Horns ready for district play after tough week

The Johnson County boys basketball team is off to a 1-4 start under first-year head coach Ethan Harmon. The Longhorns dropped three games during a taxing schedule last week. They fell 82-70 at Elizabethton on Tuesday, lost 66-51 in their home opener against Unaka Friday night and dropped a 67-29 decision to Hidden Valley (Roanoke, Va.) on Saturday at Virginia High. Of course, last week can quickly be flushed away with a win or two this week. The 'Horns will begin District 1-2A play with games at Happy Valley on Tuesday (Dec. 9) and Unicoi County on Friday. "We're gonna have to be some road warriors this week to open up district play," Harmon said. "Happy Valley's coached well and they play very hard. We're gonna have to show up and execute in order to put ourselves in good positions." Unicoi County is in its first season with Brandon Broyles as the head coach. He coached Harmon four years at North Greene. "I've got the ultimate respect for Coach Broyles," Harmon said. "He helped me grow as a player and as a person. So, to put my wits and my group against his is really just an honor." The sound of Broyles' voice might make Harmon want to take the court. "Just to hear that signature, you know, jumping on a kid for effort or anything like that – not only at me, but some of my buddies that got chewed at some point – it'll give me flashbacks," he said. Unicoi County is led by senior combo guard Jackson Simmons, who scored his 2,000th career point this season. "He's a good player and he does everything for them," Harmon said. "So, that's a main guy you're gonna have to look at." Unaka's main man, 6-foot-7 John Hardin, piled up 26 points and 20 rebounds at Johnson County on Friday night. "He can go and finish both ways, left- and right-handed," Harmon said. "Heck, he also shoots it. Down the stretch we lost him once (when he hit a 3-pointer), and that kind of took the wind out of our sails. We threw plenty of bodies at him. He's a heck of a player." The Longhorns' Landin Lipford scored 21 points against Unaka after piling up 22 points in the loss at Elizabethton. "Landin is playing lights out," Johnson County senior lead guard Carson Jennings said. "I think the work he has been putting in is paying off. He has stepped up and I think he is going to have a big year this year for us." Eli Tester scored 13 points for the Longhorns against Elizabethton, which got 24 points from Evan Chambers and 21 from Nathan Bailey. Harmon's pressure defense is a work in progress. "We've kind of had some mishaps in transition," Harmon said. "Elizabethton threw a lot of long balls on us. We made some adjustments in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, and that did not happen nearly as much on Friday (against Unaka). Our adjustments took a step forward." The 'Horns were within two possessions midway through the fourth period against Unaka. "I wanna say with, I think, three and a half minutes left it was still a four-point game," Harmon said. "And we had a turnover that led to a dunk for them. I think we turned it over back-to-back trips and their big guy hit a three, and they ended up stretching it out there at the end." Harmon has been pleased with the dedication from his first squad in Mountain City. Kaden Blevins and 6-foot-5 newcomer Avery Jones are off to positive starts. "Kaden has stepped into a starting role for us and he just makes winning plays," Harmon said. "He sprints the floor. He executes what we're trying to execute. He's a great screener. He hits open shots. He does everything that we ask him to do. He's a very coachable kid, a very likeable kid." Jones started on Friday because Ethan Smith was nursing an injury sustained against Elizabethton. "Avery's never played basketball at all in his life," Harmon said. "He came out this year and he's very coachable, does things the right way. He asks questions. And he rebounds the heck out of it, makes baskets around the rim. He defends about as well as you can ask for a guy that's never played. "He plays football and baseball and he's a naturally gifted athlete. He has good feet, pretty decent hands. He's making huge strides since coming to the hardwood." Jennings sees good things ahead with Harmon at the wheel. "I am really enjoying playing under Coach Harmon," Jennings said. "He has brought a lot of energy to the team and has us playing hard. I think that the more the season goes on the smoother we will start playing. "When we get rolling, I think we are going to be a fun team to watch. We are still adjusting to all the new plays and defenses. When January rolls around, I think we are going to have things figured out and be playing well."