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Independence boys run past Rockvale on Senior Night




Independence boys basketball coach Mark Wilkins observes the Eagles during their 79-43 win Friday over visiting Rockvale.ROB FLEMING / MAIN STREET MAURY

Independence boys basketball coach Mark Wilkins observes the Eagles during their 79-43 win Friday over visiting Rockvale.ROB FLEMING / MAIN STREET MAURY

Independence is at its best when the Eagles get out in transition and play fast.

Friday night was a vintage performance as Independence sprinted to a 79-43 victory over visiting Rockvale in front of a near-capacity crowd on Senior Night.

“It was fun to see our guys get out in transition,” Eagles coach Mark Wilkins said. “It starts with our defense, getting some deflections.”

Independence’s big three led the way as Jett Montgomery scored 20 points, Matt Witt added 16 and Tylan Lewis had 12.

“Yeah, those three are special and what makes them special is they do it in different ways,” Wilkins said. “Jett’s a phenomenal shooter, Tylan can get to the rim and Matt’s really shown that he can get by people in the post so that gives us a lot of options, for sure.”

Independence (5-2), coming off a 25-9 season that ended in a Class 4A sectional, has been drawing big home crowds early in the year.

“Man, it’s amazing,” Wilkins said. “I think that ‘Indy Nation’ is the best crowd in the state, really, night-in, night-out.”

Independence’s Tylan Lewis battles on the boards during the Eagles’ 79-43 win Friday over visiting Rockvale.ROB FLEMING / MAIN STREET MAURY

Independence’s Tylan Lewis battles on the boards during the Eagles’ 79-43 win Friday over visiting Rockvale.ROB FLEMING / MAIN STREET MAURY

Montgomery started slowly with six points in the first half before heating up in the third quarter.

Montgomery said the Eagles’ crowd energized Independence, which started to pull away after outscoring Rockvale 21-6 in the second quarter.

“Oh, it’s awesome,” Montgomery said. “We’ve probably got one of the best student bodies in the state. It really pushes us.”

The 6-foot junior guard has college offers from Southern Mississippi and Trevecca.

Rockets coach Wendell Ingram said Montgomery’s versatility makes him difficult to contain.

“I guess the thing about it is he can get you off the dribble, he can get you deep, he can get you on transition,” Ingram said. “We did a good job on him in the first half, but you still find out that you’re down 18. But other role players stepped up big. That’s what you can’t have happen.”

Ingram said Montgomery can’t be stopped.

Independence’s Eden Oates gets her shot off against a Rockvale defender during Friday’s contest.ROB FLEMING / MAIN STREET MAURY

Independence’s Eden Oates gets her shot off against a Rockvale defender during Friday’s contest.ROB FLEMING / MAIN STREET MAURY

“When it leaves his hand, I’m already walking back the other way with my head down just knowing that if it’s not going in, he gonna barely miss it,” Ingram said. “He’s a good athlete.”

Witt and Lewis both started quickly, opening the door for Montgomery in the second half.

Witt, a 6-6 senior center, gets his athletic genes from his dad, Chris, a former Army linebacker.

“Our emphasis coming into the game was get the ball to the post inside because everybody knows we’re a great 3-point shooting team, so I think if we just continue to get the ball inside – kick out, score – then we’ll be successful from there,” Witt said. “Our whole offense runs around movement, so every player pass, cut. We just get open from other people’s passes and we end up getting buckets.”

Independence opened the second half with an 11-0 run and put the game out of reach by outscoring Rockvale 34-17 in the third quarter.

 

 

Markell Siebert led Rockvale (3-4) with 20 points and Malachi Long added 10.

• After cutting a 12-point deficit to three with 2:12 to play, Independence went scoreless the rest of the way in a 52-43 loss to visiting Rockvale.

Annie Gibbs’ layup in traffic cut the gap to 46-43, energizing the big crowd.

“I thought there was a period of time where we stopped competing and I thought we picked our level of intensity back up again,” Independence coach Tony Hill said of the rally. “We had every opportunity to dig in there a little deeper. That’s a team (Rockvale) that might fool around and be in the Glass House in March.”

Sophomore guard Savanna Seay led Independence (3-4) with 15 points and Leah Oubre added 12.

“I think they definitely had a more athletic team than we did,” Seay said. “It seemed that they had a lot of developed chemistry together.”

Rockvale made a 12-0 run in the first quarter and led the rest of the way.

“They’re talented from top to bottom,” Hill said. “That’s a team that’s going to make some noise in March. I don’t think we have spurtability. I don’t think we can go on 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-point runs at this point in our development, so we have to grind it out.”

Rockvale (6-0) is off to the best start in the Rutherford County program’s four-year history.

“The first year we won 11 games, the second season we won 16 and got to the region and upset Stewarts Creek,” Rockvale coach Bill Hockenberry said. “Last year we went 22-9 and made the region semifinals, so hopefully we’re going to keep climbing and one of these days get to the state tournament. This year, we’re playing 10 or 11 girls.”

Point guard Kamaria Murray led Rockvale with 15 points, Tonie Davis added 12 and Ayeden Wilkerson had 11.

“We were in close games last year and we couldn’t finish and this year we’re trying to finish the games off,” Murray said. “Our defense is probably (the key to the good start.)”

Independence boys 79, Rockvale 43

R 10 6 17 10 — 43

I 13 21 34 11 — 79

Rockvale (43) — Markell Siebert 20, Antonio Ward 1, Darryl Cotton 4, Jakobe Tharp 2, Malachi Long 10, Ty Newton 2, Malik Hicks 2, Braylen Ingram 2

Independence (79) — Jett Montgomery 20, Tylan Lewis 12, Matthew Witt 16, Henry Spaanstra 5, Bradley Stewart 6, Michael Ashley 5, Brayden Buck 2, Houston Hicks 2, Michael Ashley 5. Josh Owens 1, Casey Lynch 4, Korben Walling 6

3-pointers — Rockvale 1 (Cotton), Independence 5 (Montgomery 2, Spaanstra, Stewart, Ashley)

Rockvale girls 52, Independence 43

R 20 11 10 11 — 52

I 8 17 2 16 — 43

Rockvale (52) — Rakea Gray 3, Ayeden Wilkerson 11, Kamaria Murray 15, Tonie Davis 12, Grace Ussery 2, Isabella Wright 3, Kaliah Crawford 5

Independence (43) — Leah Oubre 12, Savanna Seay 15, Katy McDonald 2, Eden Oates 9, Annie Gibbs 5

3-pointers — Rockvale 5 (Gray, Murray, Davis 2, Wright), Independence 3 (Seay, Oates, Gibbs)

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