Simmons a basket shy of surpassing Trevor Hensley record

Jackson Simmons needs one basket to surpass Trevor Hensley as Unicoi County's all-time leading scorer. Simmons scored 30 points on Friday night in the Devils Den, propelling the Blue Devils past a pretty good Volunteer team for a 69-66 overtime victory. The productive outing left him one point shy of Hensley's program record (2,378 points). Simmons enjoyed watching Hensley play when he was growing up, and trained some with him in recent years. "I remember watching Trevor when I was younger," Simmons said. "Obviously, he was one of those guys you always kind of look up to. You saw the way he carried himself, the way he led that program. Really, he was kind of a role model for a lot of guys. It's definitely an honor to be able to have a chance to get that number." Unicoi County will visit West Greene for a key District 1-2A game on Tuesday. Winning that game, Simmons says, is on his mind far more than breaking a record. "It would definitely be cool to pass it, but at the moment, I'm just focused on going and beating West Greene," Simmons said. "That's a really big game for us with both teams being 2-0 in the conference. If we can come out of there with a win Tuesday night that'll put us in a really good spot. "They're big and they want to play slow, which is kind of the opposite of us. So, if we can get out there and control the pace and try to push it and play fast, I think we'll put ourselves in a good position to win, because that's not exactly their strong suit. They're definitely a good team. Looking at some of their scores, some of their film – they're very solid. It's gonna be a tough game." Avenging a loss earlier this season at Volunteer was a tough task, too. Simmons' outdueled athletic 6-foot-6 Jeremiah Jones (28 points) despite being chased most of the night by capable defender Amarion Graves. "Jerry's a really good player," Simmons said. "He's really solid. Graves – he's a solid defender; he can move his feet. He's tough. "Down there (at Volunteer) he guarded me well. Obviously, Friday night I shot it a lot better. It's definitely not an easy task to go against a guy like that." It wasn't your typical non-conference matchup, according to Simmons. "You wouldn't think it's a huge deal, but we were talking today (Sunday) at practice, and I don't know, there's just something about that game that made it feel like a big game," Simmons said. "I think part of it came down to we knew we played the worst game we've played all year at Volunteer, and they played one of their best, and the way they handled themselves after that game kind of left a sour taste in our mouths." Freshman guard A.J. Thomas and junior forward Carter Simmons scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. "A.J. shot the lights out and knocked down some big threes," Broyles said. "I don't recall him missing one. He's growing up right before our eyes. I thought Carter Simmons played a heck of a game." Broyles also commended senior Brady Simmons, who assisted the final two baskets – a 3-pointer from Thomas and a lay-in via a backdoor cut from Jackson Simmons – that forced overtime. "Brady played his tail off," Broyles said. "He's a key reason we won. He got rebounds, loose balls, played defense. In the first half he got a steal off a missed shot … and we scored a layup." The Blue Devils began the week with a 51-41 win at University High. Jackson Simmons led the way with 25 points. Thomas added 15. Unicoi County will host Happy Valley on Friday.