Henderson County – East Henderson (16-4; 7-1 M7) surged past rival West Henderson (13-6; 6-2) into first place in Mountain Seven standings past the season’s midpoint, edging the Falcons 48-47 in overtime at home last Friday, Jan. 26.
Joe Justice sank the game-winning free throw. He scored 10 points. Eagle Caiden Brewer tallied 23 points and nine rebounds. West beat East 56-45 on Dec. 19, when Brewer was ill and absent.
North Henderson (14-5; 4-3) is also in the 3A playoff hunt. In the M7 tournament, higher seeds host openers Feb. 16. Semifinals Feb. 20 and finals Feb. 22 are at West.
Hendersonville (12-6), at 5-2, is a close third in Mountain Foothills standings. “We’ve been developing, from hard work,” 6-6 center Malachi Simpson said
All four teams are in gear. Three of them have players who surpassed the hallowed 1,000-point career scoring mark. They are senior Jack Lyda of West Henderson, and a pair of juniors in Simpson of HHS and East’s Brewer. North Henderson sophomore Micah Pierce, a second-year starter, is on track to reach that milestone next season.
Locals account for three of the top five Mountain Seven (M7) scorers in Brewer (24.2), Lyda (19.4), and Pierce (19.1). Simpson of HHS averages 22.4 points.
Eagle-Eyed Shooters
East Henderson is sizzling under fifth-year head coach Marquintus Jones and with sharpshooter Brewer. Jones is pleased with Eagle fan turnout and energy. He said, “One of my goals when I took this job was to get East students and fans something to be excited about again in sports.”
Brewer is a spectacular all-around performer. He leads the league in scoring by three points over the field. “Caiden electrifies us,” Coach Jones said. Brewer does it all — driving swiftly to the basket, spotting up outside, and guarding tightly. He averages 7.6 rebounds which is outstanding for a guard, and 3.7 steals.
Brewer whooped it up after driving in for a key basket against NHHS. Coach Jones likes “his passion coming out during a heated competition.”
Brady Nix (7.0 PPG, 5 REB) is among gutsy Eagles. He scrapes to get loose balls. He makes clutch shots — as when East upset West then North Henderson to win the league conference tournament a season ago. That run propelled Eagle confidence into this season. Guard Wyatt Taylor (9.6 PPG, 2.5 steals) is also energetic and scrappy.
The Eagles edged visiting North Henderson on Jan. 12, in a matchup of teams lacking huge big men but which are quick in pressing and on fast breaks. There were multiple contests of diving for loose balls. Coach Jones called the intense rivalry game a “dogfight.”
Brewer said, “We always fight!” He led East with 29 points. He had three steals, four rebounds, and two assists. His best a season ago was 33 points. He surpassed that with 38 versus Chase, and 36 against Hendersonville in an emotional 62-53 triumph Dec. 5. Last week, East smoked Smoky Mountain 74-43 on Jan. 22, then beat Franklin a night later.
Knights ‘Pierce’ Enemy Armor
The East-NHHS score stayed close. Down seven, Coach Justin Parris’ Knights chopped the lead to three at 26-23 at halftime and five entering the final quarter. Trailing 46-39, they closed to 49-47 with nine seconds left. Pierce’s acrobatic, running three-pointer was a gem. Soonafter, his layup cut the lead to two.
Next, NHHS got the ball back on a quick turnover, but with a mere half-second left. Pierce missed a quick-release shot. “We couldn’t knock down enough shots” to pull out the win, he said. Brewer held him to 11 points.
Complementing Pierce (20.1) are athletic seniors Bryson Rowe (11.9 PPG, 6.4 REB) and Zion McDaniel (10.9).
The Knights slayed HHS 77-64 Jan. 16, avenging an early loss, and also split with West and East.
Falcon Triple Crown
West Henderson is the reigning M7 regular-season champion. The Falcons are eager to repeat their first-ever feat in 2022-23 of winning league titles in all three marquee boys’ team sports — football, basketball, then baseball (also the 3A state champ).
Head coach Brandon Brooks said he likes the team’s chemistry and versatile skills. Three-sport star Truitt Manuel said, “We have a lot of people and key role players coming back. We have a chance to be great.”
Fiery Lyda scored 24 in a loss at HHS. West beat NHHS by 14 on Jan. 23, then crushed host Tuscola by 26 a night later.
West has size with 6-foot-6 center Grant Putnam (14.8 PPG, 9.1 REB), sturdy 6-3 Tyler Nash (11.1 PPG, 5.6 REB) and 6-5, 245 reserve Robert Water, and muscular 6-2 Manuel (11.8, 5). Manuel is among top ten all-time Falcon rebounders. West-HHS big men jostled in the “paint.”
Marvin’s Monsters
The dean of local coaches is Marvin Featherstone of HHS. “We’re putting the pieces together” for another strong season, he said. Two big men combine for 38.6 points. Agile Simpson (22 PPG, 8.6 REB) gets the home crowd roaring with multiple dunks in most games. All-state football senior C.J. Landrum (15.8 PPG, 11 REB) is agile and a huge mismatch at 6-3, 245.