Polk County boys upset Owen in Western Highlands Conference tourney opener

Survive and advance. It’s the message Polk County head boys basketball coach Josh McEntire gave his Wolverines Monday afternoon.

And it’s exactly what they did on Monday night.

The seventh-seeded Wolverines stunned second-seeded Owen in the opening round of the Western Highlands Conference tournament, handing the Warhorses a 76-69 defeat at Owen.

Polk County (7-15) moves on to Thursday’s semifinal to face third-seeded Mountain Heritage, who defeated Hendersonville on Monday. Thursday’s game will be played at 8:30 p.m. at Hendersonville High School.

One night after losing at Owen, Polk County returned, opened a 15-2 lead and never trailed in keeping their postseason hopes alive. The Wolverines likely need to win the WHC tournament to advance to the state 2A playoffs.

“We told them before the game, survive and advance because there is no tomorrow, to give it their all,” McEntire said. “They came out and did just that. We jumped on them early and never looked back.

“Offensively, we moved the ball around well. We really shared the basketball and didn’t force too many bad shots against their zone. Defensively, we played with a sense or urgency. We blocked out and didn’t give them rebounds and competed on every possession.”

The Wolverines held a 33-29 lead at halftime, then extended the lead to 56-43 entering the fourth period.

Anthony Carson and Wes Mullis led a balanced Polk County attack with 13 points as four players scored in double figures. Michael Pomeroy, who scored 37 points in Owen’s win on Monday, had 24 to lead the Warhorses.

Polk County suffered two narrow regular-season losses to Mountain Heritage, including an 80-79 setback on Jan. 24 in Burnsville.

“We’re excited to play them. We played them close two times,” McEntire said. “It feels like a good matchup for us.

“But at this point, we’re just glad to be playing anybody.”

Polk County Scoring
Anthony Carson 13, Wes Mullis 13, Wes Brady 11, Jaron Bontrager 10, Jaylin Hines 9, Jordan Smith 8, Jamal Tanner 6, Saquan Miller 4, Jason Chupp 2