HUNTER COOKSTON
Writer
The Whitwell Middle School Tigers hosted the Soddy Daisy Trojans in a wire-to-wire battle last Thursday, coming away with a 42–37 victory in the final seconds.
The matchup had all the ingredients for a great game—two successful teams with similar play styles, pressing on defense and pushing the ball in transition. The Tigers have been led all season by Eddie Kellum, Wyatt Pickett, and Kaiden Billingsley, and Thursday night was no different when the game reached crunch time.
To start things off, Billingsley and Kellum set the tone for Whitwell, scoring quick baskets to put the Tigers in front early. Despite building an eight-point lead at one point, Soddy Daisy continued to claw its way back.
With a minute remaining, the Trojans took a one-point lead. Billingsley answered with a layup to put Whitwell back on top. Then, with 40 seconds left, Pickett knocked down a three-pointer, drew a foul, pushing the Tigers’ lead to four and seemingly sealing the game.
Billingsley was outstanding, finishing with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. Braxton Reynolds also played a huge role, pulling down clutch rebounds and giving the Tigers key second-chance opportunities.
Whitwell never wavered, even when Soddy Daisy briefly took the lead. The Tigers improved to 7–2 on the season with plenty of basketball left to be played.
The Tigers are back in action on Monday, December 1, at home against Van Buren. JV Girls tip off at 5 p.m., Varsity Girls at 6 p.m., and Varsity Boys at 7 p.m.