Bristol Herald Courier
The Grundy Golden Wave were victorious at the Bobby Bates Classic on Saturday at the David J. Prior Convocation Center in Wise and that certainly won't be the only tournament they win this winter.
The 27-time VHSL state champions crowned five individual champs in claiming the team title.
The Wave's 264 ½ points were 13 ½ more than runner-up Boyd County of Kentucky. Wise County Central (225) , Rural Retreat (213 ½) and Patrick Henry-Roanoke (209) rounded out the top five.
Talan Hall got the parade of champions started for Grundy by winning the 132-pound weight class.
He needed just 1:29 to pin Aarogya Pradhan of Patrick Henry-Roanoke.
"Felt great to get out there and get it done fast and not make it a dramatic match," Hall said. "Once I got on top, I used a near-side cradle to stick him."
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Shaieam Gordon was victorious at 157 by notching an 8-5 win over Lebanon's Ian Ray in the finals. The two-time state champion was not pleased with his showing, however.
"My performance was mediocre," Gordon said.
There was nothing mediocre about Grundy 215-pounder Wyatt Bush who pinned his way through the tournament and was named most outstanding wrestler in the upper weights.
He won his four matches in 33 seconds, 68 seconds, 1:49 and 3:11. Josh Bingham of Anderson County in Tennessee was his victim in the finals.
Bush recently committed to Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.
Brody Ford (175) and Talon Looney (190) also stood atop the podium representing Grundy. Ford beat teammate Andrew Scarberry by a 4-1 decision his title match.
Wise County Central and Rural Retreat had two champs apiece.
Central's Luke Salyer (113) and Brayden Owsley (138) were triumphant with Salyer receiving most valuable wrestler honors in the lower weights.
Salyer earned a 10-4 decision over Dobyns-Bennett's Vaughn Pulitzer in the finals. That came after a 4-1 win over Grayson County's Bo Anders in the semifinals.
"Luke Salyer, the freshman, what can you say?" said Central coach Kevin Reed. "He is in the practice room busting his butt every day. To come out as a freshman and beat a two-time state champion [Anders] in the semis and dominate the finals is an impressive performance."
Owsley edged Grundy's Brody Coleman in overtime to win.
"Owsley had a great tournament," Reed said. "Ran a gauntlet to get to the championship. He showed his heart in the finals, winning it in ultimate ride out. Couldn't be more proud of him and his leadership in the room."
Houston Bear (106) and Caleb Gibson (120) finished first for Rural Retreat.
Lebanon heavyweight Isaak Olvera won gold as well.
As has been the case for decades, Grundy was the best of the best.
"The team this year just has a lot of passion that really drives everyone to work harder," Hall said.
Bobby Bates Classic
Dec. 20-21
At UVa-Wise's Prior Center
Team Scores (Top-10)
Grundy 264.5, Boyd County 251, Wise County Central 225, Rural Retreat 213.5, Patrick Henry-Roanoke 209, Martin County (Ky.) 196, Anderson County 193, Dobyns-Bennett 137.5, Grayson County 130, Lebanon 116
Individual Results
Championship Finals
106 - Houston Bear (Rural Retreat) dec. Hunter Dye (Honaker), 4-0; 113 - Luke Salyer (Wise Central) dec. Vaughn Pulitzer (Dobyns-Bennett), 10-4; 120 - Caleb Gibson (Rural Retreat) pinned Alex Salyer (Wise Central), 1:21; 126 - Caleb Thompson (Grayson County) tech. fall Gabe Crewey (Rural Retreat), 17-2 (4:21); 132 - Talan Hall (Grundy) pinned Aaogya Pradhan (PH-Roanoke), 1:29; 138 - Brayden Owsley (Wise Central); 138 - Brayden Owsley (Wise Central) dec. Brody Coleman (Grundy), 4-3 (OT); 144 - Hayden Harrell (Anderson County) dec. Branden Culbertson (Wise Central), 5-0; 150 - Chase Gillum (Boyd) pinned Chaz Penwright (Rural Retreat), 3:39; 157 - Shaieam Gordon (Grundy) dec. Ian Ray (Lebanon), 8-5; 165 - John Walters (Boyd) pinned Brian Mauck (PH-Roanoke), 3:55; 175 - Brody Ford (Grundy) dec. Andrew Scarberry (Grundy), 4-1; 190 - Talon Looney (Grundy) dec. Jude Davis (Wise Central), 10-8; 215 - Wyatt Bush (Grundy) pinned Josh Bingham (Anderson County), 3:11; 285 - Isaak Olvera (Lebanon) dec. Brendon Mabry (Fort Chiswell), 5-1.
Third-Place Matches
106 - Colton Clevenger (Grundy) dec. Evan Brinkley (Wise Central), 14-11 (OT); 113 - Xaiden Wynn (James River) pinned Bo Anders (Grayson County), 4:28; 120 - Bryce Looney (Grundy) tech. fall Zander Nottingham (Boyd County), 16-1 (3:44); 126 - Kaiden Nottingham (Boyd County) dec. Cedric Stewart (Paintsville), 10-7; 132 - Brayden Forbes (James River) dec. Justin Walker (Rural Retreat), 7-2; 138 - Owen Penix (Lee High) dec. Nathan Stewart (James River), 9-4; 144 - Parker Maynard (Martin County) pinned Elijah Berryhill (Holston), 4:19; 150 - Tristan Faidley (John Battle) dec. Ed Sherlinki (Grayson County), 13-12; 157 - Tony Leader (Boyd) pinned Evan Prewitt (Anderson County), 1:53; 165 - Jake Bush (Castlewood) pinned Bryce Helms (Ashland Blazer), 2:13; 175 - Nate Williams (Ashland Blazer) pinned Cole Jewell (Martin County), 0:42; 190 - Eli Bratton (Anderson County) dec. Perinax Moody (PH-Roanoke), 4-2; 215 - Josh St. Clair (PH-Roanoke) pinned Luke Josey (Wise Central), 3:49; 285 - Nate Manning (Boyd) pinned Jacob Young (Castlewood), 1:29.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Wise County Central 64, Altamonte Christian (Fla.) 24
Wise County Central boss Robin Dotson reached another milestone as he got his 750th career head-coaching victory in the third-place game of the KSA Pre-Holiday Classic in Florida.
Seniors Emma McAmis (23 points, three steals, three rebounds, two steals) and Abbie Jordan (15 points, eight rebounds, three steals) were productive as always. Freshman Aubrey Moore added 12 points and four rebounds.
Central (7-1) led 22-3 after one quarter as there was no suspense to be had.
Altamonte Chrisitan (12-4) was led by Alexis Hill's nine points.
WISE COUNTY CENTRAL (64) - Mosier 0, Dales 3, Salyer 2, Marshall 0, McAmis 23, Tompkins 2, Moore 12, Foster 5, Jessee 2, Jordan 15.
ALTAMONTE CHRISTIAN (24) - Kl. Cooper 0, Ka. Cooper 5, Duvall 3, Kopenhagen 2, Mrozik 0, Chattie 0, Ritz 1, Hill 9, Bjork 0, Reyes 4.
Wise Central 22 18 11 13 -- 64
Altamonte 3 12 5 4 -- 24
3-point goals - Central 2 (Jordan, Moore), AC, none.
Abingdon 44, Dobyns-Bennett 38
Annsley "A.J." Trivette had 17 points as Abingdon held off Dobyns-Bennett in the third-place game of the Doc Maples Holiday Hoops Tournament at Viking Hall.
Lauren Baker added eight points for the Falcons, who closed the game on a 13-6 run to prevail.
Carlee Cradic led D-B with 11 points.
ABINGDON (44) - Reynolds 7, Baker 8, Nichols 6, Matney 3, Fields 0, A. Fullen 3, Trivette 17.
DOBYNS-BENNETT (38) - Thomas 2, Cradic 11, Lively 0, Brown 9, Baker 0, Releford 8, McReynolds 8, B. Owens 0, Rawlings 0.
Abingdon 12 13 6 13 -- 44
Dobyns-Bennett 14 12 6 6 -- 38
3-point goals - Abingdon 4 (Nichols 2, A. Fullen, Reynolds), D-B 7 (Brown 3, Cradic 2, McReynolds 2).
Greeneville 65, Tennessee High 55
Maria Lyde skied her way to 21 points and nine rebounds as Greeneville trumped Tennessee High in the fifth-place game of the Doc Maples Holiday Hoops Tournament at Viking Hall.
Kyla Jobe added 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Greene Devils, who controlled the game from the start.
The trio of Chase Wolfenbarger (15 points), Addi Moore (14 points, four assists, four steals) and Kerigan West (12 points) were the top scorers for Tennessee High. The Vikings also received six rebounds from Keeyanah Foote.
GREENEVILLE (65) - Gray 7, Woolsey 6, Jobe 17, Lyde 21, Atchison 0, Barrer 0, Adkins 13.
TENNESSEE HIGH (55) - Duff 0, Foote 5, Moore 14, Linkous 3, Haga 0, Latham 0, Wolfenbarger 15, Granger 0, West 12, Jones 6.
Greeneville 21 10 18 16 -- 65
Tennessee High 13 6 17 19 -- 55
3-point goals - Greeneville 4 (Jobe 3, Gray), THS 7 (West 4, Moore 2, Linkous).
Narrows 39, Virginia High 36
Kailyn Jones had 14 points and 10 rebounds as Narrows edged Virginia High in Coach Ballard Lee Invitational.
Virginia High shot just 18 percent (11-for-61) in the loss and did not have a player score in double digits. Maddie Davis had eight points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in the loss.
Chlie Jarvis was the top scorer for VHS with nine points.
Elizabethton 71, Volunteer 48
Rylee May had herself a day as Elizabethton overwhelmed Volunteer in the seventh-place game of the Doc Maples Holiday Hoops Tournament at Viking Hall.
Courtney Bellamy was tops for Volunteer with 13 points.
New Manchester (Ga.) 58, Ridgeview 50
The Ridgeview Wolfpack lost in their final game of the Smoky Mountain Classic.
Ridgeview went 1-2 in the event with a win over Cordova of Alabama (53-36) and a losses to Moore County of Tennessee (64-47) and New Manchester.
Grundy 41, Marion 30
The Grundy Golden Wave got the best of Marion in the fifth-place game of the Coach Ballard Lee Invitational.
It also happened to be Grundy head coach Loni Webb's birthday.
BOYS BASKETBALL
West Ridge 65, KACHEA 62
Avery Horne led West Ridge's usually balanced attack with 20 points as the Wolves edged Kingsport Area Christian Home Education Association.
Trey Frazier's 16 points and Carson Leming's 15 points also helped the bunch from Blountville move to 10-4.
The Wolves trailed 31-25 at halftime and 49-45 after three quarters.
Grant Thompson gunned in 33 points for KACHEA.
KACHEA (62) - G. Thompson 33, Bridges 7, Coclough 11, A. Joyner 11, Matlock 0, Dean 0, McMoorehouse 0, T. Thompson 0.
WEST RIDGE (65) - Horne 20, Bright 6, Leming 15, Stump 0, Frazier 16, Bannan 4, Tatum 4.
KACHEA 7 24 18 13 -- 62
West Ridge 11 14 20 20 -- 65
3-point goals - KACHEA 10 (G. Thompson 7, Coclough 3, A. Joyner), WR 6 (Leming 3, Horne 2, Frazier).
Elizabethton 66, Chilhowie 62
The Chilhowie Warriors dominated on the boards but couldn't prevail on the scoreboard.
Will Goodwin (18 points, eight rebounds, six assists), Noah Hill (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Asher Chapman (13 points, 10 rebounds) cleaned up on the glass.
However, Elizabethton received 23 points from Andrew Barnett in eking out the win.
Chilhowie (2-4) led 32-29 at halftime.
ELIZABETHTON (66) - Chambers 0, Pate 12, Barnett 23, Whitehead 4, Bailey 17, Smith 2, Buckles 8.
CHILHOWIE (62) - Chapman 13, Mullinax 3, Hill 18, Robinson 4, Sturgill 0, Williams 3, Schwartz 3, Goodwin 18, Dickison 0.
Elizabethton 22 7 21 16 -- 66
Chilhowie 15 17 17 13 -- 62
3-point goals - Elizabethton 8 (Barnett 5, Pate, Bailey, Buckles), Chilhowie 3 (Chapman, Mullinax, Schwartz)
John Handley 64, George Wythe 54
Will Braun-Duin ruled for the John Handley Judges as George Wythe was sentenced to its first loss of the 2024-25 season.
Braun-Duin pumped in 32 points and was 22-for-23 for the Class 4 school. Christian Dinger added 10 points for the winners.
Reed Kirtner scored 22 points for GW, while David Goode supplied 10 points. The Maroons will compete in The Classic at Tennessee High for the second straight year.
GEORGE WYTHE (54) - Delp 6, T. Rainey 6, Huff 5, B. Rainey 1, Kirtner 22, Luttrell 4, Goode 10, Bement 0, Braxton 0, Reddick 0, Irby 0.
JOHN HANDLEY (64) - Brown 6, McGrath 3, Briscoe 9, Dinger 10, Braun-Duin 32, Oglesby 4.
George Wythe 17 12 7 18 -- 54
John Handley 19 9 16 20 -- 64
Grundy 62, Northwood 41
The terrific twosome of Logan Lester (24 points) and Ethan McClanahan (22 points) led the way as Grundy bopped Northwood in the fifth-place game of the Doc Maples Holiday Hoops Tournament.
Northwood received 12 points apiece from Eli Williams and Brody Waddle.
Tennessee High 67, Wise County Central 58
A 28-point performance from Colin Brown helped Tennessee High top Wise County Central of Southwest Virginia in the third-place game of the KSA Pre-Holiday Classic in Florida.
Zander Phillips added a dozen points for the Vikings (11-4), while Landon Graham supplied eight points.
Central (2-2) was led by the 19-point, 10-rebound, three-assist showing of freshman Ean Hayes. Ethan Collins added 15 points.
THS went 2-1 in the event in its final tune-up before hosting The Classic. The only setback was a 67-55 loss to Nixa of Missouri on Friday.
"We had a good week down here," said THS coach Michael McMeans. "A lot of team bonding experiences. We beat a really good Copper Hills team [from Utah on Thursday.
"Nixa has the No. 1 recruit in the nation in football [Jackson Cantwell] and a junior [Adam McKnight] that's going to be another top recruit at their school; he is the quarterback, plus star basketball player. Their coach said he will be all-state in three sports. They were a tough, physical team that was in the state playoffs last year in Missouri with a bunch of kids who know how to win so it was a good game for us. We had chances to win just couldn't make the play we needed to. It was a close game the whole way, so we will take that and learn from it. That will be, outside The Classic, maybe the best team we play all year. So, we will use that game down the road."
Gate City 53, St. James (S.C.) 31
Ollie Carpenter scored 22 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer as the Gate City Blue Devils prevailed in the fifth-place game of the Alpha Invitational in Kingsport.
Gate City won two of its three games in the event.
The only loss for the Blue Devils was to South Carolina's Dorman Cavaliers, who won the event.
Cloudland 62, Honaker 32
Cloudland clipped Honaker in the seventh-place game of the Coach Ballard Lee Invitational at Virginia High's Bearcat Den.
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