Jellico defeats University High 65-59 to punch their ticket to Murfreesboro (TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF JELLICO HIGH SCHOOL)

By Clayton Carroll

JOHNSON CITY, TN (WLAF) – The Jellico Blue Devils traveled to Johnson City on Monday night to battle the Buccaneers of University High with a spot in the state tournament on the line.

Watch the Jellico-University game HERE on demand from WLAF. The telecast is made possible by Hope+Stand, Common Ground, UBank, The Pizza Spot and Maximum Potential.

University grabbed the lead first. A three pointer and midrange jumper gave the Bucs a 5-2 lead over the Blue Devils. Jellico, thanks to two John Zecchini buckets, would gain their first lead of the night with 4:44 to go by a score of 6-5. University jumped back in front of Jellico by the end of the first quarter. After the opening frame, it was 12-10 in favor of the Bucs.

University High expanded their lead to 15-10, the largest of the night at the time, in the first minute of the second quarter. Jellico, led in large part by Carson Bolton, knotted the game at 17 with over four minutes to play in the half before the Buccaneers drilled back-to-back long shots to push their’ lead to six, 23-17.  In a half that saw three ties and four lead changes, the Bucs led the Blue Devils 30-26.

John Zecchini recorded the first second half points for the Blue Devils to trim University’s lead to two. Carson Bolton sunk a three to give Jellico a one point lead; he followed this with a transition layup to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to their largest, three points. Basketball is known as a game of runs, and University made theirs. The Bucs outscored the Blue Devils by nine in the final minutes of the third quarter to take a 48-42 lead into the final frame.

Caleb Rose, after draining a trey, struck the Blue Devil spark in the fourth; and Carson Bolton kept the fire burning. After hitting a couple threes, Bolton propelled the Blue Devils back in front 53-52. It remained a close battle throughout the fourth quarter. With 57.5 seconds to go in the game, Jellico led University High 60-57. The Blue Devils would have to make their free throws down the stretch; and make their free throws they did. Jellico, when the buzzer sounded, clinched their spot in the state tournament at Murfreesboro for the first time in school history with a 65-59 win over University High.  

Leading the way for Jellico was Carson Bolton who racked up 25 points on the night. Isaac McNealey and John Zecchini both had 15 points apiece. Caleb Rose totaled six points; and both Dre Webb and Trey Vann tallied two points apiece.

Jellico now looks to the Frank Hughes Lions of Clifton, who defeated Eaglesville in the Region 5 substate game. Jellico travels to Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University for the elite eight round of the Class 1A state tournament on Wed. March 13th at 9:45 pm (EST).

(WLAF NEWS PUBLSIHED 3/4/24 8:30 PM – PHOTO COURTESY OF JELLICO HIGH SCHOOL)

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