Brian Hobson
Sports@mitchellnews.com
It’s amazing what playing at home can do for a team.
Both the Mitchell High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams lost this past week at Unicoi County High School, the boys losing by 15 (75-60) and the girls losing by 12 (58-46).
At first glance, a casual observer might give the Blue Devils a slight edge in the return game. This past Thursday at home, both Mitchell teams destroyed that notion.
The Lady Mountaineers used the home court to their advantage as they swarmed the ball and the backboard, winning handily 68-59. On this night, the Blue Devils had no answer for Mitchell, who used a combination of stiff defense and good shot selection to ensure the victory.
On the boys’ side, Mitchell returned the favor to Unicoi County, defeating the Blue Devils 69-54. The Mountaineers’ defense held Unicoi County to their second lowest scoring total this season, and the Mitchell offense ruled the lane, with inside shooting as well as a solid perimeter game.
The Mountaineers will open their conference slate at home on Tuesday against Madison High School. The Patriots, who are currently 1-0 in the conference, defeated the North Carolina School for Science and Mathematics. The junior varsity Mountaineer boys (1-0) will faced off against Madison’s (2-3) junior varsity team on Tuesday, Dec. 17.