Webb pulls away, slams door on Catholic
Knoxville — The Webb School of Knoxville-Knoxville Catholic High School basketball rivalry is one of the most intense in Knox County and all of East Tennessee.
The two schools, which are separated by just a few miles, renewed acquaintances on the hardwood Friday night, Feb. 6.
The game was contested
before a sold-out house at Webb’s Lee Athletic Center and after an even first quarter, the Spartans pulled away for a 71-55 victory, completing the regular-season sweep against the Irish.
The game was declared a sell out just seconds before tipoff and the fire marshal required the stop of ticket sales.
“I don’t know how you can say there’s a better rivalry in Knoxville than this one,” Spartans’ coach Ricky Norris said. “I mean, you’re closing the doors, and this was just a great high school basketball game.
“They’re a great team and you have to play well against them to beat them, to win. This was a clean game. I’m sure there was talking because there always is, but this is just a clean and healthy rivalry.”
After the opening frame, Webb and the Irish were locked in a 15-15 tie before the Spartans grabbed the upper hand and opened a 30-25 lead by halftime.
“They came out and did a good job. They smacked us in the mouth,” Norris said. “It was a defensive first half and if you loved pitchers’ duels then you liked this.
“In the second quarter, we were able to get a little separation.”
After halftime, the Spartans (26-2 overall, 6-0 in the region) really pulled away by opening the third stanza with an 8-0 run, fueled largely by a pair of 3-point shots by Wilson Luton and Brayden Hazelbaker.
When asked about his team’s effort Friday night, Norris was elated but succinct.
“Proud, just proud, he said. “It just comes down to that.
“This (Catholic) is a team that we have a ton of respect for. We respect their talent and their coaching staff. They’ve got a good plan and compete really hard, and we know that every time we play them, we have to be at our best.”
Webb featured a balanced offensive attack last week against the Irish as Hazelbaker scored 17 points. He was one of four Spartans to post double figures in the scoring column. Owen Lentz added 16 points. Cam Swearengen had 14 points and Houston Torres finished with 13.
Catholic coach Travis Mains echoed Norris’ sentiments about the Cedar Bluff rivalry.
“This was a great game and this is a great rivalry,” Mains said. “This was a tight game and they’re a great team. It was a physical game.
“It’s a close game and then they go on a run or they go on a blitz and then it’s over. We were 2-for-12 from beyond the 3-point line and we missed some shots around the rim that we usually make, but a lot of credit for that goes to them because they play so well defensively.”
Malachi Brown had 13 points to lead the Irish and Cade Murphy added nine.
