The Elizabethton Fighting Cyclones lost against the Unicoi County Blue Devils back in January of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Elizabethton received a tough blow as they fell 73-54 to Unicoi County. While losing is never fun, Elizabethton can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 267th, while Unicoi County is ranked 97th).
Unicoi County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jackson Simmons led the charge by scoring 28 points. That makes it five consecutive games in which Simmons has scored at least a third of Unicoi County's points. Kolby Jones was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Elizabethton's loss was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 6-10. As for Unicoi County, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Elizabethton will take on Tennessee at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Unicoi County, they will be playing at home against Science Hill at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Science Hill knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three matches -- so hopefully Unicoi County likes a good challenge.
