Mercer Pushes Through For Win Against Estill
The Mercer County Senior High School boys basketball team (5-4) had a successful trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic last week, winning two of three games.
The Harrodsburg Herald/April Ellis
Sophomore Trevor Ellis battled defenders for the basket in Mercer’s win over Estill County at the Smokey Mountain Classic over the Christmas break. Ellis finished the game with 27 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocks.
They easily handled Union High School from Virginia beating them 74-47. They faced a much more physical team in Estill County from the 14th region, but came away with the 58-54 win. Their final day, they played in their bracket championship game against tournament host, the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders. The Titans dropped that game, 77-62, after a valiant effort with hometown referees.
Mercer’s game against Estill was the most physical they have had yet. Both teams opened with a full court press. Mercer still struggled to find their flow in the opening minutes of the game. The press wasn’t really an issue for the Titans, but sloppy passes seem to plague them.
After Estill’s Kade Benton hit a 3-point shot, the Engineers led, 8-2.
Mercer’s defense is consistently improving. They clamped down on Estill and started to force turnovers. Sophomore Trevor Ellis pulled down a defensive rebound and was able to find Jordan Axsom on the breakout to put one off the glass to etch away at the lead, 10-6.
Mercer mishandled the ball a few times and the Engineers took advantage to extend their lead at the end of the first quarter 15-8.
