CENTRE – What a difference a week makes.

One week ago, the Cherokee County boys basketball team blew an eight-point halftime lead at Alexandria and lost by four. Warrior senior guard Coty Blanchard made sure that wasn’t going to happen again on Tuesday.

He led all scorers with 34 points, including a 4-of-8 performance from the 3-point line to lift Cherokee County to a 58-37 victory on Senior Night.

Blanchard also added three steals, two assists and two rebounds in the win.

“I think we learned a lot from that loss,” Blanchard said. “We were up big at the half and let them back in it. They played a great second half and just out-played us. It started out that way in the third quarter (Tuesday night), but we slowed it down and got a basket.

“That’s what we’ve got to do. I think this team has got a lot of potential, and I think we’re peaking at the right time. That’s what you’ve got to have in basketball – peaking at area tournament time.”

Coupled with a Jacksonville victory over Hokes Bluff on Wednesday, the Warriors (12-5, 4-2) will secure the No. 2 spot behind the Golden Eagles in the Class 4A, Area 12 Tournament. Once again, Cherokee County will face the No. 3 seeded Valley Cubs (9-9, 3-3) on Feb. 5 in Jacksonville. A time will be determined on Thursday.

“I think the ball’s in our court,” first-year Warrior head coach Kori Walker said. “We showed them the type of basketball team we are, and now they realize it’s not going to be a cakewalk coming in to Jacksonville next Friday. We’re coming to win by any means necessary.

“I think it does play a little on the mind for them to win by two at their place and then come on the road and get beat by 21. It’s a big difference. We had a letdown at Alexandria, but we proved tonight we were ready for the challenge.”

Cherokee County led 18-12 at the end of the first quarter and held a 33-18 advantage at the break.

Like the last time the Warriors and Valley Cubs met, Alexandria began chipping away at Cherokee County’s lead in the third quarter. Alexandria went on a 6-0 run in the early part of the quarter to cut Cherokee County’s advantage to 33-24.

The Valley Cub run ended when Blanchard sank a 3-pointer, part of a 12-2 Warrior run which resulted in a 45-26 score heading into the fourth.

“That was a big shot Coty made,” Walker said. “He makes big shots after big shots, night in and night out.”

Several other Warrior seniors also played their roles in the victory.

Keon Rucker and Colin Perry both added eight points for the Warriors. Rucker also had five steals, five assists and four rebounds. Gabriel Chambers led the Warriors with six rebounds to go along with three assists, three steals and two points. D.J. Fife finished with five rebounds, two steals, an assist and a bucket.

No Alexandria player scored in double figures. The Valley Cubs were led by Josh Ray’s eight points. Von McWilliams and Landon Straub both netted six points.

“We were able to mix up our defenses tonight and really keep them off-balance,” Walker said. “They never got in any kind of rhythm.”

Blanchard said the win meant a lot to the Warriors on several different fronts.

“It was definitely important for the seniors,” he said. “We’ve lost the last three senior nights I’ve been here, so it was very important for us to get back on a winning streak. We play Alexandria tough no matter what, and we put something in their minds that we can play that good. It’s a great overall win for us.”

Girls

Cherokee County 42, Alexandria 39 – Cherokee County freshman Chelsea Ray sank a pair of free throws with 17.9 seconds to play to help the Lady Warriors seal a 42-39 victory over Alexandria on Tuesday.

Prior to Ray’s free throws, Alexandria’s Monica Williams brought the Lady Cubs to within a bucket at 40-38 with a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. Williams added a free throw with six seconds remaining to make it 42-39 Lady Warriors, but her desperation half-court shot at the buzzer rimmed off the backboard for the final.

The result forges a tie for the top spot in Class 4A, Area 12 between Cherokee County (8-8) and Alexandria (10-12). Both teams now have a 4-2 area record, with a coin toss looming on Thursday morning to determine the host of the area tournament which begins on Feb. 4.

Candace Blanchard led Cherokee County with 12 points, including a pair of crucial free throws in the game’s final minute. Deidra Davis added 11 points, eight rebounds, four steals and four assists. Ray and Amy Atkins both finished with six points, with Atkins also coming away with four steals.

Taylor Warren led Alexandria with nine points. Kelsey Taylor had seven points and Williams finished with six points.

Alexandria held an 11-7 lead at the end of the first quarter before Cherokee County rebounded to take a 24-17 lead at the half. The Warriors led 32-26 at the end of three quarters.