CHARLESTON, Tenn. — Sizzlin' the strings for a season-high 17 3-pointers, 10th-ranked (4A) Walker Valley galloped away from visiting McMinn Central Tuesday, in "The Stable."
After Senior Night celebration, it was only appropriate that 15 of the long-range bombs came from 12th graders on their way to a 90-61 blowout.
In the night's opener, the Lady Mustangs ran into a buzz saw in second-ranked (2A) McMinn Central, who won its 26th consecutive game with a 75-30 win over the Lady Herd.
Both the Mustangs (23-3) and Lady Mustangs (5-20) finish out the week playing McMinn County Friday in a District 5-4A battle, in Athens.
The Herds will cap the regular season in a makeup league twinbill at Rhea County Tuesday, before hosting the district tournament, which begins on Thursday, Feb. 20.
McMinn Central wraps up the regular campaign with a trip to Lenoir City Monday.
MUSTANGS 90, CHARGERS 61: Eli Bain, Zeke Garrison, Landon Shirk, Tucker Campbell and Coleman Green got the start on Senior Night after recognition between games, with classmate Graham Campbell the first off the bench midway through the opening period.
Those veteran 'Stangs helped Walker Valley hold a slim one-point lead at 15-14 after one quarter, with Green leading the charge with six of those 15 points.
In the second frame, it was junior Isaac Sausville's turn to turn up the heat with seven of the Mustangs' first 12 points of the quarter.
Green and Graham Campbell each drained a triple in the quarter, too, to help put the 'Stangs ahead 35-29 at the intermission.
Those 35 points would pail in comparison to the offensive outpour the Mustangs had in store in the final 16 minutes - two more Graham Campbell threes in the third along with a Garrison long range bomb and Sausville trifecta helped light up the scoreboard for a 26 points, pushing the Mustang advantage to 61-45 after three quarters.
The Mustangs shifted into another gear, though, putting in eight long-range bombs in the fourth quarter alone.
Green and Shirk ripped the cords with three triples apiece, while Tucker and Graham Campbell each hit one of their own.
When all was said and done, the Mustangs had connected on 17 threes on 42 attempts (40.5%), good for 40% from distance. Inside the arc, the Valley boys were on target as well, sinking 19-for-25 (76%).
Green and Graham Campbell paced the balanced Mustang attack with 18 points apiece. Campbell also put up three rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Shirk and Sausville joined in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
McMinn Central was led by Will Benton's 18 points.
CHARGERETTES 75, LADY MUSTANGS 30: Much like the first time around in Englewood, it was Lady Mustang turnovers against the Chargerette defensive pressure that proved too much to overcome.
WV coughed it up eight times in the first period, which put the visitors in business with a 20-6 first.
In the second period, the Lady Mustangs scored on four of their first six possessions - four Sariyah Cox points and a Maliyah Woods layup - but turned the ball over seven consecutive possessions to end the quarter, which McMinn Central (26-1) used for a 13-0 close to the period, giving the Chargerettes a 40-12 halftime lead.
The visitors wouldn't let up in the third, as McMinn Central started the half with a 22-3 run to break the game open at 62-15.
A Cox layup and Kia Young bucket helped buck that low-scoring flurry, but the Chargerettes ended the quarter with a 69-19 lead.
Eleven points in the fourth quarter pushed the Lady Mustangs' final point total to 30.
The Lady Mustangs had 32 turnovers to eight for McMinn Central.
Woods' nine points led Walker Valley, while Lyla Sims and Madi McDonald had five apiece.
McMinn Central's Karina Bystry led all scorers with 28.
GAME SUMMARIES
Tuesday, Feb. 11
at "The Stable"
Girls Game
McMinn Central 20 20 29 6 — 75
Walker Valley 6 6 7 11 — 30
CHARGERETTES (75) – Karina Bystry 28, Malea Masingale 21, Reagan Baker 15, McCary Beaty 5, Camryn Loden 4, Addie Williams 2, Latham.
LADY MUSTANGS (30) – Maliyah Woods 9, Madi McDonald 5, Lyla Sims 5, Sariyah Cox 3, Young 2, Lindsey 2, K. McDonald 2, Jones 2, Argauer, Trew.
3-POINT GOALS: MC 5 (Masingale 3, Bystry, Baker); WV 1 (Sims).
FREE THROWS: MC 16-of-20: WV 3-of-5
RECORDS: No. 2 (2A) McMinn Central 26-1: Walker Valley 5-20.
Boys Game
McMinn Central 14 15 15 16 — 61
Walker Valley 15 20 26 29 — 90
CHARGERS (61) – Will Benton 18, Daylen Spradling 13, Carter Anderson 11, Landyn Defriece 7, McInturff 5, Mayfield 3, Moss 2, Hacker 2, Riden, Mazzei, Plemons.
MUSTANGS (90) – Graham Campbell 18, Coleman Green 18, Landon Shirk 12, Isaac Sausville 11, Garrison 7, T. Campbell 6, Davis 6, Keeton 6, Coates 4, Wood 2, Bain.
3-POINT GOALS: MC 7 (Anderson 3, Benton 2, Defriecen, McInturff): WV 17 (Green 5, Shirk 4, G. Campbell 4, Sausville 2, T. Campbell, Coates)
FREE THROWS: MC 12-of-18: WV 5-of-7
RECORDS: McMinn Central 10-17: No. 10 (4A) Walker Valley 23-3.