Both of Greene County’s basketball teams competed against Washington-Wilkes Tuesday, Feb. 13 during the second round of the region tournament.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers each topped their opponents and qualified for the Class A Division II state playoffs, which starts next week.
It was a special night for each program.
First, Greene County’s girls easily defeated Washington-Wilkes 53-40 as two players reached double figures.
Greene County forward Keiara Jernigan was the most productive, totaling a team-high 14 points, and guard Amaura West added 11. Meanwhile, Jesaria Porter contributed nine points while Dajah Hobes tallied five as well.
Greene County girls coach Steven Hopper was proud of his team for reaching that milestone in his first year.
“First things first, Glory to God for helping us get here,” Hopper said. “It was a really rough start to the year.”
Greene County started 0-6, but as of Tuesday, were 12-11 before continuing the rest of the region tournament. The Lady Tigers finished the regular season at .500 and won eight out of their last 10 games as well.
“We played a lot of tough teams. If you look at the schedule, a lot of them are still ranked and are going to be in the state playoffs in higher classifications,” Hopper added. “Our girls battled through but are still fighting.”
On Tuesday, Greene County jumped out to a large lead and held an 18-5 advantage at the end of the first quarter. However, the opposing Lady Tigers got back into the game quickly. They made big-time adjustments and trailed 25-21 at the half.
Either way, Greene County woke up in the third quarter. Jernigan dominated down low and West did her job of penetrating Washington Wilkes's defense and scoring inside the paint. Porter also hit a couple of big shots.
The Lady Tigers of Greene County made a few halftime adjustments and started to pull away late in the third period.
“We gutted that one out,” Hopper said. “We started hot and got up 18-4 and then we stopped doing the things that got us there. I’ve got to give it to our girls. I’ve got a lot of girls that have a lot of heart and a lot of fight. We are tough. They found a way to gut it out, they found a way to get a very tough win on the road.”
Greene County’s boys pulled out a 51-49 win and are heading back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.
Tigers’ head coach Mark Wright turned the program around in his second year and was in good spirits after the game.
“These guys came in focused today. They knew what was at stake,” Wright said. “They didn’t want their season to end on a bad note and wanted to play next week. They knew they were going into a hostile environment. They knew it wasn’t going to be a 20-point win because (the other team’s season) was on the line, too.”
Greene County’s boys fought through adversity as Washington-Wilkes made a comeback toward the end after trailing by double-digits in the third quarter. The Tigers managed to squeak the victory out and hold on late.
Washington-Wilkes was able to stay in the game due to Greene County’s inability to hit free throws. And the Tigers of Wilkes County also double-teamed some of their opponent's biggest scoring threats in the third quarter.
Greene County freshman Braylen Hurt stepped up and played well down the stretch. He provided a boost off the bench as did Gavin Brown. They helped the Tigers when a few starters got into foul trouble in the third.
Steve Miller and Jessie Broadus were clutch in big moments. They made some timely baskets to push back the lead. Laryous Burt also was a force-to-be-reckoned-with inside the paint, grabbing several rebounds in the win.
Burt finished with 16 points and Miller added 13. Broadus posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
“It was an aggressive, high-energy game,” Wright said. “Hats off to them. They’re a well-coached team. We had to go in there and play our A-game to get the win. I’ll rather take an ugly win rather than a pretty loss.”
Now, both teams will finish out the week competing for a region championship and seeding for the state tournament. If the Tigers and Lady Tigers make the region title game, they will host a playoff game next week.