The Tennessee Vikings will square off against the Volunteer Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Last Monday, Tennessee came up short against David Crockett and fell 60-53. While losing is never fun, the Vikings can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 152nd, while the Pioneers are ranked 17th).
Addie Wilhoit
| 02/24/25 vs David Crockett | 24 |
| 02/22/25 vs Elizabethton | 18 |
| 02/18/25 @ Daniel Boone | 25 |
| 02/11/25 vs David Crockett | 21 |
| 02/07/25 @ Elizabethton | 20 |
| 02/04/25 @ Sullivan East | 25 |
Despite the loss, Tennessee saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Addie Wilhoit en route to 24 points. The contest was Wilhoit's sixth in a row with at least 18 points. Jasmine Jones was another key player, putting up nine points and eight boards.
Meanwhile, Volunteer didn't have too much trouble with Cherokee on Monday as they won 60-42.
Volunteer's win came from a few key players Tennessee will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Emilee Mailloux, who to rack up 13 points along with six assists and six steals. She has become a key player for Volunteer: the team is 7-1 when she posts at least five steals, but 8-16 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Courtney Bellamy, who posted 15 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals.
Volunteer was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Tennessee has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-17 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.2 points over those games. Volunteer's victory bumped their record up to 15-17.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Tennessee has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.6 boards per game. However, it's not like Volunteer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.4 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went Tennessee's way against Volunteer in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as Tennessee made off with a 59-36 win. Does Tennessee have another victory up their sleeve, or will Volunteer turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
