The Signal Mountain Eagles have gotten off to one of their best starts for basketball in recent seasons, but had fallen on hard times lately with four straight losses.
Those Eagles got back on track Tuesday night at Hixson as they sustained a really good start for the Wildcats in the opening stanza before prevailing, 53-38.
Signal Mountain improves to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in District 6-AAA while Hixson is now 0-13 overall and 0-6 in league play.
Signal Mountain coach Steven Redman wasn’t quite sure what to think about Hixson’s T.J. Earls, who scored his team’s first 14 points and led the Wildcats to a 16-11 lead after the opening quarter.
The veteran coach didn’t panic and apparently, his players didn’t either as they regained the lead for the last time in the final minute of the half and never trailed again.
“We’re back on the right side of the track. It’s a district win on the road, so that’s a big thing for us,” Redman began before heading to the Signal Mountain dressing room.
“We didn’t play our best basketball at times, but we just sort of had to grind it out. We knew their guy (Earls) could shoot it and he got some great open looks at the start, but we were a lot more aware of where he was in the second half.
“I thought we played way too passive in the first half as we just basically let Hixson dictate the pace, but I thought we did a better job in the second half and finally got things turned around,” he added.
It’s been a tough start for first-year coach Blake McNair and his Wildcats. They lost again on Tuesday, but the home team played with a lot of heart and good things will eventually come their way.
“It’s so frustrating,” McNair said of the losing streak.
“That first quarter may have been the best quarter we’ve played all season as things went really well and T.J. had the hot hand.
“We played really hard the entire game and they do that, regardless of the circumstances, as there’s no quit in them.
“We sort of fell apart a little bit in the second half, but I’m convinced that if we keep working hard and keep our heads held high, good things will happen soon,” McNair added.
Earls made back-to-back 3s midway through the opening stanza to give Hixson its biggest lead at 13-3 with 3:30 left before three straight points from Christopher Kennedy in the final minute got the Eagles within five at 16-11 when the first quarter ended.
The Eagles then scored the first dozen points of the second stanza for a 23-16 lead following a pair of free throws by Ben Timblin with 4:32 left before the half.
Jason Lockett scored six of eight points for the Wildcats at the end of the half for a 24-23 lead before a 3 by Kennedy in the last minute allowed Signal Mountain to take a 26-24 lead into the dressing room at intermission.
Andrew Matukewicz scored the first four points of the second half and Kennedy scored on a layup as the Eagle lead stretched to 32-24 with 5:11 left in the third.
Another 3 by Earls with 2:22 showing in the third got the Wildcats within five at 37-32, but it never got any closer as the Eagles were able to survive the Hixson defensive pressure and snap that losing streak.
Kennedy finished with 15 points to lead the Eagles while Jackson Martin was also in double figures with 13.
Earls was tops for Hixson with 19 points while Lockett chipped in with 10.
Hixson had an unofficial 31-23 advantage in rebounds as JeJuan Gillispie snagged a dozen for the Wildcats. Nisaiah Frederick followed with eight.
Timblin was the leader for Signal Mountain with eight boards while Martin snagged six.
Signal Mountain will be at home on Friday for its next game against East Hamilton while Hixson will travel to Chattanooga Prep on Thursday before playing at Berean Academy on Friday.
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN GIRLS 62, HIXSON 20: Carlee Lowry was a one-girl wrecking crew as she personally outscored the Lady Wildcats by scoring 28 of her team’s 62 points and was the only Lady Eagle in double figures.
Cassidy Pawson was next for Signal with seven while Bre Collier had eight points to lead Hixson.
GIRLS SUMMARY
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN 16 23 14 9 -- 62
HIXSON 5 9 6 0 -- 20
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN (62) – Walker 5, Ford, Redman 4, Pawson 7, Carlee Lowry 28, Rock 4, Bohman 2, Cisto 5, McKendrick 5, Provansha, Robertson 2.
HIXSON (20) – Plank 2, B. Collier 8, Brown 2, Beach 4, A. Collier, K. Collier, Bellamy, Kaylor 4.
3-POINT GOALS: Signal Mountain 2 (Pawson, Cisto); Hixson 1 (B. Collier).
BOYS SUMMARY
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN 11 15 14 13 -- 53
HIXSON 16 8 8 6 -- 38
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN (53) – Matukewicz 7, Newman 3, Timblin 5, Christopher Kennedy 15, Jackson Martin 13, Thompson, Svandas 2, Hilke 8.
HIXSON (38) – Bradley, T.J. Earls 19, Jason Lockett 10, Gillispie 2, Arnold, Kamper 2, Jackson, King 1, Frederick 4.
3-POINT GOALS: Signal Mountain 4 (Kennedy 2, Martin 2); Hixson 5 (Earls 4, Lockett).
RECORDS: Signal Mountain 9-8 overall, 3-2 in 6-AAA; Hixson 0-13 overall, 0-6 in 6-AAA.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)