By Ken Lay
The 3-point shot proved to be a potent weapon for the Halls High School boys basketball team Tuesday night.
The Red Devils buried 12 long-range jumpers en route to a 77-41 District 3-AAA victory over Gibbs at home Tuesday night.
Halls (14-4 overall, 8-2 in the district) hit eight 3-pointers before halftime and set the tone for an easy district win over the Eagles.
“We can shoot the 3-pointer and we like to shoot 3-pointers,” Red Devils’ coach Randy Moore said. “They fell for us tonight. Sometimes, they don’t fall as much and you have to tighten up your defense.
Indeed, the 3-pointers rained down for Halls on this night. In the first half, Kenny White made four shots from beyond the 3-point arc. J.J. Corvette and Braxton Moore each made two before halftime and Robert Miller hit another.
Halls hit four more 3-pointers after halftime. Moore had two after the break. Miller hit another and Parker Keith also had one in the Red Devils’ lopsided victory.
The home team, which led 20-11 at the end of the first quarter and blew things open with a 24-5 run in the second stanza, boasted a balanced offensive attack.
White finished with 17 points to lead all scorers. Peyton Booker added 15. Moore finished with 14 and Corvette had 12,
Coach Moore commended the Eagles’ effort.
“I thought Gibbs really played hard tonight. They always play hard,” he said. “The shots just weren’t falling for them tonight.”
Mark Thomas led Gibbs with eight points. Nick Ammons, Tyler Mullins and Wayland Price added seven points each.
Gibbs gets first win at Clinton: the Eagles might’ve had a long tough night Tuesday against the Red Devils but Thursday night in Clinton was a different story.
Gibbs edged the Dragons 52-50 in another District 3-AAA game in Anderson County.
Price scored 14 points and David Mullins added 10 to lead the Eagles (1-15, 1-9) to their first victory of the season.
Gibbs trailed the Dragons 50-44 early in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles’ defense stiffened and shut Clinton out over the final five minutes of the contest.