Wildcats take a Varsity Sweep Over Invest Collegiate
Andrews Basketball, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports December 11, 2021
The Andrews Basketball teams hosted Invest Collegiate out of Asheville on Friday Night. It was a great night to be at the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center as both teams dominated pulling off a varsity sweep on the night. The girls team won their first game of the season and looked really good doing it. While the boys had a hot start and never looked back to win their game by double digits.
Girls Recap:
The Lady Wildcats got off to a great start in the first quarter taking control of the game early. Their star senior guard Emily Mealer had a big first quarter with 12 points including a pair of threes. Andrews also got scoring from four other players in the quarter as well. Mealer led the way but possibly for the first time this year got steady contributions from the rest of the young Lady Wildcats team. By the halftime break Andrews held a dominant 32 to 7 lead. This allowed for them to cruise to victory in the second half. Throughout the first couple games we had been waiting to see this young team turn the corner and it appears they have done that on Friday night. The final score was 55 to 19, the Lady Wildcats got a full team effort on the night. After the big win let’s hope this young team can keep up the momentum and turn this into a winning streak.
Boys Recap:
The boys game was a total and complete domination by the Wildcats. They controlled the game from tip off to the final whistle. A big part of this was due to the career night from Isaac Weaver who had 28 points on the night. Weaver had 13 points in the first quarter alone to help Andrews out to a 20-5 lead. Weaver followed that up in the second quarter with a three threes to further extend the Wildcat lead. By Halftime the Wildcats led 37-10 and would go on to cruise to victory in the second half. Cam Rattler also had ten points on the night for the Wildcats along with several assists and a massive block. All in all nine different Wildcats scored on the night, improving their record to 3-2 winning 67-33.
Boys Highlights:
Hiwassee Dam Boys Take Down County Rival Andrews
Andrews Basketball, Hiwassee Dam Basketball, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports December 9, 2021
The Andrews Wildcats boys basketball team traveled down to county rival the Hiwassee Dam Eagles on Tuesday night. It was a hotly contested game in which the lead never got over 10 at the end of any quarter. Hiwassee Dam was down coming into the last quarter but found a way to pull out a tight win 55-49.
Game Recap:
Hiwassee Dam took an early lead in the game, leading 12-9 after the 1st quarter. That was due in part to a seven point quarter for Sam Bradford. Hiwassee Dam would heat up in the second quarter and extend their lead. By the third quarter though Andrews started to turn it around and erased the Eagles lead. The Wildcats got eight points from Cam Rattler in the quarter and were able to take a one point lead. The fourth quarter was back and forth and it looked like it could be anyone’s game. Sam Bradford capped off his 26 point night with a 9 effort in the fourth quarter including 7-8 from the free throw line. This allowed the Eagles to push back ahead of Andrews, winning 55-49.
Leading Scorers:
Sam Bradford 26 points (HD)
Cam Rattler 24 points (Andrews)
Isaac Weaver 12 points (Andrews)
Game Highlights:
Andrews Wildcats Win in a Thriller
Andrews Basketball, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports December 7, 2021
The Andrews Wildcats boys basketball team took on a tough opponent Monday night hosting Tellico Plains. The game was a good one filled with lots of physical play. There were lots of lead changes and ties throughout the game. Come winning time though Andrews made a few more big plays than Tellico. This allowed the Wildcats to get their second win of the season 51-49.
1st Quarter:
Both teams got off to slow starts early in the quarter and were having a tough time finding points to be had. About halfway through the quarter though both teams started to find their scoring touch. For Andrews the insertion of Kegan Ellis into the game was a big reason why, he had two assists and a three in the quarter. Isaac Weaver was the beneficiary of one of those assists hitting a nice reverse layup on the fast break. Weaver also made a three of his own in the 1st quarter to lead the Wildcats in scoring early on.
2nd Quarter:
Going into the second quarter the Wildcats had a 13-11 lead. Unfortunately for the Wildcats they would go cold in the second quarter. While Tellico Plains started to chip away at their lead. Andrews created some good looks but shots just weren’t falling. By halftime Andrews had lost their lead and would go into the break down 23-21.
3rd Quarter:
Andrews found their scoring touch once again in the third quarter. They got threes from Donovan Bateman and Kegan Ellis. As well Isaac Weaver got a great inside feed from Bateman at the end of the quarter. Weaver did not disappoint and hit a really tough and one shot. Making it an old fashioned three point play and giving Andrews a 36-33 leading going into the fourth quarter.
4th Quarter:
Tellico challenged the Wildcats going into the fourth quarter putting pressure on the young team. Tellico took the lead back from the Wildcats but Andrews would not go away lightly. A big key to the fourth quarter was Cameron Rattler for the Wildcats he had several big buckets. He also had a couple of key passes out after offensive rebounds. This enabled Andrews to keep a small lead as the quarter was coming near the end. A late fourth quarter push by Tellico made it a one point game with 1:30 left to play. Andrews had a perfect possession though, moving the ball around for 45 seconds before Kegan Ellis came up with a huge basket to give Andrews a three point lead. That ended up as the winning basket as the Wildcats finished the game winning 51-49.
Game Highlights:
Lady Wildcats Fall to Tellico Plains
Andrews Basketball, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports December 7, 2021
The Andrews Lady Wildcats took on a tough opponent in Tellico Plains on Monday evening. Tellico Plains brought back a ton from their team that went 24-2 last year and also won their district. The Lady Bears were too much for Andrews, their three point shooting on offense and full court pressure defense gave the Lady Wildcats all kinds of trouble. Andrews showed plenty of promise though even in the 64-26 loss.
1st Half:
Tellico Plains came out firing early, combining that with their full court pressure and it made things difficult for Andrews. Tellico had 19 first quarter points, getting contributions from five different players. Andrews had trouble breaking the press and did not get many shot attempts up. Tellico led 19-4 going into the second quarter and did not look back. They further extended their lead but were held to less points this quarter by Andrews. Emily Mealer led the way for Andrews in the second quarter hitting a three and an inside basket. Yet by halftime the score was the Lady Bears 34, the Lady Wildcats 9.
2nd Half:
Tellico came out shooting hot again to start the second half and put any doubts of an Andrews’ comeback away. Their 18 point fourth quarter while holding Andrews to just six sealed the game. It was good to see in the fourth quarter though that the Lady Wildcats still had plenty of fight. Even though they were down big, the fourth quarter was their best quarter of the game. They managed 11 points in the quarter behind a big 8 eight point effort from Emily Mealer. Mealer was the leading scorer for Andrews on the night with a 17 point performance. If she can continue to play like that it could mean good things for the Lady Wildcats moving forward.