By Brian T. Smith
Assistant Sports Editor / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: January 18, 2008

BY BRIAN T. SMITH
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
Blountville, Tenn. – Jamel Williams leapt, spun, twisted and defied gravity.
Dustin McConnell knocked down mid-range jumpers like it was kid’s play.
And Jordan Edwards and Marshall Hardy cleared out enough space in the paint to rent a room.
It was just another typical Friday night for Dobyns-Bennett.
“We’re just having fun out there,” said Williams, whose 15 points included a number of highlight reel-worthy moments. “We move the ball around and try and get everybody involved.”
In doing so, the Indians continued to roll through the Big Nine Conference, defeating Sullivan Central 73-56 at the Dickie Warren Dome before an estimated crowd of 1,500.
McConnell scored a game-high 19 points for D-B (18-2, 11-0), while Edwards and Hardy combined for 11.
Josh Kaiko led the Cougars (9-11, 5-5) with 15 points, and Jason Rock contributed 11, including three made 3-pointers.
Hot shooting got the Indians started, but it was a fierce, persistent defense that kept D-B undefeated in the Big Nine.
“We weren’t perfect. But I thought we made some good stops in the second half and that was the difference,” said Indians coach Charlie Morgan. “Our offense fed off our defense, which is exactly what we try to do.”
Dobyns-Bennett jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead, exploiting Central’s man-to-man defense with speed and precision passing.
As Williams burned an open lane to the basket, Edwards and Hardy pounded the Cougars inside.
Williams soon made his name known on defense as well. He sprinted from midcourt and leaped five feet away from the basket to swat down what appeared to be an automatic layup for Central.
Yet the Cougars held strong.
Central tied the game at 15 all when Rock knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
And Central took a 19-17 lead when senior center Neil Johnson hit a soft 8-foot fade-away jumper early in the second quarter.
But the Cougars’ rally was also a wake-up call to Dobyns-Bennett. The Indians’ defense came alive, McConnell warmed up to score 13 points in the second period, and D-B used a 22-17 second quarter to take a 39-32 lead into halftime.
“They beat us on the boards and with free throws and that was basically the difference,” said Sullivan Central coach Tony Vaughn. “I thought our kids played hard, though. We just didn’t execute in some critical moments.”

Dobyns-Bennett (73)
Halvorsen 4, Sylvester 7, King 5, Dustin McConnell 19, Jamel Williams 15, Edwards 5, Hardy 6, Flack 4, Riggs 8.Totals 27 16-21 73.
Sullivan Central (56)
Roberts 2, Jason Rock 11, Devault 5, Josh Kaiko 15, Crowder 5, Brown 4, Albright 4, Johnson 6, Winchell 4.Totals 20 12-16 56.
Dobyns-Bennett 17 22 17 17—73
Sullivan Central 15 17 13 11—56
3-point-goals—D-B 3 (Williams 2, McConnell 1), SC 4 (Rock 3, Kaiko).

SULLIVAN CENTRAL 56, DOBYNS-BENNETT 53
Cougars freshman forward Jacqueline Kestner walked to the free throw line, set her feet and looked up at the basket.
Sullivan Central was down 53-52, and Kestner knew what she had to do.
“I was nervous, it felt so crazy,” Kestner said. “But I just tried to stay calm and stay focused.”
When Kestner hit both of her free throw attempts – the second a game-winner – the craziness suddenly made sense.
“I’ve never had something like that happen to me in high school,” said a smiling Kestner, who scored 13 points. “It was just awesome.”
Kestner’s big shots helped Sullivan Central (5-10, 4-6) withstand a late Dobyns-Bennett (13-6, 8-3) rally.
The Cougars held a 42-35 advantage going into the fourth quarter. But the Indians pulled within 48-47 when sophomore forward Blaine Frohlich (22 points) rebounded her own miss and converted on a putback. And when Frohlich followed with another strong basket inside, it was 51-50 Indians with 1:18 remaining.
Whitney Moody scored 22 points to lead Sullivan Central. The Cougars hit seven 3-pointers, including four from junior guard Brittany Fields.
“Whitney put us on her back and carried us,” said Sullivan Central coach Gary Surcey. “And we’ve been waiting for a big game like that from Jacqueline. She was just great.”
Dobyns-Bennett (53)
Juli Osborne 10, Head 8, Clark 3, Devine 9, Blaine Frohlich 22.Totals 18 13-17 53.
Sullivan Central (56)
Jacqueline Kestner 13, Brittany Fields 12, Kaylor 1, Queen 2, Whitney Moody 22, Blizard 4, Sabo 2. Totals 19 11-13 56.
Dobyns-Bennett 16 16 13 18—53
Sullivan Central 10 13 19 14—56
3-point-goals—D-B 3 (Head 2, Clark), SC 7 (Fields 4, Kestner 1, Moody 2).

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