Matt Scores 8 in Falcon's win over Uncle John's East Eagles

Published Saturday, February 9, 2008

Milestone moment

West senior Corliss surpasses 1,000 career points

Times-News Staff WriterBy Jeremy Trantham

West Henderson coach Rob Bliss, left, presents Zach Corliss with a ball after Corliss scored his 1,000th career point Friday night against East Henderson at West.
MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS

What occurred right after the final horn had sounded on Friday evening -- a postgame scuffle -- did not befit what came before.

West Henderson held on for a thrilling 60-58 Western Athletic Conference victory after East Henderson's final 3-point attempt with five seconds remaining sailed just long. It was a home win that secured the WAC's third playoff seed for the Falcons (11-11, 5-3 WAC) and it came on a night that saw senior Zach Corliss collect his 1,000th career point.

And then, after a game that went down to the wire, the rivalry turned heated. A physical altercation occurred in the hallway outside of the West locker room but was diffused by school administrators and Henderson County Sheriff's Deputies.

West coach Rob Bliss said he didn't see the fight. A coy Corliss claimed that "nothing happened."

"I'm not sure," East coach John Johnston said. "We'll get back, sort things out and go from there. It's a good rivalry and that's the way it needs to be. If we have some things that we have to do to make it a better setting for high school athletics then we'll do them. I've gotten a few stories but everybody's sort of wide open with it."

"It was a competitive game," West principal Dean Jones, a former assistant principal at East, said. "The adults involved -- coaches and sheriff's deputies -- stepped in quickly to stop it from becoming a bigger situation."

A Corliss 3-pointer gave the Falcons their largest lead of then night, at 50-40, with 4:29 remaining. East closed the gap to 57-56 on a Chase Hill 3 with 1:02 to play.

After a pair of Corliss free throws, his 12th straight points, East's Micheal Robinson (15 points) knifed down the lane for a layup. The Eagles then fouled Dallas Ducote, who hit 1-of-2 from the line, to set up the final play.

"Our philosophy on the road is if we have a chance to go for the win we're going to take it," said Johnston. "Our foul situation really tipped us to do that, our three perimeter players all had four fouls. "We had a good look. His defender slipped, Daniel ran at him but he had a good look. You never blame the game on one shot."

"You've got to give John a tremendous amount of credit," Bliss said.

"They've been up and down but his kids battled their guts out tonight. I think that speaks volumes about John and the character of his kids."

Corliss started slowly, collecting only two points on zero field goals in the first half. He scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter and his foul shot with 3:04 to play notched his 1,000th career point.

"You try not to think about something like that," he said. "I made my first two foul shots and then I wasn't making any shots. The team stepped up.

"To tell you the truth it wouldn't really have mattered if we'd have lost tonight."

Ducote scored eight of his 17 points in the second quarter to help West build a 26-18 halftime lead. He grabbed five rebounds while Daniel Hyatt had seven.

Chase Hill scored a team-high 18 as the Eagles (4-16, 1-7) put four players -- Robinson (15), Nathan Roberts (11) and Chris Whiteside (10) -- in double figures.

East will host Pisgah on Tuesday while West will travel to Smoky Mountain.

Summary

BOYS

EAST HENDERSON (58) -- Dorn, Hill 18, Roberts 11, Justus 4, Robinson 15, McClure, Whiteside 10, Duermitt, Ford.

WEST HENDERSON (60) -- Roberts 8, Williams 2, James 4, Troutman 2, Corliss 17, Isgett, Barbour 1, Staggs, Hutchinson 6, Ducote 17, Hyatt 3.

Halftime: West, 26-18.