As the new school year is rapidly approaching, it is never too late to look back at the top games from the 2008-2009 school year. The Highlander athletic programs had plenty of outstanding games, but there were a special few that were downright incredible.
#5- Lady ‘Landers 38 Unicoi County 31, Girls Basketball
A Valentine’s Day in a gym normally wouldn’t be much to remember. However, on this night, the Lady ‘Landers made it their own. After spotting the Lady Blue Devils ten points, the Lady ‘Landers came back with a vengeance to take the victory and help CHS take a string of seven straight victories into postseason play. The first quarter was forgettable as CHS went without a single point in the frame. However, a stingy defense, who returned the favor as they held Unicoi without a point in the third, helped the Lady ‘Landers withstand three separate Unicoi runs and allowed them to take the victory.
#4- Cloudland 54, Hampton 53, OT, Boys Basketball
The Cloudland-Hampton rivalry is considered one of the best in the area, and this game was no exception. The ‘Landers fell behind by as many as five in the fourth quarter before clamping down on the Bulldogs. A free throw pulled the ‘Landers with two with a minute left, and a steal and ensuing layup tied the game with 41 seconds to force overtime. In overtime, the ‘Landers quickly jumped out to a 52-49 lead midway through the four minute period. The Bulldogs made a late charge, but the ‘Landers held on to give the Bulldogs their first conference loss in front of a loud and proud Roan Mountain crowd.
#3- Lady ‘Landers 48, Hampton 43, Girls Basketball
With a co-conference title on the line, the Lady ‘Landers turned up the heat on their next door rival Hampton to get the job done as they took the narrow victory. In front of a packed Sonny Smith Gymnasium, the Lady ‘Landers and Lady Bulldogs played a close game throughout as the lead was swapped several times and was tied entering the fourth quarter. From there, the Lady ‘Landers turned up the defensive pressure as they held the Lady Bulldogs without a point the first seven minutes and thirty one seconds of the quarter. When Hampton managed to finally score with 29 seconds left, it was not enough as the Lady ‘Landers had already secured the victory.
#2- Cloudland 43, Avery County 21, Football
One of the most anticipated games on the ‘Lander schedule last season was the Border Battle with Avery, and the ‘Landers made it a memorable one has they took decisive victory in Roan Mountain. With the victory, the ‘Landers evened the Border Battle at one apiece and got revenge for a 35-14 loss the year before. The game started off even as both teams tried to gain the upper hand, before CHS took control. The ‘Landers scored on 7 of their 10 offensive possessions, and built an early 12-0 lead. Avery eventually closed the gap to 18-13; however that was as close as they could get before the ‘Landers took back over.
#1 Cloudland 39, Rockwood 38, Boys Basketball TSSAA Substate Round
The ‘Landers were on the verge of seeing their season come to a sudden close against Rockwood with a trip to Murfreesboro on the line. However, Logan Morgan and the rest of the ‘Landers weren’t going to have any part of that. CHS led the way through most of the first half, but lost the lead in the 3rd quarter. They regained it at the start of the fourth before Rockwood took the lead with a six point run. The ‘Landers returned the favor and Matthew Potter tied the game at 36 with two minutes left for the ‘Landers, but the Tigers regained control with less than a minute remaining. Rockwood missed two free throws and the ‘Landers got the rebound. With 18 seconds remaining, the ‘Landers got the ball to Morgan who hit the game winning shot with two Tiger defenders in his face. The shot stunned the Rockwood fans, and clinched Cloudland’s third state tournament trip in four years
