The Cocke County Fighting Cocks's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their fourth straight loss. They opened the new year with a less-than-successful 48-41 defeat to Christian Academy of Knoxville. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Cocke County in their matchups with Christian Academy of Knoxville: they've now lost three in a row.
Cocke County's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ethan Fine, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and two steals. Jerome Cofield was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with two steals.
Leading Christian Academy of Knoxville to victory were Bryson White and Caden Owens. White scored 12 points along with six rebounds, while Owens scored 19 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points White has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Will Kelley, who scored two points along with five rebounds and two blocks.
Cocke County has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-13 record this season. As for Christian Academy of Knoxville, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-11.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Cocke County will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Morristown-Hamblen East at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Morristown-Hamblen East presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Cocke County in Tennessee (Morristown-Hamblen East is ranked 27th, while Cocke County is ranked 217th). As for Christian Academy of Knoxville, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against First Baptist Academy at 7:30 p.m. First Baptist Academy is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'.
