Rebels Ride to East Hall: Vanquished by Vikings

The Fannin County High School Rebels basketball teams traveled to East Hall High School to take on the Vikings squads. The Lady Rebels lost 59-37, and the boys lost 83-40.The Lady Rebels got down 8-0, before scoring, and 9-2 before head coach, Suzianne Pass, was forced to call time out with 3:06 left in the first period.

The time out proved to be successful, as Fannin produced a 6-0 run, including an “And 1” three point play by Ashley Ellison. The first quarter ended with East Hall holding a one point 9-8 lead.

Hope Cochran’ second quarter opening jumper, off an assist from Morgan Chastain, gave Fannin its first lead of the game, 10-9. The two teams battled to a 12-12 tie with 6:50 left in the half. That is when things fell a part for Fannin.

The Lady Rebels scored only once more, a bucket by Mallory Arp, the rest of the half. The Lady Vikings, finished off the half with a 14-2 run that saw the home team lead 26-14 at half time.

The Fannin’s fight was finished by the end of the third quarter, as the Lady Vikings’ barrage of three pointers simply proved to be too much for the visitors to overcome. Fannin fell behind by 19, 44-25, at the end of the third.

The game ended with East Hall winning 59-37. Fannin’s Logan O’Neal took a hard fall, at the very end of the game; however, coach Pass was assured that O’Neal was safe.

“Her mom’s a nurse and she said she was okay, so she should be fine,” Pass said after the game.

Much like the previous girls’ game, the Fannin boys’ game began with the Rebels falling behind early. Fannin fought back from a 7-2 deficit; ending the first quarter down four, 14-10.

After an East Hall three ball pushed the lead up to seven, Will Patterson cut the lead to five, 17-12, with 5:49 left in the first half. Morgan Kephart cut the lead to three, 17-14, with 4:57 left in the half. The Vikings went on a 21-5 run that saw the visitors down 38-19 at half time.

The Vikings continued an aggressive press that ran the Rebels ragged through out the third quarter to take a 67-32 lead into the fourth. In the fourth Fannin finally found itself bringing the ball up the court with out pressure and the Vikings cruised to an 83-40 victory.