SWEETWATER- The Tellico Plains High School Bears and Sweetwater High School Wildcats went toe to toe in a Monroe County battle on Friday night. This game was an offensive struggle with a defensive prowess.

Neither team reached 50 points, and Tellico Plains left Sweetwater with a 49-44 victory.
The game was close from the beginning, as the Bears had a slim 15-12 lead heading into the second quarter. Brandon Clark scored eight of his 17 points in that period, while Matt Spencer added six of his eight points early on.

Devin Collier and the Bears outscored the Wildcats 13-8 in the second to take a eight-point lead into the half. Collier finished the night with eight points.
Dakota Rinehart led the Bears in scoring with 12, with three big free throws coming in the fourth quarter.

 Tellico found ways to hang on to the lead despite a comeback bid by the Wildcats.
Nick Wicker netted five points for the home team, while Seth Battle and Tyler Watson each had three points. Terrell Johnson scored six points and Matt Yates had a basket.

For Tellico, Dakota Stone and Bryce Choate both scored four points. Robert Vandervort added five and Ryan Bookout netted six points, as did Tyler Peeler. Austyn Balcom scored two points to round out the scoring for the Bears.
This was a game that either team could have walked away with. Both sides were simliar in size and speed and that created a very competitive balance.