Red Bank Boys, Soddy-Daisy Girls Win In 6-AAA

Sources Say S-D's Seals Will Not Return Next Year

  • Monday, February 23, 2004
  • Stan Crawley

The career of one Soddy-Daisy High School basketball coach came to an end Monday night, and the career of another was extended for at least another week.

In the District 6-AAA Tournament at Ooltewah High, Red Bank's Lions turned in a strong third quarter and defeated Soddy-Daisy, 65-55, in the boys play-in game.

It marked the end to Laura Wood's five-year coaching stint with the Trojans. Soddy-Daisy officials will announce former UT-Chattanooga coach Ron Shumate as the Trojans' new mentor in the near future.

In the girls play-in game, Soddy-Daisy defeated Central, 42-39, with a comeback in the closing minute.

Sources say that Soddy-Daisy veteran Mike Seals will not return next year as coach of the Lady Trojans. An official announcement on Seals is expected when the Lady Trojans are eliminated from tournament play. They are assured of two more games this week in the district and at least one next week in the Region 3 Tournament at Ooltewah.

Tuesday's semifinal schedule: 4--Soddy-Daisy girls vs. Brainerd; 5:30--Red Bank boys vs. Brainerd; 7--Ooltewah girls vs. Red Bank; 8:30--Ooltewah boys vs. Central.

The consolation and championship games will be played Thursday. The district semifinalists advance to next week's region tournament.

RED BANK BOYS 65, SODDY-DAISY 55: Soddy-Daisy (4-21) trailed by only three points at halftime, but Red Bank (10-12) outscored the Trojans, 27-13, in the third quarter.

"In the second half we wanted to keep the ball out of (Soddy-Daisy's Michael) Eldridge's hands and to overplay him when he got the ball,'' Red Bank coach Scott Cook said. "We were more intense in the third quarter, played with more energy.''

Cook and the Lions also abandoned their 2-2-1 zone in the third quarter and went to a full-court, man-to-man alignment.

Soddy-Daisy's Derek Rende made a field goal to pull the Trojans within 32-28 with 6:32 left in the third quarter. Red Bank's Brandon Moon then made a three-pointer, followed by field goals from Matt Glab, Randall Smith and Glab. It was suddenly 41-28 Red Bank.

The lead grew to 53-34 on a field goal from Ken Green with 1:28 left in the third quarter.

Soddy-Daisy made a final run in the fourth quarter and pulled within 58-50 on a field goal by Eldridge with 1:36 left. Smith then sealed the Lions' victory with free throws down the stretch.

Smith and Glab scored 16 each for the Lions, Moon added 11 and Seth Powers and Green added seven each.

"We're young and we're glad to be in the region tournament,'' Cook said. "We've had an up-and-down year and the kids have hung tough. I think they deserve to be in the region. We're athletic and young, and we'll just play them one game at a time the rest of the way.''

Rende scored 19 for Soddy-Daisy and Eldridge added 14.

SODDY-DAISY GIRLS 42, CENTRAL 39: The Lady Pounders led, 39-36, after Barbara Holland's field goal with 49 seconds left in the game.

With 25 seconds left, Soddy-Daisy freshman Kelby Jones made a field goal and was fouled. She missed the ensuing free throw, but senior Tory Mills grabbed the rebound and scored to give the Lady Trojans a 40-39 lead with 19 seconds left.

Holland missed two free throws with 15 seconds left for Central, and then Mills sealed the victory for Soddy-Daisy (12-11) with two free throws with four seconds remaining.

"Mills is a senior and she came through for us at the end,'' Seals said. "And that freshman (Jones) made a big bucket for us.

"We didn't panic and just kept executing. Give Central credit. They shot well and adjusted well to what we were doing. But our girls did a nice job adjusting to situations as well.''

Mills led Soddy-Daisy with 14 points and Brandi Ables added 10.

Kristen Weickert, who just missed a three-pointer at the final buzzer, led Central (3-23) with 12 points. Holland added 10 points.

"I thought we had it when we got that three-point lead,'' Central coach Rick Rogers said. "Our girls did a good job.''

SUMMARIES

BOYS

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Soddy-Daisy..........18 5 13 19 - 55
Red Bank…............14 12 27 12 - 65

SODDY-DAISY (55) -- Michael Elddrige 14, Derek Rende 19, Corey Busch 7, Billy Darden 7, Zack Crawford 8, Tyler Worley.

RED BANK (65) -- Randall Smith 16, Seth Powers 7, Ryan Wood 6, Brandon Moon 11, Matt Glab 16, Tyler Hamrick, John Crane, Ken Green 7, Jon Craig 2.

Three-point goals -- Eldridge 2, Wood 2, Rende, Green, Smith, Moon.


GIRLS

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Central..............11 6 12 10 - 39
Soddy-Daisy..........11 9 11 11 - 42

CENTRAL (39) -- Barbara Holland 10, Katie Johnston, Beth Cotter 3, Ragan Elliott 9, Lakeisha Dupree, Kristen Weickert 12, Courtney Dawson 5, Gabrielle Bloodsaw.

SODDY-DAISY (42) -- Kristi Combs 3, Nichole Belanger 5, Lacy Linz 2, Kelby Jones 6, Emily Hutchins, Christy Parrot, Brandi Ables 12, Ashley Daughtrey, Tory Mills 14, Lyndsey Stiles.

Three-point goals -- Elliott 3, Ables 2, Combs, Belanger, Jones, Cotter.

(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)


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