After 4 grueling days, I’m happy to announce the SORSN writer strike is over. All sides agreed to continue to work for free, and most importantly, not require journalist claims to be validated.
It’s been a busy week for Midway basketball with 3 games, including 2 away, to finish out the regular season. During that stretch, the Lady Waves would go 3-0 with all three being lopsided wins. For the boys, they had a bigger challenge as they faced not 1, but 2 Mr. Basketball finalists for the state of Tennessee in Rockwood’s Ty Pryor and Harriman’s Jordan McCullum. The Wave competed in each of the games but game up short…until tonight against Rockwood. The Midway boys got the win on senior night to go 1-2 for the week.
Monday, February 5 @ Rockwood
The Lady Wave played a slightly slower pace in this first meeting with the Lady Tigers. Coach Hayes would use his bench early and often, perhaps saving legs for the busy week. 12 different Lady Wave players would get into the scoring column. Kyleigh Cawood led the way with a double-double, 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tatum Collier added 7 and Addie Armes 6.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | Final | |
| Lady Wave | 13 | 26 | 33 | 41 |
| Rockwood | 3 | 9 | 13 | 15 |
Offensively, the Midway boys was solid however defensively, Midway struggled as Rockwood’s Ty Pryor would go for 34 points on the night.
Dalton Cowell led Midway with 20 points followed by Brennan Reed with 18. Peyton Steel had 13 and Evan Lemons 11 points on 83% shooting from the field.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | Final | |
| Midway | 19 | 33 | 47 | 69 |
| Rockwood | 22 | 40 | 58 | 78 |
Tuesday, February 6 @ Harriman
This game was a tale of two halves. Harriman Lady Devils had the momentum closing out the first half with a 26-19 lead over Midway. The Lady Waves were plagued in the first half with missed free throws, turnovers and just overall frustration. But the tide quickly changed early in the 3rd quarter. Kali Kile knocked down a three and then Tatum Collier quickly added another 3-ball. And just like that, the Lady Wave trailed by only 1. Abbie Parks would miss a go-ahead 3-pointer but got her own rebound and put back to give the Lady Wave a 1-point lead halfway through the 3rd quarter. A lead they would not relinquish. Midway continued to build on the momentum and get the win at Harriman over the Indigo Demons, 53-37
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | Final | |
| Lady Wave | 6 | 19 | 37 | 53 |
| Harriman | 10 | 26 | 31 | 37 |
Midway played Harriman tight throughout the game however, Harriman’s 6’8” forward Jordan McCullum is a difficult matchup, scoring 7 points in the final quarter to lead the Blue Devils over Midway.
Peyton Steele and Dalton Cowell each had 14 points. Evan Lemons 8, Brennan Reed 7, and Cooper Queener 6. Reed had a team high 6 assists and Lemons pulled in 7 rebounds.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | Final | |
| Midway | 10 | 23 | 34 | 49 |
| Harriman | 13 | 28 | 47 | 58 |
Friday, February 9 vs Rockwood
It was senior night at Midway and the fans paid tribute to Midway’s 7 seniors: Lady Wave basketball Kali Kile, Wave basketball Landon Easter & Evan Lemons, cheerleaders Destiny Squire & Cheyenne Branson, and team manager Brinley Basham. It was a sellout crowd at Ruff Arena and personal space, well, it was nonexistent.
The Lady Wave got off to a hot start when junior guard Abbie Parks knocked down a jumper after the tip which she has done to start a game numerous times this season. A smothering defense by the Lady Wave frustrated Rockwood and led to a quick 18-4 lead for Midway. The Lady Wave offense was efficient, scoring inside and outside, with several players contributing. Freshman shot blocker Laci Ariks, who has battled injuries off and on this season, got her first minutes of varsity play. She cashed in on her time on the court with a 3-point play. In all, 10 Lady Waves go into the scoring column.
The game had a special ending with a break-away layup at the buzzer for the lone senior Kali Kile.
Abbie Parks led the scoring with 11, followed by Kyleigh Cawood and Addie Armes each with 9. Tatum Collier had 7 and Kali Kile 6.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | Final | |
| Lady Wave | 18 | 34 | 50 | 56 |
| Rockwood | 4 | 6 | 19 | 22 |
Oh what a night. Ruff Arena was hopping thanks to the student section and the fans got to witness a nail-biter of a game. Midway never trailed in the game and defeated the Rockwood Tigers 41-36 to end the regular season on a high note in front of a packed house. Midway jumped out quickly on the Rockwood Tigers with Evan Lemons scoring the first 4 points of the game. Brennan Reed knocked down a couple floaters and the Wave led 8-0 after 5 minutes of play. Rockwood would get on the scoreboard soon after, but it was all Midway to start the game. Dalton Cowell would get the 2nd quarter started with a bang as the junior lefty knocked down a trey. Reed would then go to work, getting to the rim for some easy buckets to help Midway take a 20-9 lead into the half. Midway had all the momentum in the first half and the defense held all-American Ty Pryor to zero first half points but Pryor would not be denied in the second half. Pryor would get his first points of the game 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter on a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and that provided a Tiger spark. The senior guard would put up 10 points in the closing minutes of the 3rd. He stayed hot in the 4th quarter adding 9 more. After trailing by double-digits in the second half, the Tigers started clawing their way back into the game.
But the Wave had just enough gas left in the tank to hold off the Rockwood surge. Key buckets by Peyton Steele, Lemons, Reed and Cowell kept Midway in front by 3 in the closing seconds. Rockwood was forced to foul Cooper Queener who stepped to the free throw line with a chance to ice the game and he did just that. Queener knocked down both to put Midway up 5 points with 4 seconds remaining to seal the win for Midway.
Reed led the scoring with 14 points. He also added 4 assists. Dalton Cowell had 10 points. Evan Lemons had 8 points and 6 rebounds.
| 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | Final | |
| Midway | 10 | 20 | 31 | 41 |
| Rockwood | 4 | 9 | 22 | 36 |