The once red-hot Redskins have fallen into a bit of a funk of late. After reeling off eight consecutive wins, the Redskins have lost their last two - the most recent a 62-52 loss Tuesday night at Sweetwater.
"We got outplayed, outcoached, no effort, no energy - the opposite of what we're supposed to do," Loudon Head Coach Colt Narramore said after the game. Entering play, the Wildcats sported a 9-12 record and the Redskins appeared sluggish in the early going. The Wildcats jumped out to a 4-2 lead before a David Lee Haskins three gave the Redskins a 5-4 lead.
Undaunted, the Wildcats came back with four of the next six to lead 8-7. Hayden Grimes answered with a three for Loudon, but five straight points for Sweetwater gave the Wildcats a 13-10 lead after one. The teams continued to flip-flop the lead until the Wildcats, already nursing a 17-16 lead, got six straight points to extend their advantage to seven.
The Redskins got right back in it, however, as Grimes hit a pair of threes and Jordan Belvin drained a trey to send the game to halftime with the Wildcats ahead 27-25. Haskins opened the third with a free throw, but the Wildcats proceeded to run off 11 straight points to take a commanding 38-26 advantage.
During that stretch, Narramore pulled out all five of the players on the floor, replacing them with a defense-oriented lineup. "I was trying to find anything that worked," the coach explained. He said he was happy with the way that lineup played, but noted they couldn't generate enough offense to remain on the floor.
Thus, he went back to the original five and Sweetwater's lead grew. The Redskins managed just two points in the third quarter as the Wildcats turned a competitive game into a 40-27 blowout. Haskins opened the fourth with a mid-range jumper, but the Redskins missed four of their next five free throws, limiting their ability to fight back. The Wildcats, meanwhile, scored three points, matching the lone three hit by Sam Curtis.
After four straight points by Sweetwater put the hosts up 14, the Redskins appeared to be putting together a comeback. Grimes drained a three and then Haskins hit a short jumper. After a Sweetwater basket, Haskins hit one of two free throws and the deficit was down to 10 at 49-39. However, the Wildcats scored four of the next six and kept the lead in double-digits. The Redskins got the gap to less than 10 one more time, when Josh Berry completed a three-point play, but the Wildcats solidified their lead and won by 10.
"We've been winning by executing the offense, by defending hard and being unselfish - tonight we were the opposite," Narramore said. Asked if playing Kingston the night before had anything to do with Tuesday's lag, Narramore said there was no connection. "We got outplayed and outcoached - bottom line," he said.
Grimes led the Redskins in scoring with 12 points. Haskins added 10 to the total. The Redskins will look to snap their current funk Friday night when they host Scott County for homecoming. They'll also host Lenoir City Saturday night. Game time Friday is set for 8 p.m.
NEWS-HERALD
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