Girls, boys basketball teams open first week with win, two losses

Unicoi County basketball coaches Brandon Broyles and Jordan Simmons have switched roles, but Jackson Simmons' leading role remains the same. Simmons, a senior lead guard, piled up 88 points, including the 2,000th of his career, during the Blue Devils' 1-2 start to the season last week. The Lady Blue Devils also dropped two of three games last week, defeating Hampton after falling to Cherokee and Grainger. Simmons scored 32 points in a 75-69 loss to Cherokee Thursday and tallied 28 points in each of the following two games – an 81-67 win at Grainger on Friday and a 74-64 loss at Hampton on Saturday. Simmons' 2,000th point came at Hampton. "We're proud of Jackson for reaching 2,000 points," Broyles said. "It's an honor for him and a testament to the work he's put in." Simmons is on pace to break Trevor Hensley's career scoring record (2,378) at Unicoi County, but he barely acknowledged reaching the prestigious plateau. "I've had a pretty good start," he said. "Two-thousand points, pretty cool." Simmons clearly appears to care more about victories than stats. "Hampton was a tough loss, but they have no guys that play football, pretty much, they practice all year round," Simmons said. "It's supposed to be one of the best teams in the area and we're right there with them and end up losing by ten. We didn't really shoot the ball all that well. "It was our third game in three days. So you kind of live with it, because at this point in the year, they're in midseason form and we've only had three full practices with our whole team there (after football season)." Broyles was also impressed with Ned Smith's Hampton squad. "Coach Smith has a really good team—one of the strongest they've had in a while," Broyles said. Freshman A.J. Thomas scored 15 points against Hampton after scoring eight apiece against Cherokee and Grainger. "A.J. Thomas has really stepped up and had a really good start to the year," Simmons said. "I definitely look for him to keep making some big contributions. He's handled it really well and given me a chance to get off the ball some, which is nice." Avery Hatcher, fresh off a record-setting season as a wide receiver, scored 12 points against Cherokee. Simmons said a better performance against the Chiefs would've netted a victory, but Broyles noted their improvement from recent seasons. "Cherokee has a very good team," Broyles said, "probably the best team Coach (Trey) Fields has had in a few years. They're balanced, they shoot it well and they really challenged us early." A road win against Grainger helped flush the loss to Cherokee. "Grainger is a tough place to play with the whole school packed into the gym," Broyles said. "Coach (Adam) Wolfenbarger always has a well-prepared, hard-playing group. For us to go in there and get that win says a lot about our kids and their effort." Simmons' cousins, Brady and Carter Simmons, scored 17 and 13 points, respectively, in the win against Grainger. "Brady and Carter both have had really good starts to the year," Simmons said. "They're battling and banging, and both of them have hit some big shots, too." Broyles would like to be 2-1, at least, at this early juncture, but all things considered, there's plenty of cause for optimism with a week under his belt as the boys coach. "You can tell our football kids are still getting their basketball conditioning back, but I'm pleased with our effort," Broyles said. "We seem to be getting better every game. It's been a hectic week, but I'm proud of how hard our kids are working. Hopefully we can head to the Hardee's Classic this week and continue improving each game against very good competition." Unicoi County will play Cocke County on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at David Crockett. Jordan Simmons' 1-2 start as the girls coach might've been flipped if guard Abigail Vidrio hadn't injured an ankle on Friday. She's expected back in 2-3 weeks. Vidrio had 10 points and eight assists in a season-opening 87-68 loss to Cherokee. She sustained the injury in the first quarter of a 60-40 loss to Grainger. "Without her, their pressure really got to us," Simmons said. "We ended up with 26 turnovers (16 in the second half), and it's going to be really tough to beat a good team like that." Unicoi County won 49-32 at Hampton on Saturday despite the absence of Vidrio. "I was incredibly proud of our effort and focus in this one," Simmons said. "Hampton pressed the entire game, and without Abigail, I was afraid we would struggle handling that. Laney Rogers did a great job running the point for us, and it was a team effort handling their pressure. Destiny Effler, Brooklynn Sparks and Danika Hendricks all were poised and confident bringing the ball up and making plays." Sparks scored 49 points in the first three games. She scored 19 against Hampton after tallying 20 against Grainger. Emma Grace Anders tallied 20 points (4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range), 12 rebounds and two blocks against Cherokee. "Emma Grace had a great game and knocked down shots all game long," Simmons said. "She was really active defensively and rebounded extremely well. Abigail did a great job of running the offense and finding people in the right spots." Anders had seven points and 10 rebounds against Hampton. Carly Baxter tallied seven rebounds against Grainger and six boards at Hampton. "Emma Grace, Carly and Kaley Toney all played strong and tough around the basket and rebounded well (at Hampton)," Simmons said. "Deanna Gill, a freshman that we are really, really excited about, had a great game in our JV win, and provided good minutes throughout games all week. Reagan Wilson gave some strong minutes inside." Simmons is eager to see what lies ahead for his first Unicoi County girls team. "Overall for the week, I think we are a little ways ahead offensively than I expected, and losing Abigail provides an obstacle that we are having to navigate," he said. "But these girls are working hard and getting better every day. I can't say enough about them and their attitudes and their desire to get better and compete with good teams. "These girls are so tight and connected, and you can tell that by watching them play and how they interact and take care of each other. I know this first part of our schedule is insanely difficult, but as we look forward, I really like where we are. I think it can be a special year." The Blue Devils will visit Tennessee High on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.