Rogersville Stuns #4 Wheeler!

Log-Rog win Catfight 66-64 in instant classic

By: Skylan Akins/SWMOSports

Logan-Rogersville 66, #4 Wheeler 64 — Day 2 Opener Turns Into a Classic

By the time Logan-Rogersville took the floor to open day two at the Tournament of Champions, this result didn’t feel like it came out of nowhere — it felt like the continuation of a trend.

Just 24 hours earlier, Rogersville pushed #1 Paul VI to the brink, trading punches with the top-ranked team in the country and walking off the floor knowing they had let a golden opportunity slip. It was a performance that turned heads around the arena and planted the idea that Rogersville was far more than just a tough out.

#4 Wheeler arrived at day two from a different place. The Bearcats were searching for rhythm after a first-round loss that never allowed them to fully impose their athleticism, but the urgency was unmistakable. A deep run in the consolation bracket still mattered — and Wheeler played like a team intent on reasserting itself.

That collision of mindsets set the stage for the morning’s opener. Rogersville came in loose but confident, armed with belief from the night before. Wheeler came in desperate to reset the narrative. What followed was a high-level, emotionally charged game that played out possession by possession — and ultimately confirmed what Rogersville had already shown against the tournament’s top seed.

This time, they finished.

Game Recap 

First Quarter — LRH hits Wheeler in the mouth

From the jump, Logan-Rogersville looked like the team that knew exactly what kind of game they wanted.

They attacked the paint early (a Marcus Moore (#44) layup put LRH on the board first), but the bigger story was what happened defensively. LRH’s guards and wings were active with their hands, jumped passing lanes, and turned Wheeler’s early possessions into chaos. That pressure quickly became points: Sutton Shook’s three off a turnover made it 5-0, and you could feel Wheeler trying to settle into the game while LRH kept pushing the pace.

Wheeler answered with athletic pop — a Colben Landrew run-out dunk and an alley-oop dunk from Jaron Saulsberry reminded everybody why Wheeler is Wheeler. But LRH never flinched. Chase Branham started leaning into the moment: scoring inside, then drilling a huge three at :12 to cap the quarter with LRH up 18-6.

That was the first key: LRH didn’t just win the quarter — they won the emotional edge.

Second Quarter — Shot-making + composure

Wheeler tried to chip away with Shamar Madden finding pockets in the midrange and finishing in transition, but LRH kept answering with a clean brand of offense: drive-and-kick threes, paint touches, and extra possessions.

Titus Moore (#34) knocked down a three (7:07), and Branham stayed aggressive, burying more triples (5:16, 3:32). Every time Wheeler looked like it might swing momentum, LRH made the “adult” play — a tough finish, a kick-out three, or a simple attack at the rim.

Halftime: LRH 36, Wheeler 24.

Third Quarter — Wheeler shows life, LRH stays in control

This was the stretch where Wheeler started to look more like itself. You got a rim-rattling dunk from Amare James in transition, and Wheeler’s pressure on the ball created moments where the game sped up.

But LRH stayed connected. Jack Sutherland got downhill for a finish, and Branham continued to punish any defensive breakdown with paint scoring. LRH didn’t play perfect — it got messy — but they consistently responded with a bucket after a stop or turnover.

That was the difference in the middle of the game: LRH absorbed Wheeler’s athletic surges without giving the lead away.

Fourth Quarter — Absolute madness

The final eight minutes were TOC basketball at its loudest.

LRH still had the upper hand early in the quarter — Branham hit a turnaround (7:21), and Titus Moore’s dunk (6:25) felt like the “okay, this is ours” moment.

Then everything unraveled into chaos:

• A technical assessed to the Wheeler coach at 6:08 added fuel to an already emotional sequence.

• Free throws started swinging the math.

• Wheeler turned defense into quick points and suddenly the game compressed possession by possession.

Late, Wheeler turned it into a track meet and started bombing from deep. Kevin Savage III hit a gigantic three with :18 left to make it 66-64, and the building got that “no way LRH is really going to survive this” feeling.

LRH had chances to ice it at the line and didn’t fully capitalize — but when the final possession came, Wheeler’s last-gasp opportunity ended in a brutal mistake: a 3-second violation at :02. LRH survived.

Player of the Game 

Chase Branham — Logan-Rogersville

Branham wasn’t just the leading guy — he was the tone-setter and the closer, and he did it in a way that translates.

What he did well

• Three-level scoring: He didn’t fall in love with one shot. He scored inside with strength and touch, hit pull-ups when defenders sagged, and buried multiple threes — including the quarter-ending bomb that helped LRH seize control early.

• Control vs pressure: When Wheeler turned the game into a turnover-fest late, Branham didn’t panic into hero ball. He kept getting to his spots, took what the defense gave, and made the kind of composed decisions that win tight neutral-floor games.

• Physicality: He finished through contact and didn’t get bumped off his line. That mattered because Wheeler’s athleticism usually forces teams to play sideways — Branham kept LRH going forward.

Why it mattered In a one-possession finish, the best players are the ones who can generate clean offense when nothing is clean. Branham did that repeatedly — first quarter to set the edge, late game to keep LRH from bleeding out.

If you’re writing the headline for why LRH won: Branham gave them reliable offense while everything around him got chaotic.

Colben Landrew — Wheeler

Lost in the final score but absolutely central to why this game went down to the wire, Colben Landrew delivered one of the most complete performances on the floor.

Landrew finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and his impact showed up everywhere — scoring, rebounding, and playmaking — especially during Wheeler’s furious fourth-quarter surge.

What stood out

• Relentless rim pressure: Landrew attacked downhill all night. Whether it was in transition or against a set defense, he consistently put pressure on LRH’s help defense and lived at the free-throw line (9-of-12 FT).

• Big-moment athleticism: His transition dunks weren’t just highlights — they were momentum plays. Each one gave Wheeler life when the margin felt like it might slip away.

• Playmaking late: As LRH loaded up on shooters, Landrew made the right reads, finishing with 5 assists, often finding teammates on drive-and-kick actions during Wheeler’s comeback push.

Why he earned it Wheeler scored 31 points in the fourth quarter, and Landrew was a huge reason why. His ability to rebound through traffic, push pace, and generate offense without forcing shots kept Wheeler within striking distance until the final seconds.

In a game decided by two points, Landrew played like a true point-forward hybrid, blending physicality and decision-making in a way that made Logan-Rogersville earn every stop.

Kevin Savage III — Wheeler

What’s Next

Logan-Rogersville

With the win, Logan-Rogersville advances to the Consolation Championship, where they will face the winner of Kickapoo vs. St. John Bosco on Friday at 4:00 PM. After taking down a top-five opponent, LRH will have a chance to close the tournament with hardware and another statement performance.

Wheeler

Wheeler will shift to the 7th-place game, taking on the loser of Kickapoo vs. St. John Bosco on Friday at 2:30 PM. The Bearcats showed plenty of late-game punch against LRH and will look to finish the weekend strong with a bounce-back win.

Marcus Moore - Rogersville

If Branham was the closer, Moore was the guy who made Wheeler uncomfortable from the start.

He impacted the game without needing a million shots: steals, deflections, physical drives, and early momentum plays. His activity helped build the first-half lead that LRH ultimately needed to survive the fourth-quarter storm.

Kevin Savage III - Wheeler

Savage was the engine behind Wheeler’s late push — threes, transition offense, and timely defensive plays. That :18 three was a dagger attempt, and it nearly completed the comeback.

Logan-Rogersville 66, #4 Wheeler 64

Logan-Rogersville

Player	PTS	FG	3FG	FT	REB	AST	PF
Jack Sutherland	10	2-3	0-1	6-8	1	8	2
Sutton Shook	6	2-6	2-4	0-2	2	0	2
Chase Branham	32	13-20	3-6	3-6	4	3	5
Titus Moore	10	3-6	1-2	3-7	3	2	4
Marcus Moore	8	3-3	0-0	2-2	4	3	5
Peyton Felton	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Beau Watts	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	4
Zach Watts	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Totals	66	23-38	6-13	14-25	19	16	22

Team Shooting: 60.5% FG | 46.2% 3FG | 56.0% FT

Wheeler

Player	PTS	FG	3FG	FT	REB	AST	PF
Lamarrison Lewis	2	0-0	0-0	2-2	3	6	4
Jaron Saulsberry	9	3-5	0-0	3-4	4	0	5
Kevin Savage III	19	7-12	3-6	2-3	1	4	4
Colben Landrew	22	6-14	1-5	9-12	8	5	4
Amare James	4	1-6	0-1	2-2	2	1	5
LJ Montoban	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Shamar Madden	8	4-5	0-0	0-0	1	0	2
Ashanti Walker	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	1
CJ Tillis	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Totals	64	21-42	4-12	18-23	20	16	25

Team Shooting: 50.0% FG | 33.3% 3FG | 78.3% FT

 Game Notes

• Largest Lead: LRH by 17 (34–17, 2nd Q)

• Final Margin: 2 points

• Clutch Moment: Kevin Savage III 3-pointer with :18 remaining cut it to 66-64

What’s Next

Logan-Rogersville

With the win, Logan-Rogersville advances to the Consolation Championship, where they will face the winner of Kickapoo vs. St. John Bosco on Friday at 4:00 PM. After taking down a top-five opponent, LRH will have a chance to close the tournament with hardware and another statement performance.

Wheeler

Wheeler will shift to the 7th-place game, taking on the loser of Kickapoo vs. St. John Bosco on Friday at 2:30 PM. The Bearcats showed plenty of late-game punch against LRH and will look to finish the weekend strong with a bounce-back win.