By By Adam Robinson – Sports Editor
After dropping their previous two games by a combined total of five points, the T.R. Miller Tigers responded with a 81-69 win over the Northview Chiefs Monday night at Northview.
Four Tigers finished in double figures as Teras Fountain had a huge game and finished with 24 points to lead the Tigers. David Payne added 20 points, Corey Cunningham added 16 and Derrick Riley added 13 points for the Tigers in the win as they improved to 11-8 on the season and will face Monroe County Friday night in Monroeville.
After a 21-point first quarter by the Tigers to only eight points for the Chiefs, the Tigers used runs of 9-0 and 8-0 to take a 13-4 lead and then a 21-6 lead before Northview added a late bucket with 3.6 seconds left to hold a 21-8 lead at the end of the first quarter of play. Fountain led the Tigers with seven points in the quarter.
The eight-point first quarter was only temporary as the home standing Chiefs exploded for 27 in the second quarter to 19 for the Tigers as they cut the T.R. Miller lead to one point at the 1:33 mark in the quarter before the Tigers ended the quarter on a 4-0 run to hold a 40-35 lead at the half.
The Tigers built a 23-12 lead in the quarter before a 6-0 run by Northview cut it to 23-18 with 6:22 left in the half. After two free throws by Riley gave the Tigers a 32-24 lead with 3:43 left, Northview went on a 6-0 run to get within 32-30 of the Tiger lead at the 2:24 mark before holding a 40-35 halftime lead.
The third quarter started out for the Tigers on a 8-0 run as they built a 48-35 led at the 6:06 mark after two points from Matt Lane.
The 13-point lead was cut to seven points at the 4:13 mark by the Chiefs as they cut the lead to 49-42, but the Tigers five points from Fountain in a 5-0 run to build a 12-point lead with 3:09 left as they held a 61-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter of play.
In the fourth quarter, Northview cut the Tiger's lead to 69-63 with 3:43, but that would be the closest the Chiefs would get as T.R. Miller went on a 6-0 run to take a 75-63 lead with 2:49 left and then held the 12-point lead through the remainder of the game as they took the win 81-69.