Green Energy: East, Reynolds Boys Nip Hoops Rivals - TribPapers
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Green Energy: East, Reynolds Boys Nip Hoops Rivals

Leading M7 scorer Caiden Brewer swoops past West Henderson center Grant Putnam and guard Neil Robinson for a basket in the M7 tourney title win. Photo by Pete Zamplas.

Asheville, Mills River – Hendersonville (19-7; 9-3), the Mountain Foothills runner-up, ground down regular season champion Patton (22-4; 11-1) 45-37 to win the MFC tourney. Senior C.J. Landrum got his 1,000th career point for Coach Marvin Featherstone’s Bearcats.

A.C. Reynolds Lady Rockets (23-1) and East Henderson Eagle boys (22-5) both notched their most winning regular seasons ever, and won their league tournaments. Coach Kaycee Beyer’s West Lady Falcons (18-7; 11-1 M7) remain the Mountain Seven top seed. They won the M7 regular season and swept Pisgah (20-6; 10-2), which beat host school West in tourney finals.

Intensity was electric in the East-West M7 boys finals. East Henderson reeled off a 14-2 late run to lead 45-41. Brady Nix’s three-pointer got East to within two. Caiden Brewer tied it with two minutes left, and gave East the lead with another driving layup. Wyatt Taylor’s free throws expanded the lead to four points.

Historic Success

One year ago, East won the league tourney as an underdog, upsetting West then North Henderson. This time, East earned a first-ever regular season crown by sharing it with West at 10-2. The Eagles again beat both local league rivals in the M7 tourney. They dispatched North Henderson by ten points, then edged West 47-45.

More on the radar, the Eagles came through under immense “pressure,” star junior guard Brewer noted. Winning it again feels “incredible!”

“We played with heart and determination to bring the conference championship back home,” fifth-year East head coach Marquintus “Q” Jones said. Tennessee native Jones, 40, has led East to many milestones in 2023-24. The Eagles attained their first-ever 20-win season. They are unbeaten at home (11-0), entering playoffs. They hosted a state playoff game for the first time ever, with Oak Grove coming to East Flat Rock on Tuesday, Feb. 27. East is seeded sixth in the 3A West Region.

The Falcons have a huge size advantage over most foes. West “tried to crowd the paint and keep him (Brewer) from getting down hill,” Coach Jones said. “They did a good job, for the most part. But he got going in the second half.”

Trust Ability

Leading M7 scorer Brewer matched his seasonal average of 25 points in both the semifinals and finals. He made six steals and five rebounds against West, and had five assists and four rebounds versus NHHS. East center Ayden Sumner had ten points, and Joseph Justice scored nine in that semifinal.

Brewer praised West’s size, athleticism and sharp shooting. West controlled the first half, leading by 14 early and 21-13 at the break. Brewer scored ten of East’s first 13 points.

Brewer said that Coach Jones reassured him at halftime. “He said, ‘Keep playing your (driving) game. He kept my confidence up.” Jones said that he told his star that “you’re the best player in the conference. Trust in your ability.”

Truitt Manuel scored 11 points for Coach Brandon Brooks’ Falcons. But leading Falcon scorer Jack Lyda managed merely 14. He scored ten points in the first half — nearly half of West’s 21 points. Lyda was guarded some by Brewer, but mostly by senior Taylor.

Shutdown Sheriff Wyatt

Taylor scored ten points versus West. The slender but scrappy redheaded shutdown defender is East’s version of cowboy Sheriff Wyatt Earp. He polices the perimeter. “I love it,” Taylor said of the challenge of containing opposing leading scorers such as Lyda. “I embrace it.”

“Wyatt’s a really tough kid who doesn’t back down from anyone,” Coach Jones said.

Taylor got extra vocal in the rivalry game. “I was talking ‘junk’” to Lyda, after Lyda boasted how West would easily win. “I said, ‘You aren’t getting past me.’ He said, ‘Get out of my face!’ I said, ‘I’ll be standing here all night.’”

“Wyatt’s a great leader,” who inspires, Brewer said. He calls the Eagles a tight “family.”

Rocket Heights

Reynolds Lady Rockets are also enjoying historic success. They are the 4A top regional seed. They repeated as Mountain Athletic Conference tourney champions, downing McDowell by 11 at home in the finals as Peyton Harvey scored 17 points. ACR won its third straight regular season MAC crown, going unbeaten.

“I’m so incredibly proud of this team,” head coach Amanda Whitaker said.

Third-seeded Rocket boys (14-12; 8-4 MAC) trailed regular season co-champion T.C. Roberson (16-9; 12-2) by 34-24 soon before halftime, but closed the gap with a 10-2 run. Reynolds won that MAC tourney semifinal 60-58 in final seconds.

Declan “Downtown” Brown got red hot late with extra-long three-pointers. The junior scored 22 points, including his 1,000th career point. Kaelan Gilliland’s layup was the winning basket. He scored 13 points.

Head coach Ryan Stevens is proud of his Rockets “overcoming (injury, illness) adversity.” ACR fell by six points to 4A McDowell (22-4; 12-2) and 6-8 center Rylan Parkins in the finals. But Reynolds is the league’s top 3A seed.

Leading TCR scorer Max McDowell managed merely 10 points. PG LeRon Mills scored a game-high 23 points with at least seven three-pointers for Coach Billy Phillips’ Rams.