adams 12, Brandon Gates 12, Zach Webb 4, Jake Ledford 4.

Pigeon Forge scoring (48): Aaron Justice 19, Nick Kassawski 12, Caleb Owenby 8, Andy Barnett 5, Cameron Faulkner 6, Glenn Hodge 2.

UP NEXT: No rest for the weary as the Eagles and Lady Eagles continue their busy week tonight.

Both squads and the boy's JV team, return to the hardwood for District 2A games against J. Frank White at the Eagles' Nest.

The Lady Eagles (6-5, 5-0) are alone atop the District 2A standings and defeated the Lady Knights (2-3, 2-1) 60-36 in Harrogate back on Dec. 16. The Eagles (8-5, 4-1) are tied for second with Hancock County, and trail Jellico by one game on the loss column in the District 2A standings. The Eagles defeated the Knights (1-3, 0-2) 73-31 in Harrogate, also on Dec. 16.

Boy's JV will start things off at 4:30 this afternoon, followed by the Lady Eagles and Lady Knights at 6:30 p.m. and the Eagles and Knights at around 8 p.m.

Both varsity games will be broadcast live on WLIK, AM-1270, starting at 6:15 p.m. with Brian Evans providing the play-by-play.
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby's Whitney Hartsell dribbles past a Hancock County defender for two of her game-high 34 points in the Lady Eagles' victory over the Lady Indians Friday night giving the Lady Eagles sole possession of first place in District 2A.

COSBY-The hierarchy of District 2A got together for a throw down at the Eagles' Nest in Cosby on Friday night. At stake was first place. And, when the smoke had cleared, the Lady Eagles (6-4, 5-0) proved they are the team to beat in the District with a hard-fought 56-44 victory over the Hancock County Lady Indians (5-6, 2-1). On the boy's side, the Eagles (8-4, 4-1) picked a bad night to have an off game, as the Indians (4-9, 2-1) took full advantage, and came away with a 58-50 victory.

LADY EAGLES RUN

Lady Eagles head coach Richard Coggins had only one message for his charges prior to the start of Friday's game against the Lady Indians, 'just win baby!' And, the Lady Eagles did just that on the back of senior point guard Whitney Hartsell in a battle of two very good teams.

The Lady Eagles came out hot, and raced off to a 10-4 first quarter lead with Hartsell scoring six of her game high 34 points in the opening stanza.

In the second frame, the Lady Eagles lead was six, 12-6, at the five-minute mark thanks to an assist from Hartsell to senior Kalsea Mantooth. But, the Lady Indians came back, and cut the lead to two, 14-12, following a three-point basket by Alyssa Maloney with three minutes remaining in the half. With the score 14-13, Lady Eagles, Hartsell dished one of her three assists on the night to freshman Alyssa McMahan for a three-pointer with 1:15 to go. Following a basket by Brittany Frisbee and two free throws by McMahan, the Lady Eagles took a four-point lead, 21-17, into the break.

Hartsell gave the Lady Eagles some momentum following the break, knocking down a three-pointer. Jessi Daruna followed with a driving basket to give the Lady Eagles a 26-19 lead. After a rebound and put-back basket and free throw by Frisbee, the Lady Eagle lead was 10, 29-19, at the five-minute mark. The Lady Eagles made it 32-21 on an assist by senior Stevie Gorrell that ended with another Hartsell three-pointer. But, the Lady Indians fought back, and cut the lead to seven, 34-27, at the end of the third quarter.

The final eight minutes saw both teams fighting it out from the free throw line. The two teams combined for 27 foul shots with the Lady Indians hitting 12-15, and the Lady Eagles knocking down 11-15. The quarter started with Hartsell putting in two free throws and ended with two more by Hartsell. In all, Hartsell was 9-13 from the charity stripe in the final quarter. The Lady Eagle defense came up big in the quarter as well, squelching every Lady Indian opportunity at a run. The Lady Eagles tried to take full control on one of three steals by McMahan followed by an assist as she hit Hartsell, who turned it into two points. The Lady Indians responded on a Maloney three-pointer to make it 42-36 Lady Eagles with 4:50 remaining. On the ensuing play, Hartsell was called for a charge. Coach Coggins was then tagged with a technical foul for disputing the call. Leigha Robertson sank both free throws to cut the Lady Eagle lead to four, 42-38. That seemed to give the Lady Eagles a big lift as they once again stepped up their defense. A big steal by Amy Hunt resulted in her being fouled. Hunt went to the free throw line, and calmly knocked down two to push the Lady Eagle lead to six, 44-38. But, the Lady Indians were fouled on the other end and converted on their free throws to cut the lead back to four, 44-40, with 3:44 to go. The Lady Eagles roared back with a big basket by Hunt and a free throw by Hartsell to make it 47-40 with 2:40 remaining. Hartsell then took over scoring nine of her 18 fourth-quarter points to seal the Lady Eagles 12-point victory, 56-44.

"Whitney (Hartsell) did what a senior is supposed to do," said coach Coggins following the game. "She was outstanding tonight, especially in the fourth quarter when the game was tight. When she plays like I know she can, we are a pretty good team."

Coach Coggins also lauded the Lady Indians.

"We beat a really good Hancock County team tonight," said coach Coggins. "Every one of our girls that played tonight did a fantastic job. This makes us 5-0 and number one in the District. It's a big win for sure."

Cosby scoring (56): Whitney Hartsell 34, Alyssa McMahan 7, Brittany Frisbee 5, Amy Hunt 4, Stevie Gorrell 2, Kalsea Mantooth 2, Jessi Daruna 2.

Hancock County scoring (44): Leigha Robertson 19, Alyssa Maloney 14, Carla McDaniel 6, Hollie Gibson 3, Alex Hopkins 2.

CHS: 18/49 FG (37%), 16/21 FT (76%), 4/17 3-PT FG (24%), 29 RBS.

HCHS: 10/48 FG (21%), 22/32 FT (69%), 2/15 3-PT FG (13%), 21 TO.

BAD NIGHT FOR EAGLES

The Eagles had a tough night, that's for sure. But, even though they weren't on their game, they managed to stay within striking distance only to fall eight points short. The Indians weren't exactly playing their best ball either.

This was a game of contradictions. When it appeared that both teams were firing on all cylinders, there would be a turn over or a lapse that would chance the momentum.

The Eagles got on the board first on an assist by Robert Herzog to senior Trenten Dunn, who converted a three-point shot from the top of the key. Another three-pointer by Dunn and an old fashioned three-point play by senior point guard Jonathan Manning put the Eagles in front, 9-4, at the five-minute mark. The Eagle defense was working well early, particularly their press, which forced five Indian turnovers. Dunn and Manning were still clicking offensively, and pushed the Eagle lead to seven, 15-8, at the 2:35 mark. But the Indians settled down and fought back, and after a Jordan Horton three-pointer, they took the lead 19-17. Herzog answered with a two-point jumper, and the first quarter ended all even at 19-19.

Cosby started picking up fouls early in the second frame, and both teams had problems hanging on to the ball. It wasn't until the 3:50 mark that the first points of the quarter were scored, a two-pointer by Hancock's Horton. Cosby answered with a basket by senior Spencer Grooms. But, the Indians finished off the quarter scoring the last four points, and took a four-point lead, 27-23, into the break.

The Indians pushed their lead to 34-23 early in the third quarter before Dunn connected from long-range to cut the Indian lead to eight at the six-minute mark. After two baskets by Chris Grooms and another by Dunn, the Indian lead had been cut to two. With the Eagles suffering from foul trouble, the Indians went on an 8-2 run to make it 42-34 with 1:22 remaining in the quarter. Manning knocked down a three-pointer to close out the third frame, but the Eagles trailed 49-42.

Manning found an open Dunn, who nailed another three-pointer to get the Eagles to within four, 49-45. But, the Indians eventually took the final eight minutes, 9-8, to get the eight-point victory, 58-50.

"We did not deserve to win this game tonight," said a disappointed Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "We did some things tonight that I can't explain and really don't understand. We had breakdowns both on offense and defense, and at key times, had silly turnovers that had nothing to do with Hancock's defense."

Cosby scoring (50): Trenten Dunn 19, Jonathan Manning 16, Chris Grooms 6, Spencer Grooms 5, Brandon Gates 2, Robert Herzog 2.

Hancock County scoring (58): Sloane Holt 24, Hunter Carpenter 14, Jordan Hunter 7, Eric Maxey 5, Theo Collingsworth 4, Fredrick Mullins 2, Todd Seal 2.

CHS: 18/53 FG (34%), 4/6 FT (67%), 6/25 3-PT FG (24%), 32 RBS.

HCHS: 20/38 FG (53%), 17/21 FT (81%), 2/4 3-PT FG (50%).

BOY'S JUNIOR VARSITY

In the boy's junior varsity tilt, the Eagles blitzed the Indians early, but it turned out to be a tight game. The Eagles ran out to a 13-4 first-quarter lead and never looked back, leading 27-20 at the break, 38-33 after three, and coming home with a seven-point victory, 51-44.

The junior Eagles are now 4-1 on the season, and head coach Eric Coggins said defense was the key.

"At one point in the game," said coach Coggins, "we switched from man to a two-three zone to make them shoot from outside. This was a good test for our young team, a close game with a very good team. We needed that experience in a tight contest. Brandon (Gates) and Corey (Conard) got a lot of big rebounds for us tonight, and Andrew (Adams) hit some big shots for us.

Cosby scoring (51): Andrew Adams 17, Brandon Gates 12, Corey Conard 8, Jake Ledford 7, Zach Webb 4, Robbie Livingston 3.

Hancock County scoring (44): Stetson Sexton 18, Colt Sexton 8, Fredrick Mullins 5, Ashton Williams 5, Cass Holt 3, Hayden Short 3, Caleb Green 2.

UP NEXT

Cosby will get two days rest before beginning a very busy week.

On Monday, Jan. 12, the Eagles and Lady Eagles, along with the boy's JV squad, will travel to Pigeon Forge starting at 4:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Eagles and Lady Eagles return home for a District 2A get-together with J. Frank White, beginning with boy's JV at 4:30 p.m. Both the girl's and boy's varsity games will be broadcast live on WLIK, AM-1270, beginning at 6:15 p.m. with Brian Evans providing the play-by-play.

On Friday, Jan. 16, a huge District 2A match-up with Jellico at the Eagles' Nest beginning with boy's JV action at 4:30 p.m. Friday's showdown with Jellico is also homecoming for Cosby.
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©2009 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby senior Kalsea Mantooth helped lead the Lady Eagles past Hancock County Friday night, sealing the District 2A regular season championship.

SNEEDVILLE-Since moving from District 3A to 2A beginning last season, Cosby had a new rival in Hancock County, long the ruler of the roost in District 2A. That has changed, at least on the girl's side as Cosby trekked across Clinch Mountain Friday night for their annual trip to Sneedville.

The Lady Eagles (9-5, 8-0) have yet to lose a District 2A regular-season game, and they kept that record in tact Friday with a hard-fought 44-38 victory over the Lady Indians (7-8, 4-2) to remain unbeaten and in sole possession of the top spot in the girl's standings. The victory also assured the Lady Eagles of their second straight District 2A regular season championship.

The Eagles (10-6, 6-2) were hoping to avenge a loss to the Indians in Cosby a few weeks ago, and remain in a first-place tie with Jellico. That didn't happen, however, as the Indians (6-10, 5-1) came away with a 42-35 victory in a defensive struggle.

LADY EAGLES HOLD ON

It's always a battle when these two teams hook up, and Friday night was no different.

Senior Stevie Gorrell got things started for the Lady Eagles, scoring the first two-pointer of the game. Following a free throw by the Lady Indians' Leisha Robertson, senior Whitney Hartsell drained a three-pointer. The Lady Indians got even at 5-5 before Hartsell knocked down two free throws, and scored on a lay-in off a steal to give the Lady Eagles a four-point advantage, 9-5, at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Eagles started the second frame with a bang after Hartsell got another of her four steals on the night. Hartsell then fed an open senior Kalsea Mantooth, who dropped in a three-pointer to push the lead to seven. Senior Preanna Davis pushed the lead to eight after hitting three free throws at the 4:15 mark. After Hancock's Robertson made a three-pointer the old fashioned way to cut the lead to five, Mantooth got an old-fashioned three-pointer of her own to up the lead back to eight, 18-10. Jessi Daruna closed out the quarter with a driving lay-up to give the Lady Eagles a seven-point lead at the break, 20-14.

The Lady Indians took it to the Lady Eagles to start the third quarter, streaking out on a 6-0 run, and Cosby's lead was cut to one. Following a Cosby timeout, Daruna fed Hartsell, who nailed one of her four three-pointers on the night. But, the Lady Indians stormed back, and with a rebound and put-back by Robertson, the Lady Indians were in front by three, 26-23. The Lady Eagles evened things up on another three-pointer by Hartsell off an assist by senior Amy Hunt with 1:50 left. But Robertson closed out the quarter with a basket to give the Lady Indians a two-point lead, 28-26, heading into the final eight minutes.

With the Lady Indians up 30-26, Hartsell was fouled on a drive to the hoop, and she followed by hitting both free throws. Gorrell followed with a rebound and put-back to get the Lady Eagles even again, 30-30. Cosby regained the lead when Gorrell came up big with a driving shot to make it 32-30 with 5:15 to play. After the Lady Indians tied the game on a basket by Alyssa Maloney, Brittany Frisbee fed Hartsell for another trey, and the Lady Eagles were back in front by three, a lead they would not relinquish. After the Lady Indians pulled to within one, the remainder of the game was played out at the free throw line, and the Lady Eagles made the Lady Indians pay for their fouls. The Lady Eagles went 7-8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter (13-16 in the game) to seal the six-point victory, 44-38.

The Lady Eagles won this one from beyond the arc, nailing 5-10 from three-point range while the Lady Indians were 0-12.

"I think we played really well tonight," said Lady Eagle head coach Richard Coggins. "I was really impressed with Amy Hunt. She came off the bench, and, even though she didn't score, she played some really tough defense on the big girls down low and she had six big rebounds for us. Whitney (Hartsell) was sick, but you couldn't tell with her 22 points. Stevie (Gorrell) came up big in the second half for us with six big points. Kalsea (Mantooth) hit some big shots for us tonight and Preanna (Davis) played some incredible defense for us. And, we did a great job at the free throw line. We wrapped up first place in the District with this win, but our goal at the beginning of the season was to go undefeated in the District. We beat a really good Hancock team that is as good as any team in the District, and we did it on their home court, a really tough place to play. I'm really proud of the entire team tonight.

Cosby scoring (44): Whitney Hartsell 22, Stevie Gorrell 6, Kalsea Mantooth 6, Brittany Frisbee 3, Preanna Davis 3, Jessi Daruna 2, Alyssa McMahan 2.

Hancock County scoring (38): Leigha Robertson 16, Alyssa Maloney 12, Carla McDaniel 4, Alex Hopkins 4, Hollie Gibson 2.

EAGLES FALL SHORT

It appeared early that the Indians were going to run away with this one, holding the Eagles to a mere three first-quarter points, a basket by Trenten Dunn and a Spencer Grooms' free throw. The Indians, however, were controlling the paint, and scoring often inside for a comfortable 14-3 lead at the end of the first eight minutes.

The Eagles began to settle down in the second frame, however, while stepping up their defense, which forced six second-quarter turnovers. Dunn got the Eagles going with a basket and a free throw. After back-to-back free throws by Chris Grooms and Robert Herzog, and another bucket by Dunn, the Eagles were clawing their way back into the game, and trailed by six, 16-10, with 4:30 remaining. Following a basket by Hancock's Todd Seay, Nick Baxter hit Chris Grooms with a pass in the paint, and Grooms converted for two to make it 18-12. But, The Indians scored the final four points of the quarter for a 10-point lead at the break, 22-12.

It had been a defensive struggle for most of the night, and the struggle continued into the third quarter as both teams could only manage a combined 15 points. Chris Grooms got the first point of the quarter on a free throw followed by a Jonathan Manning deuce to cut the Indian lead to seven, 22-15. Following an Indian basket, Manning nailed a shot from beyond the arc to shave the lead to six. But, the Indians followed with two buckets by big Theo Collingsworth in the paint to push the lead back to double digits, 28-18. Dunn connected at the end of the quarter, and the Eagles trailed by nine, 29-20, heading into the final frame.

After another basket by Dunn, Spencer Grooms cleaned the glass off a missed Indian shot, and fired a pass to Manning, who followed with a pass to Chris Grooms in the lane for a two-pointer to cut the lead to five, 29-24, with 6:33 remaining. The Indians, however, went on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to push their lead to 12, 38-26, with three minutes remaining. But the Eagles dug deep and refused to roll over. Manning scored with a tip-in and Dunn followed with a deuce to make it 38-33 with 1:53 left. Herzog then stole the Indian inbounds pass, tipped it to Manning, who gave it back to Herzog for a lay-up, and just like that, the Eagles had closed the game to just three, 38-35, with 1:15 to play. The Eagles were forced to stop the clock with fouls, and Hancock's Hunter Carpenter made them pay, canning four free throws to close out the contest, and preserve the Indians' victory, 42-35.

"We struggled shooting the ball tonight," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford, "and we had problems running our offense against their zone. It was pretty much the same problems we had the last time we played them. We just couldn't make shots when we needed them. We played really hard toward the end to give us a chance, but I think we dug ourselves too deep into a hole early. We can't feel sorry for ourselves, though, and we've got to push to get better."

The loss drops the Eagles into second place in the District while the Indians remain in a first-place tie with Jellico atop the District 2A standing. Jellico defeated the Indians in their first meeting in December.

Cosby scoring (35): Trenten Dunn 13, Jonathan Manning 9, Chris Grooms 6, Spencer Grooms 4, Robert Herzog 3.

Hancock County scoring (42): Theo Collingsworth 16, Hunter Carpenter 10, Eric Maxey 7, Jordan Horton 5, Fredrick Mullins 2, Todd Seay 2.

GIRL'S JUNIOR VARSITY

The Lady Eagles' Junior Varsity squad came away with a big eight-point victory over the junior Lady Indians Friday night.

The Lady Eagles led 10-7 after one, but the Lady Indians got even, 21-21, at the break. The Lady Eagles came back for a five-point lead after three, 30-25, and out-scored the Lady Indians 13-10 over the final eight minutes for the 43-35 victory.

Cosby scoring (43): Alyssa McMahan 14, Brooklyn Stuart 10, Madison Hall 9, Whitney Black 8, Lindsey Wines 2.

Hancock County scoring (35): Meghan Gill 11, Harley Jessie 8, Hayln Alder 5, Alex Hopkins 4, Jasmine Johnson 2, Sarah Ramsey 2, Kayla Mitchell 3.

UP NEXT

Cosby traveled to Gatlinburg-Pittman on Saturday to make up the games that had previously been scheduled for this past Tuesday, Jan. 20, but were postponed due to weather. Both JV squads and both varsity squads were in action Saturday night, but the information was unavailable at press time. We'll have the results for you coming up on Tuesday.

Cosby played both this past Friday and Saturday nights, and, following a break on Sunday, will be back on the hardwood both Monday, Jan. 26, and Tuesday, Jan. 27. On Monday, Cosby travels to Berean Christian in Knoxville for games that had previously been scheduled for Dec. 16. Only the varsity squads will see action with the Lady Eagles tipping at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Eagles at around 8 p.m. Then on Tuesday, Jan. 27, Cosby returns home to face Maryville Christian at the Eagles' Nest. Boy's JV will tip things off at 5 p.m., followed by girl's varsity at 6:30 p.m. and boy's varsity at around 8 p.m.
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©2008 NPT PHOTO BY RUSSELL LAWS

Cosby's Jonathan Manning with a shot in action at Unaka Tuesday night.

ELIZABETHTON-If you are a basketball fan, these kinds of games are what you live for.

The Cosby Eagles (4-2) and Lady Eagles (1-4) made the long journey east Tuesday night for an out-of-district get-together with the Unaka Rangers (1-2) and Lady Rangers (2-1). For both teams, it was a chance to get some tough competition early in the season outside of their district. And, they got what they came for.

The girl's contest was a defensive struggle, and the Lady Eagles came close, only to fall late 37-33. The boy's contest was a back-and-forth contest as well with the Eagles pulling through late for the 45-43 victory.

LADY EAGLES

The Lady Eagles were going for a ride and called shotgun, only to end up in the back seat, and spending most of the night trying to climb into the front.

Both teams had their defenses tuned for the battle, and that kept the offensive units off balance for most of the evening.

Unaka got off a little quicker in front of their home audience, and took a 6-2 lead until Cosby senior Kalsea Mantooth buried a three-pointer to pull the Lady Eagles to within one with 1:51 remaining in the opening eight minutes. The Lady Rangers responded, however, with the final three minutes of the frame, and led 9-5 heading into the second quarter.

The Lady Rangers made it 11-5 to start the quarter, but a steal and basket by Jessi Daruna pulled the Lady Eagles to within four. The Lady Rangers' Elesa Kay Leigh responded with a three-pointer to push the lead to seven at the 6:24 mark. Senior Stevie Gorrell got the Lady Eagles to within five with a three-pointer with 5:31 remaining in the quarter. Both teams traded baskets the rest of the way, and the Lady Eagles trailed by five, 20-15, at the break.

Both teams' defenses tightened the screws coming out of the locker room, and over the next eight minutes, only six points total were scored. Unaka took the quarter 5-1, and led 25-16 heading into the final eight minutes.

The defensive struggle continued with the first points of the final quarter scored with just six minutes remaining in the contest. The Lady Eagles were making a final push however, starting with a Mantooth free throw and a three-pointer by senior guard Whitney Hartsell. Hartsell fired up another shot from beyond the arc, but missed. She grabbed her own rebound and put it back in to pull the Lady Eagles to within five, 25-20. The Lady Eagle defense kept up the pressure, and left the Lady Rangers without a point in the quarter until the four-minute mark when they pushed the lead to seven, 27-20. But, Mantooth stepped up with a big three-pointer to get the Lady Eagles to within four, 27-23. Following a time-out, the Lady Eagles went to full court pressure, and forced a turnover on the in-bounds play. Mantooth stole the inbounds pass and quickly got the ball to Hartsell, who converted a lay-up to get the Lady Eagles to within one, 27-26, with 3:21 remaining. But, the Lady Rangers had back-to-back baskets, one of them a three pointer, to push their lead back to six, 32-26, with 2:08 left. The Lady Eagles turned up the defensive pressure again, and kept the Lady Rangers from scoring over the next 1:38. The Lady Eagles closed the gap to two, 33-31, off of three free throws and a basket by Hartsell, but there was just 21 seconds remaining in the game. Despite another basket by Hartsell, the lady Rangers hit four free throws to close out the four-point victory.

"I'm pleased with our effort tonight," said Lady Eagle head coach Richard Coggins. "We didn't shoot very well, but I thought that was our best defensive effort so far this season. You have to remember that Unaka is a very good team. They lost only one player from last season's team. I remember it took us overtime to beat them last year. Overall, though, I think we're getting better."

Cosby scoring (33): Whitney Hartsell 13, Kalsea Mantooth 9, Jessi Daruna 4, Brittany Frisbee 4, Stevie Gorrell 3.

Unaka scoring (37): Elesa Kay Leigh 10, Rachael Lowe 8, Natalie Johnson 7, Danielle Jones 6, Kayla Winters 5, Taylor Nidiffer 1.

EAGLES

The 2008-09 version of the Cosby Eagles has been nothing short of exciting. Every one of their games has been decided in the closing minutes, and Tuesday night at Unaka was no different.

The Eagles came out strong on a rebound and put-back by Chris Grooms and a three-pointer by Nick Baxter. But, the Rangers' Jeff Peters nailed a shot from beyond the arc to get things even at 6-6 to set the tone of the game. Grooms added four more points, and senior Trenten Dunn sank a three-pointer to put the Eagles up 13-9. But, the Rangers responded with a three-pointer of their own as the clock expired at the end of the first quarter with the Eagles clinging to a one-point lead, 13-12.

Both teams continued their toe-to-toe battle into the second period, but the Eagles managed to push their lead to five on a basket by Brandon Gates on an assist from senior Spencer Grooms. Robert Herzog got a rebound and put-back to make it 21-16 Eagles with 3:23 remaining. But, Unaka fought back, and evened the score at 21-21 with 1:26 to go. Unaka then got the final hoop of the quarter, and had their first lead of the night, 23-21, at the break.

The tug of war continued out of the locker room with the Rangers building their biggest lead of the night, 31-25 with 5:15 to play in the third frame. But, Dunn stepped up for the Eagles, knocking down a free throw, and following that with a three-point basket to get the Eagles to within two, 31-29. Unaka then fired off five unanswered points to push their lead to seven, but the Eagles showed their resiliency with a basket by Spencer Grooms, back-to-back lay-ups by Herzog, and a basket by senior Jonathan Manning to get even, 37-37, heading into the final eight minutes.

Manning started the quarter with a steal and transition lay-in to put the Eagles back in front. Following a Unaka basket to tie it again, Manning knocked down two free throws to make it 41-39. With 4:29 remaining, Unaka got the lead back, 43-41, but Chris Grooms responded with a bucket to tied the game once again at 43-43 with 2:07 to go. On a driving shot by Herzog, Cosby was back in front 45-43 with 1:32 remaining. Unaka had opportunities to tie or take the lead over the final minute-and-a-half, but with 10 seconds remaining, Cosby's defense forced the Rangers into a bad shot, and the buzzer sounded, giving the Eagles the hard-fought two-point victory.

"I though we played hard tonight," said Eagle head coach Brad Flatford. "I'm not sure how smart we played, but there were times that we did. Some of the guys really stepped up tonight, especially Chris (Grooms) and Robert (Herzog) to put us ahead late. I'm really proud of our senior captains Trenten (Dunn) and Jonathan (Manning) for helping to keep the team's composure down the stretch and giving us a chance to win, especially with our last defensive effort of the game."

Cosby scoring (45): Jonathan Manning 10, Chris Grooms 10, Robert Herzog 9, Trenten Dunn 8, Nick Baxter 4, Spencer Grooms 2, Brandon Gates 2.

Unaka scoring (43): Michael Bowers 17, Jeff Peters 8, Franky Covarrubia 8, Cody Cornett 5, drew Chambers 4, Josh Peterson 2, Devyn Chambers 2.

UP NEXT:

The Cosby Eagles and Lady Eagles grueling road schedule continues this Friday night, Dec. 12, as they get back into District play with a trip to Lincoln Memorial University, and a showdown with J. Frank White. Boy's JV action will start things off at 4:30 p.m., followed by girl's varsity at 6:30 p.m. and boy's varsity at around 8 p.m.

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