Henryville and Paoli were the winners Wednesday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Paoli High School. (Pictured: Nick Walker)

There was an electric buzz before the Paoli-Henryville game. That energy seemed to transfer to the play on the court early. Kade Badger nailed four three-pointers for Henryville in the opening quarter. He was getting in-rhtyhm, open looks, and he did not miss. Paoli was ready to match Henryville, though. Paoli used a balanced attack led by Ashton Minton with six points. Henryville held a slim 18-16 lead after the first eight minutes.

Senior Nick Walker stepped up in the second quarter for Henryville. After racking up assists in the first quarter, he looked for his shot a lot more in the second period. Minton and Tyson Lawson did most of the scoring for Paoli. That trend continued in the second half for the Rams.

The first half was quick with crisp execution by both teams. It led to a 29-29 halftime score.

Paoli couldn’t score for most of the third and fourth quarters. A lot of that can be attributed to Henryville's defense as they didn't allow any easy baskets. Tyson Lawson was the only one scoring for most of the stretch. While Paoli struggled to score, Nick Walker dominated for Henryville. He was burying mid-range jumpers left and right. Behind Walker’s play, Henryville opened up a double digit lead.

In the fourth quarter, Paoli hit enough three-pointers to get back into the game, but the Rams struggled from the free throw line. Paoli finished 9-20 from three-point range, but they went  7-17 from the free throw line including some front ends of the bonus. On the other side, Henryville was great from the line. They finished 28-31. Kade Badger didn’t score in the second or third quarters but he was money from the line in the fourth. He was 12-14 from the line for 24 points.

Henryville pulled away for the 73-60 victory. Nick Walker recorded a monster stat line of 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the victory. Minton finished with 19 to lead Paoli. Tyson Lawson added 17 and Brett Bosley had 10.

In the first game of the night, Christian Stewart set the tone right from the opening possession for Clarksville. He scored in the paint with easy early in the game. With the blink of an eye, Clarksville was leading 9-1. Providence fought to keep it close as Blake Murphy knocked home a few shots, but Murphy McEwen’s shooting helped Clarksville fend off any serious runs.

Clarksville opened up a 21-point lead in the third quarter. Christian Stewart has resumed scoring like he scored to open the game.

Cullen Ebert’s shooting helped Providence make it competitive early in the fourth. Blake Murphy also had a strong effort in the fourth. Providence was able to get within 13 before Clarksville sealed the game at the free throw line. Ebert finished with 19 points to lead Providence. Blake Murphy added 14.

Murphy McEwen and Christian Stewart were excellent from start to finish. McEwen finished with 19 points. Stewart had 16 points and five rebounds. Charles VanWinkle converted 9-10 free throws for 11 points.