HVA boys, girls 2nd in tourneys
GATLINBURG — Behind a junior forward’s hot shooting hand, Hardin Valley Academy’s boys took second-place in its eight-team bracket during the 64-team Smoky Mountain Winter Classic Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 27-29.
“Ben Brophy played great all three games. He was our leading scorer,” HVA head coach Andrew Arendt said about the junior who scored a game-high 19 points as the Hawks destroyed Warren East, Kentucky 68-36 Wednesday. “He found ways to impact the game. He was cutting to the bucket and getting a lot of lay-ups.” Jace Burum, who had 11 points, “played really well.
“I was super proud of our team; we were down two of our top players,” he added. The Hawks began the week 12-6.
Dawson County, Georgia, fell versus the Hardin Valley 64-41 Thursday, with Brophy’s 21 again leading the offense. “We did a really good job of focusing, and we came out that game and took care of business against a pretty good team,” Arendt said. “Patrick Carey did a phenomenal job leading our team.”
Brophy’s team-high 26 points wasn’t quite enough in a 68-63 loss to Dupont Manual High, Louisville, in the bracket title game Saturday. “Patrick Carey was tough as nails, had an incredible game,” Arendt said. “Ben Brophy played really hard. Barron Sheetz, that was the toughest I’d ever seen him play.”
For the Lady Hawks (8-8 starting the week), wins versus Grainger County and Clarkrange led to a No. 2 finish during Hammers Christmas Tournament at Anderson County High Tuesday through Thursday, Dec. 19-21. “We had balanced scoring,” HVA head coach Jennifer Galloway said. “We forced a lot of turnvovers and were able to score off of turnovers.”
