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MORRISTOWN — Morristown East showcased their defensive talent Friday night as they beat the Sevier County Smoky Bears, 61-53.

The win makes the Canes’ record 13-10 overall and 3-1 in district play, putting them in first place by themselves in the district.

“Our kids know how critical that matchup was and how critical it is to their success.” Morristown East head coach Alden Collins said.

Three guys were hot with the ball, scoring double digits. Kyle Cloninger had 22 points, followed by Keegan Mink with 14 and Mason Smith with 12.

BJ Hubbard also stepped in to score seven, along with Cory Carpenter with four and Brice Epps with two.

Collins expressed how pleased he was with his squad tonight.

“Billy (Hubbard) hitting the glass and getting it started in transition, Kyle (Cloninger) pushing the ball up the floor … Mason (Smith) and Carter (Gilliam) and Isaac (Greene) all coming in and running the floor so we could get out in transition and get some easy buckets,” Collins said.

East got off to a slow start at the beginning of the first quarter. With two minutes left in the first, East snuck past the Bears to take the lead. Cloninger helped his team get in the game with eight points, followed by Carpenter, Epps and Mink with two in the first. The quarter ended with the ‘Canes on top by three, 14-11.

“You know Sevier came off to an early start. (Reed) Owenby comes out and has five early points in the game,” Collins said about the tight first quarter. “I feel like Keegan (Mink) did a good job of stepping up on him and taking him out of the game.”

The second quarter was a breakthrough for the Canes. East outscored Sevier 17-6 in the second. Hubbard was on a roll with seven points, along with Cloninger with 6, followed by Smith and Mink with two a-piece. East ended the half ahead by 14, with a score of 31-17.

The hype continued in the third quarter as Smith drained two 3-pointers, Mink scored seven and Cloninger chipped in two. The lead extended to 17, with a score of 48-31 Canes at the end of the third.

Sevier gained some confidence during the fourth, outscoring East 24-13, but couldn’t find enough buckets to gain a lead. Cloninger scored six, along with Mink with three and Smith and Carpenter with two each to secure the win, 60-53.

“The defensive side of the ball I feel like carried us through that game … For us to be able to get stops tonight and rebounds and get out in transition is huge for our team.” Collins said

Coach Collins also talked about his hopes for conference wins.

“This is a great win for our team and the first one of controlling our destiny of where we sit in conference play,” Collins said. “But there’s other ones on that list. You can’t get em unless you get the first one and tonight was the first step of that.”

Morristown East will prepare for a big game this coming week as they face their cross-town rival Morristown West Friday night at West High.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.