BY BRIAN HAMILTON
KODAK – Northview Academy appeared to be on a mission Friday night, as the Lady Cougars led from start to finish to defeat Seymour 61-50, ending a 7-game losing streak to the Lady Eagles that dated back to the 2020-21 season.
Northview Academy’s Josie Horner (24) goes up for a layup while Seymour’s Kali Fisher defends. Photo by Brian Hamilton
“It feels like it’s been forever. It was really good for us mentally, especially this group of seniors, just knowing that we can do it,” Northview Academy coach Brooke Shelley said of the win. “It was such a great team win and such a balanced win. We came out and I thought our intensity was there the entire game. I thought our execution could have been better, but obviously Seymour had a lot to do with that. I’m really happy for the girls because I feel like it was a hump that we just needed to get over.”
The last time Northview defeated Seymour was on December 15, 2020, when leading scorer Reagan Brown was merely a freshman, coming off the bench for a team that featured five seniors — including Carson-Newman junior guard Campbell Penland — on a team that finished 33-2 and put together a 30-game winning streak before finally falling to Macon County in the Final Four.
Needless to say, it has been a minute.
Josie Horner put Northview Academy on the scoreboard first with a rebound and layup to make the score 2-0. Savannah Bates then grabbed a rebound and made a putback to put the Lady Cougars in front 4-0.
Chloe McCoy nailed a three to put Seymour on the board, cutting the Lady Eagles’ deficit to 5-3 with 5:14 left in the first quarter.
Reagan Brown and Savannah Bates then made back-to-back threes to stretch the Northview lead to 11-3, forcing Seymour coach Brandy Stallings to call timeout.
Two consecutive threes by McCoy would pull Seymour to within 11-9, as the junior guard scored the first nine points of the game for the Lady Eagles.
Northview Academy then embarked on 7-0 run, capped by a Camryn Brown three to make the score 18-9 with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.
Kaylen Shultz hit a runner at the buzzer to cut the Lady Cougars’ lead to 18-11 at the end of the quarter.
Seymour’s Jaden Cummings (15) goes up for a layup as Northview’s Savannah Bates defends. Photo by Brian Hamilton
A layup by Reagan Brown would give Northview a double-digit lead, at 21-11, early in the second quarter, followed by a Bates triple to increase the lead to 24-11, capping a 6-0 Lady Cougars run to start the quarter.
Shultz hit a corner three to pull Seymour to within 24-15, but a triple by Horner would put Northview Academy back up double-digits, at 29-17, with 2:46 left in the half.
Seymour would go on a 10-2 run to end the half, as Shultz hit a three with 10 seconds remaining to cut the Lady Cougars’ lead to 31-27 at the intermission.
Reagan Brown nailed a three early in the third quarter to push the Northview lead to 35-29 with just over six minutes left in the period.
Seymour closed the deficit to 35-31 when Jaden Cummings sank two free throws with a little over five minutes remaining. The Lady Cougars stretched the lead back to six, but Kali Fisher drove to the hoop for a layup to make the score 39-35 with 3:47 left in the third.
Bates answered with a three-pointer to extend the Northview lead to 42-35 with 3:08 remaining. The Lady Cougars would stretch the lead back to 10, but Cummings would hit a layup to make the score 45-37.
Northview ended the third quarter on a 10-2 run, as the Lady Cougars led 49-37 heading into the final stanza.
Cummings made a layup to pull Seymour to within 50-39 with 5:45 remaining, but a basket by Horner would stretch the Lady Cougar lead to 53-39.
Northview Academy took its largest lead of the game, at 58-43, when Reagan Brown drained a three with 2:54 left in the game. Caiden Russell answered with a three to make the score 58-46 with just over two minutes remaining, but Bates counted with another three, increasing the Lady Cougars’ lead to 61-46.
Two straight baskets by Cummings would pull the Lady Eagles to within 61-50 with 31 seconds left, but it would be too little, too late, as Northview Academy would go on to win by 11, ending a 7-game losing streak to Seymour.
Chloe McCoy (12) looks to drive against Northview Academy’s Josie Horner. McCoy scored the first nine Seymour points of the game, helping keep the Lady Eagles in the game early. Photo by Brian Hamilton
“We can’t be complacent (after this win),” Shelley said. “We’ve got to win every day. We have to win every minute, win every quarter and win every day. Yes, it’s great to get this win, but we’ve got to be ready for the next opponent.”
Reagan Brown led all scorers with 15 points, while Josie Horner finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Camryn Brown had 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Savannah Bates added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Lady Eagles.
Seymour was led by Jaden Cummings’ 13 points, while Kaylen Shultz also scored in double figures with 11. Chloe McCoy and Kali Fisher each added nine points apiece for the Lady Eagles.
Northview Academy (15-4, 4-0 3A District 3) will host Jefferson County (9-8) on Tuesday, January 16, while Seymour (10-7, 2-2 3A District 3) travel to Gatlinburg-Pittman on Tuesday to face the 19-2 Lady Highlanders.