GALLATIN Lately, the Station Camp High boys basketball team has been in a lot of close games.
Station Camp High junior forward Kody Eden elevates for a layin as Beech senior Noah Chatman looks on during third-quarter action. Eden scored eight points in the Bison’s 58-39 victory on Thursday evening.
On Thursday evening, the Bison gave themselves some breathing room in the second quarter and maintained it, pulling away for a 58-39 victory over visiting Beech.
Station Camp (22-0 overall, 8-0 in District 9-AAA play) began the second half of the district schedule by hitting five 3-pointers in the second quarter, leading to a 29-19 lead by halftime.
After junior point guard Chase Freeman made two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining in the first half, the Bison lead remained in double digits for the rest of the contest.
“That’s a confidence-builder for sure,” Bison senior Keaton Dotson said. “We’ve been going through a little bit of a lull with our defense. Our defense hasn’t been up to par with where we usually are, and tonight, we came out and competed hard.”
Dotson scored a game-high 13 points and was one of four Bison to connect from behind the arc in the second quarter. Junior guard Thomas Zazzaro provided two 3-pointers, while Freeman and senior Peyton Anderson also cashed in.
The Buccaneers weren’t as fortunate from long range, only hitting one 3-pointer in the game. The Bison finished with eight.
“I think the three-point shooting score was 24-3,” Beech head coach Darrin Joines said. “We had good shots too. The players played great, played hard, but we’ve just got to make some shots. We can’t score 39 points in that game.”
Beech High sophomore point guard Ty Dean dribbles around Station Camp junior Chase Freeman during fourth-quarter action. Dean scored eight points.
No Buccaneer player reached double figures as senior Caleb Walton led the team with nine points. Classmate Noah Chatman and sophomore Ty Dean scored eight points each, but the Buccaneers (12-9, 4-4) missed Walton down the stretch as he fouled out with 7:49 remaining.
The Bison had some foul trouble of their own, especially in the first half, as three of their four inside options sat on the bench in the second quarter due to their foul situations.
“We were in foul trouble,” Massey said. “We had Yalen (Reed), Kody (Eden) and Hayden (Baldwin) all with two (fouls) in the second quarter. (Sophomore Jonathan Gillard) gave us some big minutes.”
Station Camp also outscored Beech by a 15-7 margin in the fourth quarter.
Station Camp High junior Kody Eden is introduced prior to Thursday’s contest against Beech as fans wearing pink shirts cheer during the school’s Pink Out Night, benefitting cancer research.
“I thought our defensive effort was much improved tonight,” Station Camp head coach Seth Massey said. “That’s where we have got to continue to focus and get better. That was the challenge for these guys tonight – to be better on the defensive end.”
Dotson added, “We came out and just played hard. That’s what Coach (Massey) wanted us to do.”
Station Camp hosted its annual pink out night to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
Station Camp High sophomore Jonathan Gillard outraces Beech sophomore A.J. Robertson to a loose ball during second-quarter action.
With the game moved up a day from its originally-scheduled day (Friday), there was some concern about whether the game would draw a sizable crowd. However, fans of both teams showed up in droves, filling the stands nearly to capacity.
“With no school (Friday), we didn’t expect this crowd,” Dotson said. “It was big. Hopefully, this can start becoming a trend to have all those people there.”
Massey said the effort to move the game up instead of rescheduling it for later in the season wasn’t lost on him.
“I was encouraged by (principal Art Crook) and (athletic director Mark Mills) and (superintendent of schools Dr. Del Phillips),” Massey said. “They were on the phone yesterday, looking ahead and having some vision to go ahead in Sumner County and get this game out of the way tonight.”
Beech plays at Wilson Central on Tuesday, while Station Camp plays at Portland.
The Station Camp High student section raises their hands as junior Hayden Baldwin (31) attempts a free throw during third-quarter action. Fans were encouraged to wear pink as part of the school’s pink out night in order to raise awareness and raise funds for cancer research.
“We’re a different team than we were in round one,” Joines said. “There’s a lot of basketball to play.”
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
BEECH (39) – Caleb Walton 9, Noah Chatman 8, Ty Dean 8, Nelson Smith 6, A.J. Roberson 5, Ben Buhrow 3.
STATION CAMP (58) – Keaton Dotson 13, Chase Freeman 12, Kody Eden 8, Yalen Reed 8, Hayden Baldwin 6, Thomas Zazzaro 6, Peyton Anderson 3, Sawyer Taylor 2.
Half: 29-19, Station Camp. Three-point goals: Beech 1 (Robertson 1), Station Camp 8 (Dotson 3, Zazzaro 2, Anderson 1, Freeman 1, Reed 1). Records: Beech 12-9 overall, 4-4 in District 9-AAA; Station Camp 22-0, 8-0.