Craig Harris

Gallatin News Examiner

WHITE HOUSE The third-seeded Westmoreland High School girls basketball players didn’t enjoy playing in the District 9-AA Tournament consolation game.

Fourth-seeded White House Heritage didn’t enjoy the Lady Eagles being a part of it either.

The Lady Eagles dominated the first three quarters and held off a late comeback for a 48-35 victory over the tournament host on Monday evening.

Westmoreland High junior forward Karley Smith elevates for a first-quarter shot over White House Heritage junior Kaitlyn Rippy. Smith scored nine points.

Westmoreland suffered a 51-46 loss to No. 2 seed Cheatham County in Saturday evening’s semifinal game, preventing the defending champion from playing for the title again.

“It was hard for all of us,” Lady Eagle junior forward Kaitlyn Norman said. “We know we’re good enough to beat that team, but they made more plays than us.

“We have to play on. You either have to be first or third (to be in a more favorable position entering the regional tournament). It’s going to be tough, but I think we can beat them.”

Westmoreland will travel to Nashville on Friday to play the No. 2 seed from District 10-AA – either East Nashville or Pearl-Cohn – in a Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal game.

“We can’t control what (already) happened,” Lady Eagle head coach Cherie Abner said of the semifinal loss. “They were upset over not getting to the championship game, but they bounced back.

“We’re in good shape. That first game will be tough on the road, but we’re in the bracket we want to be in.”

Westmoreland (25-5) won both regular-season meetings between the two teams, by scores of 51-34 and 45-31.

“We just have to play it like it’s any other team,” Norman said. “We can’t think of it like, ‘we’ve beaten this team two times.’ We have to do it again.”

The Lady Eagles limited the Lady Patriots to four points over the first 10 minutes of Monday’s contest.

Westmoreland High junior point guard Gracie Oliver elevates for a first-quarter layin.

Norman scored nine points over the first nine minutes, with her baseline jump shot giving her squad a 16-4 lead early in the second stanza.

“In that first quarter, we really handled our business,” Abner said. “I looked up, and we were not up as much as I thought we should be based on how well we played.”

Lady Eagle senior guard Haley Braswell made three 3-pointers over a span of less than three minutes late in the first half, extending the lead to 17 points.

Westmoreland senior guard Jesica Eppstein caught a baseline inbounds pass and converted on an interior shot, giving her squad its biggest lead (34-16) with 2:55 remaining.

Westmoreland High senior guard Jesica Eppstein grabs a third-quarter rebound in front of White House Heritage sophomore Alex McFarlin. Eppstein scored six points.

However, White House Heritage (15-12) stormed back in the fourth quarter, pulling to within seven points following a driving layin by sophomore point guard Callie Jo Roach with 1:39 remaining.

“We got in a funk in the third quarter,” Norman said. “This time, they ran more picks on us. We weren’t used to it.

“We thought we could come out and do the same thing in the third quarter that we did (to start the game), but we still have to play hard.”

However, Norman, Eppstein and sophomore guard Darby Bowser all made free throws over the final 64 seconds to help seal the win.

Westmoreland High sophomore guard Darby Bowser releases a second-quarter 3-pointer. Bowser scored two points.

Norman finished with a team-high 17 points, and Braswell scored 14 points.

Sophomore guard Alex McFarlin – who played at Portland West Middle School two years ago – produced a game-high 18 points before fouling out, and Roach scored 11 points.

The Lady Patriots were playing without junior forward Jade Witham – who was suffering from an illness – on Monday.

With Monday’s victory, the Lady Eagles reached the 25-win mark for the second consecutive season and for the third time over the last five years.

Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.

WHITE HOUSE HERITAGE (35) – Alex McFarlin 18, Callie Jo Roach 11, Bri Hay 2, Addison Holmes 2, Taylor Lopez 2.

WESTMORELAND (48) – Kaitlyn Norman 17, Haley Braswell 14, Karley Smith 9, Jesica Eppstein 6, Darby Bowser 2.

Half: 27-13, Westmoreland. Three-point goals: White House Heritage 0, Westmoreland 4 (Braswell 4). Records: White House Heritage 15-12, Westmoreland 25-5.

HENDERSONVILLE Pope John Paul II High sophomore guard Jayson Brown hit a free throw to force overtime and then hit two more free throws to seal a 47-46 win over visiting Father Ryan first round of the Division II-Class AA state playoffs on Tuesday evening.

Pope John Paul II High junior forward Matt Galvin maneuvers around Father Ryan’s Cameron Fowler. Galvin scored five points in the Knights’ 47-46, overtime victory on Tuesday evening.

“We’ll take it,” Knights’ head coach Kip Brown said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve won a playoff game.”

The victory moved the Knights into the Division II-Class AA quarterfinals. They will play at Ensworth on Saturday, with the winner of that game earning a berth in the Division II-Class AA State Tournament (which will be held from March 3-5 at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena).

During the regular season, PJP II and Ensworth split two games, with the road team winning each time. In their most recent meeting, Ensworth claimed an 85-72 win on Feb. 12, hitting 17 of its first 20 shots.

“We’ve obviously got to guard better,” Kip Brown said. “We’ve got to get to the free-throw line and knock down our free throws. We’ve got to cut down our turnovers.”

Tuesday’s game was a hard-fought contest between the Catholic-school rivals.

“Grinding it out is always the key to beating Father Ryan,” Kip Brown said. “You’ve got to be able to mix the pace. You’re not going to play full speed the whole time, but you also don’t want to play their speed the whole time.

“They take away the paint, making it hard to drive (into the lane offensively). They sink in so fast, and they’re so disciplined and so well-coached. When you get it inside, you’re immediately surrounded by eight arms.”

PJP II – the No. 4 seed from the Division II-Class AA East/Middle Region – led 11-7 entering the second quarter, but Father Ryan fought back to take an 18-16 lead on two free throws by Griffin Bumpus, which came following a technical foul called on Kip Brown.

However, a 3-pointer by sophomore Jayson Brown and a basket by junior Grayson Lang gave PJP II a 21-18 lead at the half.

Pope John Paul II High sophomore guard Jayson Brown is fouled by Father Ryan’s Cameron Fowler (at right) as teammate Griffin Bumpus looks on. Brown scored a team-high 17 points in Tuesday evening’s 47-46, overtime victory.

In the third quarter, the Knights (21-8) extended the lead to six points, their largest lead of the game, on senior Ryan Hatten’s dunk.

Father Ryan (13-15) responded with a 14-0 run to establish its largest lead at 34-26.

“As quick as we got the momentum, they got it right back,” Brown said.

Jayson Brown added, “After Ryan’s dunk, they got really hot.”

PJP II junior point guard Jalon Cambridge halted the run by hitting a basket and a three-point shot to pull his squad to within three points entering the fourth quarter.

Knight junior forward Matt Galvin hit a three-pointer early in the fourth period to tie the score at 34, and the two teams began to trade 3-pointers.

Lang hit a three for PJPII, and Bumpus hit two to give the Irish a 40-37 lead.

Jalon Cambridge hit both ends of a bonus situation at the free-throw line to cut the deficit to 40-39.

Bumpus went to the free throw line for a one-and-one with 39 seconds left but missed, giving the host squad a chance.

“They were taking away my three,” Jayson Brown said. “I had to drive to the basket.”

Brown was fouled and went to the free-throw line with 18.4 seconds remaining. He missed the first shot but made the second one to tie the contest.

“After I missed the first one, I had to make the second one,” Jayson Brown said. “I focused on tying it up.”

Prior to Father Ryan’s last possession, Jalon Cambridge – who had four fouls – asked his coaches to use a man-to-man defense and to let him guard sophomore J.C. Clausi, who led the Irish offensively with 18 points. Clausi got the ball and drove to the basket, which he had success doing earlier in the contest, but his shot fell short.

“(Jalon Cambridge) kept him out of the paint,” Kip Brown said.

In overtime, the two teams continued to trade scores.

After a basket by PJP II sophomore forward Devan Cambridge put the Knights up by a point, the ball again ended up in the hands of Clausi. However, PJP II sophomore guard Justin McMurry was able to knock the ball free, and Jayson Brown scooped it up. Jayson Brown was fouled with 18 seconds, and he hit both free throws to give JPII a three-point lead.

Pope John Paul II High sophomore forward Devan Cambridge makes contact with a Father Ryan player while elevating to shoot. Cambridge scored four points.

“I knew I had to make them,” Jayson Brown said. “I knew (Bumpus) could really shoot.”

Father Ryan – the No. 7 seed from the Division II-Class AA East/Middle Region – set up the last shot for Bumpus, a 3-pointer from the corner. Father Ryan set a screen in an attempt to get Bumpus open.

“We couldn’t have guarded it any better,” Kip Brown said. “Two guys were able to contest the shot without fouling.”

Tommy Mech rebounded the final shot and converted on a putback attempt before time expired.

Jayson Brown led PJP II offensively with 17 points, and Jalon Cambridge scored 10 points.

Bumpus backed Clausi’s production with 11 points.

>> The Lady Knights weren’t as fortunate in their postseason opener, suffering a 52-33 loss at Ensworth on Tuesday evening.

PJP II suffered losses of 48-41 and 53-31 to the Lady Tigers during the regular season.

On Tuesday, the Lady Knights – the No. 6 seed in the Division II-Class AA East/Middle Region – were outscored in all four quarters, producing just 13 points in the first half. PJP II trailed by 15 points at halftime.

PJP II seniors Windee Johnson and Sophie Kolbe scored 10 points each, followed Miranda Smith (5 points), Mercedes Smith (4), Emily Galluzzi (2) and Callie Ryan (2).

In addition to Johnson and Kolbe, the Lady Knights lose five other seniors – Galluzzi, Emily Robertson, Callie Ryan, Mercedes Smith and Miranda Smith.

Junior forward Caroline Cowles led three players who scored in double figures for Ensworth, the No. 5 seed from the East/Middle Region, with 12 points.

The Lady Tigers moved on to face St. Benedict in the quarterfinal round on Friday

FATHER RYAN (46) – J.C. Claus 18, Griffin Bumpus 11, Cameron Fowler 8, Tommy Mech 7, B.J. Bishop 2.

PJP II (47) – Jayson Brown 17, Jalon Cambridge 10, Grayson Lang 5, Matt Galvin 5, Devan Cambridge 4, Ryan Hatten 3, Mitchell Sorenson 3.

Half: 21-18, PJP II. End of regulation: 40-40. Three-point goals: Father Ryan 5 (Bumpus 2, Fowler 2, Tommy Mech 1), PJP II 7 (Brown 2, Cambridge 2, Lang 1, Sorenson 1, Galvin 1). Records: Father Ryan 13-15, PJP II 21-8. 

PORTLAND The Beech High girls basketball team came into Tuesday evening’s District 9-AAA Tournament championship game playing with house money.

Unfortunately for the sixth-seeded Lady Bucs, top-seeded Wilson Central held all the cards and handed Beech a 60-31 loss at Portland High School.

Having already knocked off two higher-seeded teams (third-seeded Hendersonville and second-seeded Mt. Juliet) just to reach the final, Beech had essentially nothing to lose in facing the undefeated Lady Wildcats.

However, Wilson Central (29-0) wasn’t leaving the result to chance, scoring the game’s first nine points and building a 37-17 lead by halftime.

“I’m proud of the girls,” Beech interim head coach Troy Carnes said. “They battled, and they scrapped. That’s what we wanted to come in here and do. This was a David-and-Goliath situation for us. (Wilson Central) beat us by 30 twice in the regular season.”

The Lady Bucs nearly climbed out of the first-quarter hole, trimming the lead to four points (15-11) on a field goal by senior guard Deja Smith with 3:18 left in the opening period.

However, District 9-AAA Tournament most valuable player Kendall Spray nixed any further notion of a comeback, scoring the next seven points as the Lady Wildcats (29-0) build a 22-11 lead with 7:30 left in the first half.

Beech High senior guard Deja Smith elevates for a layin in front of Wilson Central junior Nathalie Ventura during first-quarter action. Smith scored 11 points in the Lady Buccaneers’ 60-31 loss in Tuesday evening’s District 9-AAA Tournament championship game.

“We were in the game, but we couldn’t sustain it,” Carnes said. “I thought the (full-court) press bothered us, and we made some bad decisions on some shots.”

Beech didn’t get any closer, as Wilson Central junior Addison Byrd did most of the damage, scoring all of her 26 points over the first three quarters.

“I was really impressed with how well Wilson Central played offensively,” Carnes said. “Byrd did things I’ve never seen her do, and I don’t think we have anybody to guard what Byrd was doing. Any time you try to help, they can read it. There’s a reason they’re 29-0.”

Beech opted to guard Spray with junior McCall Decker. Spray scored 13 points but only made one 3-pointer.

Beech High sophomore guard Reese Taylor releases a 3-pointer as Wilson Central senior Kendall Spray defends during first-quarter action. Taylor scored six points.

“McCall Decker held Spray to seven points in our second game, and they scored 81 and beat us with other people,” Carnes said. “We had to guard (Spray) man to man. Byrd, right off the bat, shot a three from way deep, and you could tell she had a mission. A lot of shots that she made were shots that I don’t think anybody could stop.”

Smith paced the Lady Bucs offensively with 11 points. Sophomore guard Reese Taylor hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, but that was all she could muster, finishing with six points.

Beech High sophomore Savannah Jarratt dribbles as Wilson Central sophomore Taylor Tucker defends during first-quarter action. Jarratt scored four points.

The Lady Wildcats won both regular-season meetings this year – a 58-28 victory at Beech on Dec. 8 and an 81-47 triumph at Wilson Central on Jan. 26.

Beech hosts Clarksville for a Region 5-AAA Tournament quarterfinal on Friday evening. The two teams opened the season in a Hall of Fame contest on Nov. 17 at Beech, with Clarksville prevailing by a 65-31 margin.

“We’ve got another game at home to extend our season,” Carnes said. “We’re excited about what’s ahead.”

Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.

BEECH (31) – Deja Smith 11, Reese Taylor 6, Savannah Jarratt 4, McCall Decker 3, Kennedy Powell 3, Joslyn Brinkley 2, Destiny Tinker 2.

WILSON CENTRAL (60) – Addison Byrd 26, Kendall Spray 13, Nathalie Ventura 6, Taylor Tucker 5, Kathryn Bean 4, Bailey Kaposy 3, Kenadhi Killebrew 3.

Half: 37-17, Wilson Central. Three-point goals: Beech 4 (Taylor 2, Decker 1, Powell 1), Wilson Central 5 (Killebrew 2, Byrd 1, Spray 1, Tucker 1). Records: Beech 11-20, Wilson Central 29-0.

WHITE HOUSE The Cheatham County High boys basketball team had the look of a team who had been there and done that.

The top-seeded Cubs did it once again on Tuesday evening, handing No. 2 seed White House a 76-54 setback in the District 9-AA Tournament championship game at White House Heritage High School.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” Blue Devil head coach Gary Smith said. “I think they would have handled anybody in our district the way they played tonight. They played really well. As someone said, I don’t know if it would have mattered if we had played well. They were just much better … in just about every phase of the game.

“We started out and missed several layups and got down, and we tried to (full-court) press. That just played into their hands.”

White House High senior guard Gavin Herrell dribbles into the lane as Cheatham County junior Lucas Harlan defends during first-quarter action.

It was the fourth consecutive district title for Cheatham County, the last three of which have come since the program joined 9-AA.

“Success breeds success,” Smith said. “They’re still having some carryover from the success of two or three years ago. (No.) 22 is the younger (Nate) Saunders. He grew up watching his brother (Jake Saunders) and (Jordan) Darden dominate this league (during the 2013-14 season). We’ve seen that, where the school has some successful teams and then have younger brothers or sisters who say, ‘I’d like to do that some day.’

“About the time they graduate a bunch of people and you expect them to fall off, it doesn’t happen. They have a group of kids waiting in the wings.”

The regular-season meetings between the two teams were considerably closer, wins of 68-50 and 82-76 for the Cubs.

However, Cheatham County (22-4) – which has won 12 consecutive games – raced out to a 30-6 lead on Tuesday.

Cub senior guard Nate Goode made four 3-pointers in the first quarter, two of which came over the first three minutes.

Junior guard Bradley Cole scored the next five points for White House (15-14), but then, Cheatham County scored 18 unanswered points.

White House High junior forward Malik Morgan releases a first-quarter shot in the lane amidst pressure from Cheatham County senior Gage Lipscomb (at left) and junior Matthew Mayberry. Morgan scored nine points in Tuesday evening’s 76-54 loss.

The Cubs also had success in generating offense via offensive rebounds, converting on two tip-ins and three putbacks over the first 11 minutes.

“We spent a lot of time trying to keep them from going to the boards, and we haven’t stopped them yet,” Smith said.

The margin continued to swell, reaching 29 points (46-17) on senior standout Austin Douglas’ floater that fell in the final seconds of the first half.

Douglas – who was the district regular-season and tournament most valuable player – scored on three consecutive possessions in the third quarter, giving his squad its biggest lead (57-21).

Douglas finished with a game-high 33 points, and Goode provided 17 points.

Cole and freshman teammate Jared Ward made 3-pointers during a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter, but Douglas scored six of the nine points during a 9-3 surge to conclude the third period. That created a 66-34 margin entering the fourth quarter.

Cole scored a team-high 22 points.

White House High junior guard Bradley Cole dribbles to the basket as Cheatham County senior Austin Douglas defends. Cole scored a team-high 22 points.

Ward and senior point guard Luke Hopkins joined Douglas, Goode and Cheatham County junior Matthew Mayberry on the all-tournament.

“Coach (Josh) Stuart has done a great job,” Smith said. “They have a target on their back every week. They’re in a league by themselves, and then, it’s the other six (teams in 9-AA).

“It’s a credit to their players and coaches … and their whole community there. Their girls and boys swept (the championships) tonight.”

The Cubs will host Hume-Fogg for their Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday evening, while the Blue Devils host East Nashville, which captured a 53-38 win over Hume-Fogg in Monday evening’s District 10-AA Tournament consolation game.

“We lost our last three regular-season games,” Smith said. “Some people said the guys were ready to quit … that they had lost their legs … that the coaches had lost them. Then, we come back and did something that White House hasn’t done in a long time, which is get to the district championship game. I’m sure there will be some things said after this.

“We’re still playing. It’s like a boxer. We’re still in the ring. Ever since the United States beat Russia in hockey (during the 1980 Winter Olympics), people believe anything can happen. We better play well on Saturday night against East Nashville, because they’re super quick and are used to winning.”

Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.

WHITE HOUSE (54) – Bradley Cole 22, Malik Morgan 9, Jared Ward 9, Luke Hopkins 5, Logan Trimmer 3, Jim Headrick 2, Bryant Reynolds 2, Marquise Williams 2.

CHEATHAM COUNTY (76) – Austin Douglas 33, Nate Goode 17, Nate Saunders 9, Matthew Mayberry 8, Lucas Harlan 4, Sterlin Jenkins 2, Gage Lipscomb 2, Danny Chaleunsak 1.

Half: 46-17, Cheatham County. Three-point goals: White House 4 (Cole 2, Ward 2), Cheatham County 7 (Goode 5, Saunders 2). Records: Cheatham County 22-4, White House 15-14.

Here’s a look at schedules/results for the upcoming region basketball tournaments, along with the Division II postseason:

TSSAA postseason basketball pairings, results

(NOTE: This page will be continuously updated as results become available)

Division II-A

SUB-STATE PAIRINGS

Girls
Friday
USJ at Ezell-Harding
Knoxville Webb vs. Harding Acad.
Lausanne at FRA
BGA at Northpoint

Boys
Saturday
USJ at Knoxville Webb, 5 p.m.
USN at Harding Acad., 7 p.m.
St. George’s at FRA, 7 p.m.
BGA at Lausanne, 7 p.m.

* The Division II-A state tournament will be held March 3-5 at Lipscomb University. 

Division II-AA

FIRST-ROUND PAIRINGS

Girls
Tuesday
Hutchison 43, St. Agnes 45
Father Ryan 57, GPS 26
Ensworth 52, Pope John Paul II 33

Boys
Tuesday
Briarcrest 71, St. Benedict 45
Pope John Paul II 47, Father Ryan 46
Baylor 56, MBA 48

QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS

Girls
Friday
Hutchison at Brentwood Academy
Harpeth Hall at Briarcrest
Father Ryan at Baylor
Ensworth at St. Benedict

Boys
Saturday
Briarcrest at Brentwood Academy
McCallie at MUS
Pope John Paul II at Ensworth
Baylor at Christian Brothers

* The Division II-AA state tournament will be held March 3-5 at Lipscomb University. 

Region 4-A

Girls
Friday
Gordonsville at Pickett Co., 7 p.m.
Clarkrange at Watertown, 7 p.m.
Clay Co. at Goodpasture, 7 p.m.
Red Boiling Springs at Jackson Co., 7 p.m.
Monday (at Livingston Acad.)
Gordonvsille/Pickett Co. vs. Clarkrange/Watertown, 6 p.m.
Clay Co./Goodpasture vs. Red Boiling Springs/Jackson Co., 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Livingston Acad.)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
Merrol Hyde at Clay Co., 7 p.m.
Pickett Co. at Watertown, 7 p.m.
Jackson Co. at Goodpasture, 7 p.m.
Gordonvsille at Clarkrange, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Livingston Acad.)
Clay Co./Merrol Hyde vs. Watertown/Pickett Co., 6 p.m.
Goodpasture/Jackson Co. vs. Clarkrange/Gordonvsille, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Livingston Acad.)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 5-A

Girls
Friday
Nashville Christian at MTCS, 6 p.m.
Clarksville Acad. at Community, 7 p.m.
Forrest at McEwen, 7 p.m. 
Eagleville at Houston Co., 7 p.m.
Monday (at McEwen HS)
Comminity/Clarksville Acad. vs. McEwen/Forrest, 6 p.m.
Houston Co./Eagleville vs. MTCS/Nashville Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at McEwen HS)
Championship

Boys
Saturday 
McEwen at Huntland, 7 p.m.
MTCS at LEAD Acad., 7 p.m.
Fayetteville at Nashville Christian, 7 p.m.
East Robertson at Community, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at McEwen HS)
Huntland/McEwen vs. MTCS/LEAD, 6 p.m.
Nashville Christian/Fayetteville vs. Community/East Robertson, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at McEwen HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 6-A

Girls
Friday
Loretto at Columbia Acad., 7 p.m.
Richland at Frank Hughes, 7 p.m.
Cornersville at Perry Co., 7 p.m.
Summertown at Hampshire, 7 p.m.
Monday (at Perry County HS)
Columbia Acad./Loretto vs. Frank Hughes/Richland, 6 p.m.
Perry Co./Cornersville vs. Hampshire/Summertown, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
Collinwood at Columbia Acad., 7 p.m.
Grace-Franklin at Wayne Co., 7 p.m.
Richland at Loretto, 7 p.m.
Summertown at Mt. Pleasant, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Wayne Co. HS)
Collinwood/Columbia Acad. vs. Wayne Co./Grace, 6 p.m.
Richland/Loretto vs. Mt. Pleasant/Summertown, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Wayne Co. HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 4-AA

Girls
Friday 
Smith Co. at Signal Mountain, 7 p.m.
Bledsoe Co. at Livingston Acad., 7 p.m.
Notre Dame at Upperman, 7 p.m.
DeKalb Co. at Sequatchie Co., 7 p.m.
Monday (at Tennessee Tech)
Signal Mtn./Smith Co. vs. Livingston/Bledsoe Co., 6 p.m.
Upperman/Notre Dame vs. Sequatchie/DeKalb Co., 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Tennessee Tech)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
York Inst. at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Sequatchie at Macon Co., 7 p.m.
Signal Mtn. at Upperman, 7 p.m.
Smith Co. at Chattanooga Christian, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Tennessee Tech)
York/Notre Dame vs. Macon/Sequatchie Co., 6 p.m.
Upperman/Signal Mtn. vs. Chattanooga Christian/Smith Co., 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Tennessee Tech)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 5-AA

Girls
Friday 
Maplewood at Cheatham Co., 7 p.m.
Westmoreland at Pearl-Cohn, 7 p.m.
WH Heritage at East Nashville, 7 p.m.
Lipscomb Acad. at Sycamore, 7 p.m.
Monday (at Lipscomb Acad.)
Maplewood/Cheatham Co. vs. Westmoreland/Pearl-Cohn, 6 p.m.
East Nashville/ WH Heritage vs. Sycamore/Lipscomb, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Lipscomb Acad.)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
Hume-Fogg at Cheatham Co., 7 p.m.
Westmoreland at Maplewood, 7 p.m.
Harpeth at Whites Creek, 7 p.m.
East Nashville at White House, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Lipscomb Acad.)
Hume-Fogg/Cheatham Co. vs. Westmoreland/Maplewood, 6 p.m.
Harpeth/Whites Creek vs. East Nashville/White House, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Lipscomb Acad.)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 6-AA

Girls
Friday 
Cascade at Creek Wood, 7 p.m.
East Hickman at Giles Co., 7 p.m.
Stewart Co. at CPA, 7 p.m.
Page at Lewis Co., 7 p.m.
Monday (at Spring Hill HS)
Cascade/Creek Wood vs, East Hickman/Giles Co., 6 p.m.
Stewart Co./CPA vs. Lewis Co./Page, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Spring Hill HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
Cascade at Creek Wood, 7 p.m.
Camden at Marshall Co., 7 p.m.
Montgomery Central at CPA, 7 p.m.
Giles Co. at Stewart Co., 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Spring Hill HS)
Creek Wood/Cascade vs Marshall Co./Camden, 6 p.m.
CPA/Montgomery Central vs. Stewart Co./Giles Co., 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Spring Hill HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 3-AAA

Girls
Friday 
Stone Memorial at Bradley Central, 7 p.m.
East Hamilton at Cookeville, 7 p.m.
Walker Valley at Cumberland Co., 7 p.m.
White Co. at McMinn. Co., 7 p.m. 
Monday 
Stone Memorial/Bradley Central vs. Cookeville/East Hamilton, 6 p.m.
Cumberland Co./Walker Valley vs. McMinn Co./White Co., 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
McMinn Co. at White County, 5:30 p.m.
Cumberland Co. at Walker Valley, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Cookeville, 7 p.m.
Warren Co. at Bradley Central, 7 p.m.
Tuesday 
Cumberland Co./Walker Valley vs. Cookeville/Cleveland, 6 p.m.
White Co./McMinn Co. vs. Columbia/Oakland, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday 
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 4-AAA

Girls
Friday 
Franklin Co. at Blackman, 7 p.m.
Riverdale at Shelbyville, 7 p.m.
Stewarts Creek at Lawrence Co., 7 p.m.
Lincoln Co. at Oakland, 7 p.m.
Monday (at Franklin Co. HS)
Franklin Co./Blackman vs. Lawrence Co./Stewarts Creek, 6 p.m.
Lawrence Co./Stewarts Creek vs. Oakland/Lincoln Co., 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Franklin Co. HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
Shelbyville at Blackman, 7 p.m.
La Vergne at Franklin Co., 7 p.m.
Stewarts Creek at Lawrence Co., 7 p.m.
Columbia at Oakland, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Franklin Co. HS)
Shelbyville/Blackman vs. Franklin Co./La Vergne, 6 p.m.
Lawrence Co./Stewarts Creek vs. Columbia/Oakland, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Franklin Co. HS)
Championship

Region 5-AAA

Girls
Friday 
Springfield at Wilson Central, 7 p.m.
Mt. Juliet at Henry Co., 7 p.m.
Lebanon at Rossview, 7 p.m.
Clarksville at Beech, 7 p.m.
Monday (at Clarksville HS)
Wilson Central/Springfield vs. Henry Co./Mt. Juliet, 6 p.m.
Rossview/Lebanon vs. Beech/Clarksville, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Clarksville HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday 
Clarksville NW at Station Camp, 7 p.m.
Lebanon at Kenwood, 7 p.m.
Beech at Springfield, 7 p.m.
Rossview at Mt. Juliet, 7 p.m.
Tuesday (at Clarksville HS)
Station Camp/Northwest vs. Lebanon/Kenwood, 6 p.m.
Springfield/Beech vs. Mt. Juliet/Rossview, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Clarksville HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Region 6-AAA

Girls
Friday (at Cane Ridge HS)
Glencliff at Dickson Co., 3:30 p.m.
Summit vs. Antioch, 5 p.m.
Franklin vs. Cane Ridge, 6:30 p.m.
Hunters Lane vs. Ravenwood, 8 p.m.
Monday (at Cane Ridge HS)
Glencliff/Dickson Co. vs. Summit/Antioch, 6 p.m.
Cane Ridge/Franklin vs. Hunters Lane/Ravenwood, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday (at Cane Ridge HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Boys
Saturday (at Cane Ridge HS)
McGavock vs. Independence, 3:30 p.m.
Centennial at Cane Ridge, 5 p.m.
Dickson Co. at Hillsboro, 6:30 p.m.
Hillwood at Franklin, 8 p.m.
Tuesday (at Cane Ridge HS)
McGavock/Independnece vs. Cane Ridge/Centennial, 6 p.m.
Hillsboro/Dickson Co. vs. Franklin/Hillwood, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday (at Cane Ridge HS)
Championship, 7 p.m.

Reach Michael Murphy at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.

Siegel’s head boys coach Ben Dotson instructs from the sidelines during the District 7-AAA tournament play-in game against Smyrna’s on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, at La Vergne.

Ben Dotson, right, resigned as Siegel’s boys basketball coach after eight seasons on Tuesday.

MURFREESBORO — Ben Dotson wants to coach just one person in the near future — his eight-month-old daughter.

The Siegel High boys basketball coach resigned after eight seasons on Tuesday ending a tenure that included four state tournament appearances.

“I don’t think I’m done coaching,” Dotson said. “Maybe in a couple of years I might coach again. But right now, there is only one player I want to coach and that’s my daughter.”

Dotson’s resignation came after his admitted worst season. The Stars finished 8-18 and finished last in District 7-AAA, falling to Smyrna in the league tournament play-in game.

He said the season had little bearing on his decision.

“The wins and losses had nothing to do with it,” Dotson said. “I love these kids, and love the game. I’ve been thinking about it (over the last week).

“These kids deserve the best opportunity that Siegel can give them.”

Dotson said he resigned now to give Siegel principal Larry Creasy time to find a replacement. Dotson said he supported assistants Mike Wright and Jon Palmer if either was interested in the position.

Creasy said he will begin the interview process and will post the position on the TSSAA Web site.

“I think this is one of the top-10 programs in the state,” Creasy said. “I think we will have a lot of quality applicants.

“We have a great freshman class and we have talented sophomores and juniors. I’m excited about the future.”

Dotson went to four TSSAA state tournaments including Final Four appearances in 2011 and 2013 during his tenure as head coach at the Murfreesboro school. His teams won the District 7-AAA tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2015 and won region championships in 2010, 2011 and 2014.

He has a 220-76 record as a head coach.

Dotson said his current plans are to stay at Siegel High as a teacher. However, he kept his options open.

“I may find something different later, I don’t know,” Dotson said. “But right now I want to spend time with my daughter. I never understood coaches that said that. Then you have one. Now, when I go home at night and she’s asleep, I miss her playing around.

“She’s about to crawl and talk and I want to be a part of that.”

Dotson is the second head coaching vacancy this month at the school.

Siegel girls soccer coach Eric Shelton recently resigned to be the boys and soccer coach at Nolensville High School, a new high school opening this fall in Williamson County.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Kreager.

Station Camp High junior point guard Chase Freeman dribbles around the perimeter during first-quarter action. Freeman scored eight points.

PORTLAND For the second consecutive game, Station Camp High’s boys basketball team held a team to its lowest point total of the season.

It helped give the top-seeded Bison their third consecutive District 9-AAA Tournament championship as they rolled to a 60-37 victory over third-seeded Mt. Juliet on Tuesday evening at Portland High school.

The Bison (31-1) outscored the Golden Bears by an 18-6 margin in the second quarter, building a 30-14 lead by halftime.

Mt. Juliet (22-8) never got closer than 13 points in the second half.

“We’re playing great defense,” said Station Camp senior forward Yalen Reed, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player. “Defense was the emphasis coming into every game we’ve played so far. When we get stops, we feel like that brings the other team down to where they can’t do anything, and it locks them up. When you can’t get anything on the offensive end, it feels like you can’t get going. That’s what wins games, defense.”

Station Camp High senior forward Yalen Reed drives past Mt. Juliet senior Tyler Faulkenberry during second-quarter action. Reed, who was named the District 9-AAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, scored 17 points.

The Bison held Mt. Juliet to single-digit point totals in each of the first three quarters, and despite scoring 17 points in the final period, the Golden Bears managed less than 40 points for the first time all season.

“They are locked in defensively,” Station Camp head coach Seth Massey said. “We have found our thing, and that’s guarding. Defensively, we’re playing our best ball of the year. Offensively, as long as we’re taking good shots, I’m fine.”

Reed scored a game-high 17 points, hitting four of Station Camp’s 10 3-pointers. Classmates Keaton Dotson (13 points) and Sawyer Taylor (11) connected on three 3-pointers each.

Station Camp High senior guard Keaton Dotson drives past Mt. Juliet junior Trey Pruitt during first-quarter action. Dotson scored 13 points during the Bison’s 60-37 victory in Tuesday evening’s District 9-AAA Tournament championship game.

“It was great,” Reed said. “I got in a flow, and it was a great night to be in the flow and shooting the ball well. Everybody else shot well too. It was awesome.”

Dotson ended the first half by connecting from long range with four seconds left in the period. Taylor ended the third quarter in similar fashion, doing so with an off-balance 3-pointer from the right wing that gave the Bison a 50-20 lead.

Reed and Dotson sank back-to-back 3-pointers as part of an 8-0 run over a 34-second spurt in the second quarter to give Station Camp a 25-12 advantage.

“I thought we moved the ball well, and we were unselfish,” Massey said. “We caught fire in the second quarter.”

The Bison continued the onslaught in the third period, scoring the final 12 points of the quarter and holding a 20-6 edge in that frame.

Junior J.R. Sanders led the Golden Bears with nine points.

Station Camp won both games between the two teams during the regular season, a 59-53 victory at Station Camp on Jan. 15 and a 61-55 triumph at Mt. Juliet on Feb. 9. The Bison have now won five consecutive games against the Golden Bears.

The victory also set a school record for wins in a season with 31, breaking last year’s mark of 30.

“We’ve got guys who have bought into the process,” Reed said. “We’ve been working hard to get where we’re at since day one. I love being a part of this program, and nobody cares who gets the credit. That’s the awesome thing about us. We go out there and play and do what we’ve got to do.”

In addition to Reed, juniors Chase Freeman and Kody Eden were also named to the all-tournament team.

Station Camp High junior Chase Freeman elevates for an interior shot against Mt. Juliet junior J.R. Sanders during second-quarter action. Freeman scored eight points.

Station Camp hosts Clarksville Northwest on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. in the Region 5-AAA Tournament quarterfinals. The Vikings suffered a 62-55 loss to Rossview in the District 10-AAA Tournament consolation game on Tuesday evening.

The winner faces either Kenwood or Lebanon in the semifinals, slated for Tuesday evening at Clarksville High School.

Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.

MT. JULIET (37) – J.R. Sanders 9, Tyler Faulkenberry 8, Christian Bell 5, Austin Brown 4, Trey Pruitt 4, Brian Aiken 3, J.C. Crawford 2, Hunter Tudor 2.

STATION CAMP (60) – Yalen Reed 17, Keaton Dotson 13, Sawyer Taylor 11, Chase Freeman 8, Thomas Zazzaro 8, Kody Eden 2, Jonathan Gillard 1.

Half: 30-14, Station Camp. Three-point goals: Mt. Juliet 4 (Faulkenberry 2, Brown 1, Sanders 1), Station Camp 10 (Reed 4, Dotson 3, Taylor 3). Records: Mt. Juliet 22-8, Station Camp 31-1.

East Nashville senior Le’jzae Davidson has knocked down a team-high 91 3-pointers this season.

East Nashville sophomore Kaia Upton.

East Nashville’s Erica Haynes-Overton is averaging a team-leading 20 points per game this season.

Over the past two seasons, the East Nashville girls basketball program has blossomed into a Metro powerhouse, piling up 51 wins and a pair of District 10-AA titles.

East Nashville sophomore Kaia Upton (14), senior Le’jzae Davidson (10) and junior Erica Haynes-Overton (20) have been key to the Lady Eagles’ success.

East Nashville, however, which suffered a Region 5-AA semifinal defeat to MLK a season ago, never has reached the sectionals.

And while last season’s squad probably carried a similar level on confidence into the postseason before running into the eventual Class AA champion Lady Royals, this year feels different.

“We’re very confident,” sophomore Kaia Upton said after Tuesday’s 55-49 district championship win over rival Pearl-Cohn — her team’s 19th straight victory. “Everybody has been saying this is our year.”

That certainly appears to be the case.

The 25-2 Lady Eagles, led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Upton (13.5 points per game), junior Erica Haynes-Overton (20.0) and senior Le’jzae Davidson (17.5), haven’t been beaten since suffering a one-point setback to Lipscomb on Dec. 11 — a loss they later avenged with a 69-39 rout of the Lady Mustangs on Jan. 28.

East Nashville coach Lois Donaldson instructs her team in a timeout during Tuesday’s District 10-AA championship.

“It has been a great season altogether with the bond that we have,” Davidson said. “We’re just like sisters. On and off the court, we’re tight, so this season has just been like having fun with my girls.”

They’ve had some close calls during the current winning streak, including a 58-55 overtime win over 10-AA runner-up Pearl-Cohn on Feb. 14, but their average margin of victory has been upwards of 30 points per contest.

“I’ve had a lot of these same kids the year we only won five games, so they’ve faced a lot of adversity together, worked through it and gotten better,” fifth-year coach Lois Donaldson said. “They’ll do the things you suggest, and sometimes make up stuff in between that makes me look brilliant. You can’t really call it coaching if you just make suggestions.”

That might be a bit of an oversimplification, but with the amount of talent and experience that East Nashville’s not-so-big three bring to the floor, it absolutely can appear as though the Lady Eagles are operating on cruise control.

“They have a lot of similarities — the will to compete and the will to win — but I think they each bring different packages to the party,” Donaldson said.

TSSAA postseason basketball pairings, results

Davidson, a 5-foot-6 guard, has made 92 3-pointers on the season, shooting a team-leading 38 percent from beyond the arc.

“She’s itty bitty, but she does a great job of creating space and getting the deep 3 off,” Donaldson said. “She’s a great shooter.”

Davidson has signed to play basketball at Furman next season, but she’s not the only Division I caliber player on East Nashville’s roster.

Haynes-Overton, who, in addition to scoring, also leads the Lady Eagles in rebounding (8.8 rpg), steals (7.7 spg) and blocked shots (1.4 bpg), has received scholarship offers from Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Lipscomb and Tennessee State.

“Erica is the total all-around player,” Donaldson said of the 5-foot-9 forward, who has registered eight double-doubles and seven triple-doubles this season. “She can shoot the 3, she does a lot off the dribble, she has great athletic ability and she’s a really hard-nosed player.”

Upton, whose older brother Isiah was a former two-sport star at East Nashville before signing to play football at MTSU, already holds a scholarship offer from Lipscomb, and the 5-foot-7 guard is also receiving recruiting interest from Belmont, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State and Tennessee State.

“With as good as Le’jzae and Erica are, I don’t think they compare with Kaia just as far as her presence on the floor,” Donaldson said. “She comes from a very athletic family, and I actually had her as an eighth-grader so this is her third season with me.”

East Nashville, which also suffered a season-opening loss to highly ranked Class AAA squad Riverdale, will host Friday’s Region 5-AA quarterfinal against White House-Heritage — the No. 4 seed from District 9-AA — while Monday’s semifinals and Wednesday’s championship will be held at Lipscomb Academy.

“It’s great to see them having this type of success,” Donaldson said, “and I hope we can continue it for a little longer.”

Reach Michael Murphy at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports. 

BIG THREE CONTRIBUTORS

A look at the stats for East Nashville’s trio:

Name, Year                           FGM-A (FG%)    PTS    REB   AST    STL
Le’Jzae Davidson, Sr.         163-389 (42%)    17.7     2.8      2.6      3.6
Erica Haynes-Overton, Jr.       212-395 (54%)    20.0     8.8      3.3      7.7
Kaia Upton, Soph.                 118-264 (45%)    13.5     4.5      4.2      3.3

The MBA ice hockey team went 13-0-1 during the regular season and is 2-0 during the postseason.

Fresh off a regular-season Greater Nashville Area Scholastic Hockey (GNASH) league title (13-0-1), the MBA squad is off to a 2-0 start with four points in the postseason standings.

The Big Red is two points behind Ravenwood (3-0, 6 points) in the Preds Cup postseason standings. Father Ryan and Brentwood are 2-1 and also have four points.

Pope John Paul II (2-0, 4 points) and Franklin (2-1, 4 points) sit atop the Hines Cup division postseason standings, while Station Camp-Beech (2-1, one OT loss) is  atop the Mielnik Cup division with five points. Independence-Summit is one point behind at 2-0.

Friday’s postseason games include Ensworth-Oakland vs. Pope John Paul II (6:15 p.m.), Centennial vs. MBA (6:30 p.m.) and Blackman-Stewarts Creek vs. Independence-Summit (7:45 p.m.). All will be played at Antioch’s Ford Ice Center.

The Madison Academy girls basketball team won the TNCAA state title.

Madison Academy girls win state: Madison Academy’s girls basketball team recently won the Tennessee Christian Athletic Association (TNCAA) Tournament championship, defeating West Academy 52-12 in the title game.

Morgan Currie scored 15 points and Abigail Anderson 12 in the championship game.

The squad, under the direction of Coach Jeremy Perkins, won three tournaments during the season — only their third as a program.

BGA girls end sub-state drought: At 14-14, the Battle Ground Academy girls basketball team hasn’t exactly been blowing people away this season.

However, the Lady Wildcats, led by first-year coach Clay Price, have managed to produce their best postseason run this century, advancing to the Division II-A sub-state round for the first time since 1999.

“With me being new and kind of getting acclimated to the girls, this year has kind of been about baby steps,” said Price, who had made coaching stops at Georgia’s Fellowship Christian and Mt. Paran Christian, along with Wilson Hall in Sumter, S.C. “They’ve done a tremendous job of listening and learning what hard work is about, and those two things have contributed to the success we’ve had.”

Led by four-year starter and leading scorer and rebounder Allison Cowie, BGA captured a fourth-place finish in last week’s Division II-A East/Middle Region tournament, setting up Friday’s sub-state matchup at West Region champion Northpoint Christian (28-2).

“I’m just telling them to treasure the opportunity,” Price said. “One, being in the sub-state and that experience, and two, just the opportunity to play someone who has been as successful as they have.”

TSSAA postseason basketball pairings, results

East/Middle Region champion Ezell-Harding (26-4) host University School of Jackson (28-3) on Friday at 7 p.m., while runner-up Franklin Road Academy (26-4) hosts Lausanne (18-10).

Winners of Friday’s sub-state matchups will advance to the Division II-A state tournament, which will be held March 3-5 at Lipscomb University.

BA wrestling coach resigns: After spending more than a decade leading the program, Brentwood Academy’s Rodney Cash has resigned as wrestling coach.

Cash, who took over the program in 2004-05, will remain teaching at Brentwood Academy.

“We’re going to take enough time to find somebody that we feel can take the program and grow it, and make it a good one,” Brentwood Academy athletic director Cody White said. “We have high standards and we want to be good.”

Cash guided three wrestlers to a combined six Division II individual championships — Justin Cash (2008, 2009), Ryan Carrethers (2009) and Amos Mason (2012, 2013, 2014).

Reach Michael Murphy at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports. Reach Cecil Joyce at 615-259-8017 and on Twitter @cecil_joyce. 

The story of Harpeth High School assistant football coach Kevin Downs will be featured Sunday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

The story of Harpeth High School assistant football coach Kevin Downs will be featured Sunday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

“The Volunteer,” narrated by Marty Smith, will debut in the 10 a.m. edition of “SportsCenter” and will re-air in other editions of the program throughout the day.

The Ashland City Times reported Downs, a 2003 Harpeth graduate, was to be featured on the show when camera crews were in Kingston Springs in September.

According to a news release from ESPN, the “SC Featured” segment will tell the story of Downs, who nearly lost his life in a 2005 Humvee attack in Iraq. Now, 76 surgeries later, he’s a paid assistant football coach at Harpeth in Kingston Springs, where he once played.

Three years ago, he started volunteer coaching for the football team. This past season — his fourth — he was a certified TSSAA coach.

As viewers will learn, Downs, who received a Purple Heart in 2006, lost both legs, some fingers, an ear and the use of an arm in the attack.

But he drives a car. He operates a tractor to mow the football field, and he helps paint lines on the field before games. He climbs to the top of the bleachers for games and keeps stats on an iPad. He works with the players.

“He spends his whole day doing all these things, and you just kind of sit there and are amazed because of how gruesome his injuries were,” Scott Harves, who produced the piece for the ESPN Features Unit, said in the release.

Harves came across Downs on the Internet while searching for feature ideas last August.

“I just thought there had to be more to the story,” he said. “The first time you see him, you just wonder how he does it, and how he got from the battlefield to where he is now. When I saw his picture and heard him talk, I was drawn to want to know more about it.”

“One of the things that stands out about our first conversation was the fact that he didn’t want to hold anything back in a story,” Harves said. “Knowing what he went through and seeing all the wounded warriors he had seen through his three years in and out of the hospital, he always thought that if someone could see what he’s done with his life, maybe he can motivate them to do something with theirs.”

Antioch junior Areyanna Majors elevates for a first-half jumper during Friday’s Region 6-AAA quarterfinal against Summit at Cane Ridge High School.

The Summit High School girls put together a 22-point fourth-quarter in Friday’s 6-AAA quarterfinal game at Cane Ridge High School and coasted to a 52-27 triumph over Antioch to capture the first region tournament win in the young program’s history.

“It means a lot,” Summit junior Zacharyia Esmon said. “We’ve been talking about that a lot at practice, and it has kind of helped motivate us throughout the whole year, making history and setting records for our school.”

“It’s a great thing, and it’s an even better thing to have it over with,” said Summit coach Josh Goodwin, who wasn’t exactly blown away by his squad’s performance on Friday.

“We have to understand that if we want to be a top team — a championship-caliber team — we can’t play quarters at a time, we have to play 32 minutes. We got away with it again tonight.”

Juniors Olivia Colson (12) and Ashton Arnold (11) also finished in double-figures for Summit, which will take on top-seeded Dickson County in Monday’s 6 p.m. semifinal at Cane Ridge. The Lady Cougars rolled past Glencliff 87-24 in the first of the four games played at Cane Ridge on Friday.

“If we decide to take a quarter off or a couple minutes off, (Dickson County) will make us pay and make us pay quickly,” Goodwin said.

The third-seeded Lady Spartans (16-13), led by Esmon’s game-high 14-points, held an 11-point halftime advantage, but midway through a quiet third quarter, No. 2 Antioch had clawed its way back, pulling to within 28-21 on Destiny Johnson’s free throw.

“We played a little man to man just to try to speed it up and get some steals,” said District 12-AAA Coach of the Year Antoine Buchanan. “It worked, we just couldn’t put the ball in the bucket and we gave up too many run-outs.

“Ultimately they just didn’t fall and the clock ran out on us.”

Senior Zykirria Washington finished with a team-high seven points for the Lady Bears (18-11), who failed to sink a 3-pointer in the defeat, while Areyanna Majors and Dominique Lee each contributed six.

“They actually got out of the zone, which helped us a lot,” Esmon said. “We got up the court and were able to get into transition really fast. We got a lot of buckets out of that.”

Reach Michael Murphy at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.

Summit sophomore Olivia Colson (left) looks for a passing lane around Antioch senior Shontoia Blackburn during Friday’s Region 6-AAA quarterfinal at Cane Ridge High School.

Nash Young is doing what comes naturally … even if it took him a while to find it.

Nash Young

On Friday afternoon, the Beech High senior signed his letter-of-intent to continue his education and running career at Austin Peay State University.

What isn’t typical is that Young signed after starting his running career just 18 months ago.

He originally began running cross country at the beginning of his junior year to help train for basketball, which he played since a young age.

“My dream was to play in the NBA (National Basketball Association),” Young said. “As I got older, I started realizing that maybe it wasn’t as realistic, so maybe just (to play) in college in Division I … maybe at (the University of) Tennessee or something. I started really shooting for that, but then I started wondering if that was even possible.”

He found out quickly that running could be a new path for him, leaving the Beech basketball program and focusing solely on running.

“I was really focused on basketball,” Young said. “I really wanted to go to college for that. I felt like getting in really good shape would help me to be better in basketball. I made the decision (to run) in the summer, so I went out for cross country. I found out, ‘hey, I’m pretty decent at this,’ so that’s what made my decision (to switch).”

Young made an impression right away, in the team’s first practice.

“When he first came out, he started out running really fast,” junior teammate Jarren Blair said. “It was the first day of practice, and he started sprinting. Everyone was like, ‘he’s going to burn out, because he doesn’t know how long the workout is.’ But he just kept going, and he was really good from the beginning. It was really cool to watch.”

Young began having success immediately, placing fourth in the Beech Invitational (an early-season cross country meet at Hendersonville’s Sanders Ferry Park). By the end of the season, he had qualified for the state meet, where he placed 70th, less than five months after beginning his running career.

During his junior season, he forged a relationship with seniors Julia and Jessica Rizor, who signed with the University of Tennessee.

“I had a really good relationship with (the Rizors),” Young said. “There wasn’t much of a change that I got from them, because we all had the same work ethic. We worked hard and really fed off of each other.”

Beech head coach Brice Askren added, “I kept encouraging him, because he didn’t really know a friend or person that was a runner. I told him, ‘you need to talk to (the Rizor twins) and have a relationship with them, because they have the experience, which you don’t. And they understand how to train as a runner, so you need to absorb some of that.’”

Beech High senior Nash Young signed his national letter-of -ntent to continue his education and running career at Austin Peay State University on Friday afternoon. Pictured at the signing are: (seated, L to R) Nash’s mother Darcy Young, Nash Young, (standing) Beech assistant coach Quanah Thompson, Nash’s father Brad Young and Beech head coach Brice Askren.

Young is still learning the ins and outs of being a competitive distance runner and understanding that going all-out isn’t always the best way to go.

“He wants to go at it too hard,” Askren said. “As a younger runner – age-wise is one thing, but his career length is one year – that’s been the biggest thing, because the talent’s been there.”

Young advanced to the state cross country meet this past fall, making a sizeable jump to 28th in the Class AAA competition.

His work ethic has not gone unnoticed by the underclassmen running with him at practice.

“Nash has been a big help,” freshman Coleman Midgett said. “He’s also been a great guy to hang out with before and after practice.”

Freshman David Ahlmeyer added, “Nash knows a lot about running. He knows what you’re supposed to do. He’s taught me a lot of lessons just about running and training and how to be a good person in life.”

With the track and field season ahead, Young has his sights on breaking his own school record in the 1,600-meter run (a time of 4:36.05 in last year’s Section 3 North Sub-Sectional meet) and 3,200-meter run (9:47.41 in last season’s Section 3 meet), as well as setting the 800-meter mark (1:57.47, set by Tony Carufe at the 2003 state meet).

He’s got specific times in mind for those events – 1:55 in the 800, a sub-4:20 time in the 1,600 and a 9:20 in the 3,200.

Another one of his teammates hopes to gain some speed too.

“I’m hoping to get a little faster,” sophomore Kobe Story said. “With him by my side, hopefully, I can achieve that. He encourages me to go as hard as I can.”

Austin Peay is coached by Doug Molnar, in his ninth season of leading the cross country and track and field programs.

“I really liked the coaching staff and the other runners,” Young said. “It was really friendly, and I liked the fact that it was Division I.”

Askren is excited to see how much Young can improve.

“This is his fourth running season, two cross-country seasons, and this is his second track season,” Askren said. “It’s kind of exciting really. It’s all in front of him. It ain’t behind him … that’s for sure.”

Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.

NASHVILLE Junior point guard Gracie Oliver scored the game’s final four points over the last 31 seconds, propelling the sixth-ranked Westmoreland High School girls basketball team into the regional semifinals with a 49-45 victory at Pearl-Cohn in a Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal contest played on Friday evening.

“During this time of the season, we get together,” Oliver said. “We play as a team. We have fun out there. We’ve come so far … we know we have to win.”

Westmoreland High junior point guard Gracie Oliver dribbles to the basket during first-half action.

It is the third consecutive season that the Lady Eagles have won in the regional quarterfinal round. In fact, last season, Westmoreland opened region play by capturing a 45-37 victory over the visiting Lady Firebirds.

“It was totally different game,” Lady Eagle senior guard Jesica Eppstein said. “This game was a lot more nerve-wracking. It was totally different, way more fast-paced. Last year, it was more in our hands. This year, we had to gain control of the game. We didn’t just have (control) to begin with.”

Westmoreland (26-5) took control in the second stanza, concluding the first half on a 17-3 run. Six different Lady Eagles scored during the surge, with junior guard Lexie McCormick banking in a runner at the first-half buzzer to give her squad a 28-15 lead.

Westmoreland High junior guard Lexie McCormick elevates to shoot a runner in the lane that banked in at the first-half buzzer, helping the Lady Eagles to a 49-45 victory at Pearl-Cohn in a a Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal contest played on Friday evening.

“Everything went right,” Westmoreland head coach Cherie Abner said. “Jesica found some (dribble) penetration. Peightyn came in and hit a three (3-pointer). Our guards controlled it. We talked about managing the clock in the first quarter and establishing the tempo, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Eppstein added, “We came out with our heads right. We didn’t let the atmosphere of the game get to us. We stayed focused. We stayed with the game plan, and we kept the momentum up.”

The Lady Eagles built the lead despite committing 10 of their 19 turnovers in the first half.

“I thought they would dictate our turnovers,” Abner said. “We got the ball over halfcourt though and squandered it sometimes.”

Westmoreland – the No. 3 seed from District 9-AA – still led by 10 points after junior forward Kaitlyn Norman converted on a layin 26 seconds into the fourth quarter.

However, Pearl-Cohn (20-6) – the No. 2 seed from District 10-AA – stormed back behind the play of junior guard Janiah Sandifer and sophomore guard Shawnta Shaw.

“They’re pretty fast,” Eppstein said. “They’re going to take any shot. When it comes to that, sometimes you have to let them get a shot off. They’re hard to guard on the outside. Everybody helped.”

The duo misfired on a host of 3-pointers over the first three quarters as the Lady Eagles attempted to limit their dribble penetration. However, they made three from beyond the three-point arc over the first 3:05 of the final period, with Sandifer tossing in the final of those for a 40-39 lead.

“We’re a defensive team,” Abner said. “If you’re willing to let them take shots, that tells you how hard they are to guard. That (strategy) was our only chance I thought, to make them beat us from the outside.”

Sandifer scored nine of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, while Shaw poured in a game-high 20 points.

“They were quick off the dribble,” Oliver said. “They were scared to go inside, because we took that charge to start the game. That backed everybody up. That was definitely a good move for Karley (Smith, the team’s junior forward) to take that charge.”

Westmoreland High senior guard Haley Braswell passes to a teammate during first-quarter action. Braswell scored six points.

The lead changed hands six times down the stretch.

“We’ve known they’ve gotten up on other teams,” Eppstein said. “We just kept our heads right. We knew we had to stay calm and not let the game get away from us.”

Abner added, “We knew they were coming to get us in the third quarter. We were just able to match it and make more plays at the end.”

Eppstein made two free throws with 2:19 remaining, but Sandifer was fouled with 38.7 seconds left, missing the first free throw before making the second to tie the contest at 45.

Westmoreland High senior guard Jesica Eppstein shoots a first-half 3-pointer in front of the Pearl-Cohn bench. Eppstein scored six points.

“Our emotions definitely get into the game,” Oliver said. “We get nervous. We just try to calm down. We try to keep the intensity up, try to do what we can and try to not do too much.”

Following a Lady Firebird timeout, Pearl-Cohn came out in a full-court press. Oliver received a pass on the run, dribbled up the right sideline in transition and made a layin as she was fouled.

“In the last timeout, we said, ‘if Gracie comes out, hit her and let’s go,’” Abner said. “We thought it was going to be a two-on-one, and she was going to dump it to Karley. She just went up and made it. It was just a big play.”

Oliver added, “(Abner) said we were going to get in the press (break). I was going to go middle, and we were going to hit sideline. We were going to push up (the court) and try to get the layup. She said that I’m going to hit the layup, and if it’s not open, I’m going to pass to Karley. That girl was coming so fast … I figured the layup was the best option. It was better than a turnover.”

Oliver made the ensuing free throw, and following a missed 3-pointer from the Lady Firebirds, she was fouled again, making the second free throw to create a two-possession game with 9.8 seconds showing.

Gracie Oliver

“It was kind of like the Cheatham County game (when Oliver made two free throws within the final 20 seconds to tie last Saturday’s district semifinal),” Oliver said. “I took a deep breath and shot it. I believed it was going to go in. I had to do this for my team.”

Westmoreland advanced to face Cheatham County – a 56-45 winner over Maplewood in its 5-AA quarterfinal on Friday – in a semifinal contest that will be played at 6 p.m. on Monday at Lipscomb Academy. East Nashville will face Sycamore in the semifinal at 7:30 p.m.

Semifinal winners earn a spot in Wednesday night’s championship game and also secure a sectional berth on Saturday.

“I’m tickled,” Abner said. “They’ve worked hard all year. Sometimes, it doesn’t show in the record or how far you advance. We’ve had to work through some adversity. For them to execute and get it done in a big game is pretty exciting. For them to handle it in an atmosphere like this is pretty amazing too.”

Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.

WESTMORELAND (49) – Kaitlyn Norman 14, Karley Smith 12, Haley Braswell 6, Jesica Eppstein 6, Gracie Oliver 6, Peightyn Gross 3, Lexie McCormick 2.

PEARL-COHN (45) – Shawnta Shaw 20, Janiah Sandifer 12, Yaubryon Chambers 8, Monae Mayes 3, Imani Birdine 2.

Half: 28-15, Westmoreland. Three-point goals: Westmoreland 3 (Braswell 2, Gross 1), Pearl-Cohn 6 (Shaw 4, Sandifer 2). Records: Westmoreland 26-5, Pearl-Cohn 20-6.

HENDERSONVILLE It was a far different game than the first time the Beech High girls basketball team faced Clarksville to open the season.

Beech High senior Deja Smith attempts an interior shot against Clarksville sophomore Deja Walls during fourth-quarter action.

However, missed free throws and the offense provided by a pair of Lady Wildcats combined to end the Lady Buccaneers’ season with a 48-40 loss to visiting Clarksville in Friday evening’s Region 5-AAA Tournament quarterfinal.

“Our last four games were a phenomenal effort, phenomenal determination, phenomenal toughness,” Beech interim head coach Troy Carnes said. “It’s what you hope your players play with every night.”

An 11-2 run to begin the fourth quarter, led primarily by senior post Ta’Tayana Outlaw (who scored 14 points), gave Clarksville a 41-32 lead with 3:16 to play.

Beech led for almost all of the first three quarters.

“(Outlaw) stepped up and made a 6-0 run on us and really turned (the game),” Carnes said. “She’s an extraordinary player.”

Beech (11-21), the No. 2 seed from District 9-AAA, trimmed the gap to five points (41-36) but was unable to get any closer as sophomore guard Ellie Treanton scored seven of her game-high 19 points over the final 93 seconds to help the Lady Wildcats seal the victory.

The Lady Wildcats, the No. 3 seed from District 10-AAA, focused their defensive attention on Beech senior point guard Deja Smith early on, employing a 2-3 zone that allowed sophomore Reese Taylor to hit a pair of early 3-pointers.

“Reese got us going,” Carnes said. “She hit the first two threes, and she played tough. The whole team played tough. I just told them that I wasn’t going to be disappointed with the effort that they gave.”

Taylor scored 11 of Beech’s first 12 points, but a defensive adjustment helped to limit Taylor to one point the rest of the way.

“She forced us out of a zone,” Clarksville head coach Brian Rush said. “Once we contained (Smith), we wanted to go in a 2-3 zone, but (Taylor) just didn’t let us do that. I thought the girls did a great job of playing man the rest of the way.”

Beech High sophomore Reese Taylor drives to the basket during fourth-quarter action. Taylor scored 12 points.

The Buccaneers held Clarksville without a field goal in the first quarter.

“We started the game very tough,” Carnes said. “We guarded great, even though (Clarksville’s) so much bigger than us. I was proud of how physical we played and how tough we played.”

However, the Lady Wildcats (21-7) made up ground at the free-throw line, making 25 of 30 foul shots. Beech, on the other hand, made only 13 of 27 free-throw attempts.

Beech led 22-20 at halftime, and the two teams played to a 30-30 deadlock entering the fourth quarter.

Clarksville rolled to a 65-31 win over visiting Beech in a Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association Hall of Champions contest played on Nov. 17, the season opener for both teams. The Lady Buccaneers played without Smith during the prior contest.

“It shows how far we’ve come as a team,” Carnes said. “A lot of our younger players were not ready to play at the varsity level at that time, and their progress over the season has been amazing. Thank goodness we gave Deja some players to play with toward the end.

“I told them, ‘it’s not how you start … it’s how you finish.’ We entered the postseason with a 9-19 record and here we are, runner-up in the district and had a very good Clarksville team in a battle until the end.”

Beech loses three seniors – Smith, Lauren Crowley and Lexi Cook.

The Lady Wildcats advanced to Monday’s semifinal round to face Rossview – a 62-41 winner over Lebanon in its quarterfinal on Friday evening – at 7:30 p.m. at Clarksville High. Unbeaten Wilson Central will face Mt. Juliet in the semifinal game at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.

CLARKSVILLE (48) – Ellie Treanton 19, Ta’Tayana Outlaw 14, Deja Walls 6, Lainey Persinger 5, Aliyah Miller 4.

BEECH (40) – Reese Taylor 12, Deja Smith 9, McCall Decker 7, Kendra Mueller 6, Destiny Tinker 4, Savannah Jarratt 2.

Half: 22-20, Beech. Three-point goals: Clarksville 1 (Persinger 1), Beech 3 (Taylor 2, Decker 1). Records: Clarksville 21-7, Beech 11-21.

The story of former Pearl High and Vanderbilt star Perry Wallace’s life will be portrayed in a play this fall.

The life of former Pearl High and Vanderbilt star Perry Wallace will be told in a play this fall.

David Chattam will portray former Pearl High and Vanderbilt star Perry Wallace in a play based on Wallace’s life.

David Chattam will portray former Pearl High and Vanderbilt star Perry Wallace in a play based on Wallace’s life.

The life of former Pearl High and Vanderbilt star Perry Wallace will be told in a play this fall.

The life of Pearl High basketball great Perry Wallace, who went on to Vanderbilt and became the first African American to play in the SEC, will be portrayed in a play this fall.

The play is still in production, and as part of that, a staged reading of the script will be open to the public for free March 7. It will be at 7 p.m. at the John Seigenthaler First Amendment Center on the Vanderbilt campus. There will be a reception at 6:30 p.m.

Los Angeles-based actor David Chattam will read the script written by Playhouse Nashville co-founder and artistic director Chris Bosen.

After the reading, the audience will be asked to provide feedback to help shape the direction of the final script.

The play was inspired by the bestselling biography “Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South,” which was published in 2014 and written by former Vanderbilt sports information director Andrew Maraniss.

“It’s going to be amazing to see Perry’s life come to life on the stage,” Maraniss said. “It’s such an interesting and dramatic story, and I’ve been really impressed with the script that Chris has been writing. David’s a great actor, so I think it’s going to be an amazing experience.”

Wallace, who is now a professor of law at American University, will not be at the reading.

March 19 will mark the 50th anniversary of Wallace leading Pearl to a 21-0 regular-season record and the state championship in the first year Tennessee high schools were integrated.

That team will be honored at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Greater St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church on 26th Avenue.

Several members from that team, which also included Ted “Hound” McClain, who went on to play at Tennessee State and then in the ABA and NBA, Walter Fisher and James Douglas, will be in attendance.

Harpeth grad first to receive two NFF awards

The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame on Monday will celebrate its 50th annual awards banquet at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, and it will be special.

For the first time, an individual who already has received one of the chapter’s most prestigious awards will receive a second.

Retired Army Sgt. Kevin Downs was presented the Fred Russell Distinguished American Award in 2008.

While serving in Iraq in 2005, Downs lost both legs and suffered second- and third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body when the Humvee he was riding in was hit by a bomb.

After attending the 2008 banquet and seeing all the high school players earn their various awards, Downs was inspired to become a football coach and joined the staff at his alma mater, Harpeth, as a volunteer assistant in 2012.

Prior to the 2015 season, he became a full-time TSSAA certified assistant, and on Monday he will receive the Bonnie Sloan Courage Award, which goes to an individual who faces great obstacles and continues to fight.

ESPN will debut a feature on Downs during the 10 a.m. edition of “SportsCenter” on Sunday and will re-air it through the day.

This year’s Fred Russell Distinguished American Award will go to Murfreesboro native Rhea Seddon, one of the first six women to enter the NASA astronaut program who was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2015. Seddon was a cheerleader at old Central High in Murfreesboro.

The Admiral William P. Lawrence Award for the top high school scholar-athlete in Middle Tennessee will go to Christ Presbyterian Academy linebacker John Orr, the grandson of former Vanderbilt quarterback and longtime NFL official Don Orr.

A total of 61 local high school players will be named Charles Hawkins Scholar-Athlete winners.

Spencer Pulley (Vanderbilt), T.T. Barber (Middle Tennessee State), Aaron Woods, (Tennessee State), Adam Noble (Austin Peay), Cayman Russell (Cumberland) and Grant Fuller (Sewanee) will be named University Scholar-Athlete winners.

Local sports talk radio show host George Plaster will be the emcee, and Kenneth Adams IV, a Titans owner who also is on the franchise’s board of directors, will deliver a special message prior to the awards presentation.

This will mark the final year for Robert Sullins to oversee the banquet as the chapter president. Former Titans executive Bob Hyde, who will receive the Roy Kramer Contribution to Football Award, is set to take over as president.

New York to name street after Anthony Mason

TSU basketball great Anthony Mason, who died in 2015, will have a street named after him in his hometown of Queens, N.Y.

The New York City Council approved the proposal to co-name a stretch of 147th Street between 123rd Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard “Anthony Mason Way.”

After graduating from TSU, Mason spent 13 years in the NBA and was a crowd favorite during his time with the New York Knicks (1991-96).

Stratford great to join Mississippi Sports Hall

Former Stratford basketball star Dontae Jones, one of the players on the 1995-96 Mississippi State team that advanced to the Final Four, will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on March 31.

Jones played a key role on the team and was named MVP of the SEC Tournament. He plans to attend the induction ceremony in Jackson, Miss.

After beating Kentucky in the SEC Tournament championship, the Bulldogs were seeded No. 5 in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Virginia Commonwealth, Princeton, Connecticut and Cincinnati to earn a spot in the Final Four.

Schooldays Golf Tournament date set

The 92nd annual Tennessean/Metro Parks Schooldays Golf Tournament will be June 7-9 at McCabe Golf Course.

The free tournament for boys and girls ages 12-17 is the longest continuous running in the state.

Mt. Juliet’s Cooper Sears and Warren County’s Hannah Powell won the 2015 boys and girls championships and will defend their titles.

Registration will be available May 9 at Tennessean.com.

MTSU’s Moore/Turnbow Cup is set for March 7

Speaking of the Schooldays tournament, 1996 boys champion Whit Turnbow is now a senior associate athletics director at MTSU, where the inaugural Franklin American Mortgage Moore/Turnbow Cup will be played on March 7 at The Grove Club in College Grove.

Along with Turnbow, who was the MTSU men’s golf coach until last August, the event is named in honor of former Blue Raiders player and coach Johnny Moore.

Four former Blue Raiders — Kent Bulle, Rick Cochran, Jason Millard and Chas Narramore — who are now on the Web.com Tour will give a clinic prior to the fundraiser tournament. Each also will play one hole with each group during the tournament, which will be an 18-hole shamble.

Registration is at 11 a.m., and the shamble will get underway at 12:15 p.m. For more information or to sign up, contact current MTSU men’s coach Brennan Webb at Brennan.Webb@mtsu.edu.

MBA’s Lea hired as Wake Forest linebackers coach

Former Montgomery Bell Academy standout Clark Lea, who played baseball at Birmingham-Southern and Belmont and then played football at Vanderbilt, is the new linebackers coach at Wake Forest.

Lea helped lead Birmingham-Southern to the NAIA World Series championship in 2001.

He transferred to Belmont in 2002 and played one season.

He switched to football the next year when he transferred to Vanderbilt and played linebacker.

Lea began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UCLA (2005-06). He then went to South Dakota State (2006-07), returned to UCLA as linebackers coach (2009-11) and then to Bowling Green, where he worked for one season under Dave Clawson, who is now the head coach at Wake Forest.

Lea spent the past three seasons at Syracuse.

Hollenberg back to call the OVC Tournament

ESPN’s Rich Hollenberg will handle the play-by-play and Mark Adams will be the color analyst for the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Tournament on Wednesday-Saturday at Municipal Auditorium.

This marks the fourth consecutive year Hollenberg has called the tournament.

Pairings will be set after the Belmont-TSU game Sunday at Gentry Center, which tips off at 2:30 p.m.

NBA executive to speak at Don Meyer event

Orlando Magic senior vice president Pat Williams will be the featured speaker at the eighth annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence on April 16 at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena.

Along with the Magic, Williams also was the general manager for the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers.

He has spent more than 50 years in pro sports, authored more than 70 books and completed 54 marathons, including 12 Boston Marathons.

Williams and his wife, Ruth, have 19 children, including 14 adopted from four different nations.

The fund-raising event is open to the public but reservations are required by April 8. To make reservations or for more information, contact Andy Lane at 615-966-5853 or andy.lane@lipscomb.edu.

Cumberland’s Hicks is Mid-South coach of the year

First-year Cumberland wrestling coach James Hicks was named the Mid-South Conference West Division Coach of the Year. Hicks led the Phoenix to its first conference championship.

Motlow’s Barford is TCCAA player of the year

Motlow State sophomore Jaylen Barford, the nation’s second-leading junior college scorer (25.8) who has signed with Arkansas, was named the Tennessee Community College Player of the Year.

Barford helped Motlow post a 23-6 regular-season record and earn a No. 2 seed in the Region VII Tournament, which begins Monday.

If you have an item for Midstate Chatter, contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

SPORTS ON NASHVILLE TV

The top five local ratings for sporting events on television for Feb. 15-21.

1. NASCAR: Daytona 500, 9.6 rating

2. College basketball: Kentucky-Texas A&M, 3.8 rating

3. NBA: Cavaliers-Thunder, 3.5 rating

4. PGA: Northern Open (final round), 3.2 rating

5. College basketball: Tennessee-Kentucky, 3.0 rating

Each rating point is equal to 9,902 Nashville homes. Ratings for the SEC Network are not available.

Source: Mark Binda, WTVF-5 programming & research director.

Ensworth senior forward Desmond Cambridge said his team has always been confident in its offense.

The Tigers found out that their defense can be pretty good also.

Ensworth used its defensive pressure to limit Pope John Paul II to 18 first-half points, and Cambridge scored eight points during pivotal second-quarter run that led the Tigers to a 63-43 win in the D-II AA quarterfinals at Ensworth.

Ensworth (23-5) moves to the semifinals, where it will meet Christian Brothers on Friday at Lipscomb University.

“We’ve been focusing on communication and transition defense a lot lately, because coach (Ricky Bowers) knew, and we knew that we could score,” said Cambridge, who led all scorers with 21 points.

“It’s big, and it’s great to go back and see Christian Brothers again, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Both teams struggled for most of the first quarter offensively, and Pope John Paul II (21-9) managed to close to within two when sophomore Mitchell Sorenson hit a 3-pointer to cut the Ensworth lead to 15-13.

However, Cambridge came right back, scoring eight straight points that led to a 25-18 halftime lead for the Tigers.

The Knights stayed within striking distance until midway through the third quarter when a basket by freshman forward James Wiseman, along with a layup and 3-pointer from Cambridge stretched the lead to 43-25.

The two teams split its regular-season match ups, with the Knights scoring 72 in both contests, but according to Bowers, the work on defense proved to the difference.

“We’ve been working on it, and the defense has definitely been a priority for us,” Bowers said.

“Our defensive emphasis has been all around the things that we can control, and I feel we’ve made real progress there.”

Ensworth limited Pope John Paul II to less than 35 percent shooting on the night.

“Ensworth has a lot of kids who are quick, and have good length, and they made it hard on us,” Pope John Paul coach Kip Brown said.

TSSAA postseason basketball pairings, results

NASHVILLE The the Westmoreland High School boys basketball team ended its season on Saturday night with a 69-43 loss at Maplewood in a Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal game.

Westmoreland High senior guard Dalton Leath scored seven points in the Eagles’ 69-43 loss on Saturday evening.

The Panthers – the No. 2 seed from District 10-AA – were led by sophomore guard Bo Hodges – a former Station Camp High standout before transferring to Maplewood last season and a Class AA Mr. Basketball finalist – and his younger brother, freshman guard Bobo Hodges. Each scored a game-high 18 points.

Three-pointers from Eagle junior Lucas Garrison and senior Dalton Leath helped keep things close in the early stages as the visitors trailed just 15-11 after one quarter.

Offensive struggles and foul trouble plagued Westmoreland – the No. 3 seed from District 9-AA – in the second half as the Panthers’ full-court press stymied the Eagles. Westmoreland was outscored by a 21-4 margin and only managed one field goal in the third quarter.

“They got rolling in that third quarter, and we got on our heels,” Eagle head coach Jason Graves said. “Caleb (Graves) picked up his fourth foul, and things just got away from us.

“We missed too many foul shots tonight to give ourselves a chance. We talked about having to rebound and take care of the basketball, two things that we had a hard time of doing. They’re good at what they do, but I thought our effort was tremendous.”

The Eagles produced 17 points in the fourth quarter, with junior forward Colton Pippin providing seven of those.

Pippin finished with a game-high 15 points, while Caleb Graves scored nine.

Maplewood (21-5) and advanced to face the winner of Cheatham County – a 63-54 winner over Hume-Fogg in its quarterfinal on Saturday evening – in Tuesday evening’s semifinal round.

Westmoreland fell to 19-13 and loses six seniors – Leath, Caleb Graves, Landon Dunigan, Griffin Garrison, Landon Graves and Zeke Webb.

“I can’t be more proud of my seniors this season,” Jason Graves said. “Most of them have been with me since the fourth grade, and they’ve put up with me for a long time. I really appreciate them.”

It was the Eagle program’s most victories since the 2009-10 season.

“I’m just tickled with this team,” Graves – whose squad finished as the District 9-AA runner-up during the regular season – said. “Nineteen wins for Westmoreland boys basketball in (Class) AA is tremendous. People that have watched this program for enough years understand what I’m talking about. This is the second most wins ever for our boys at the AA level. They’ve had a tremendous year and won a lot of close games. The only goal that I really wanted for them was to get to the (district tournament) finals so they could have hosted this game at home. When you come down here on the road to Nashville, it’s tough.”

MAPLEWOOD (69) – Bo Hodges 18, Bobo Hodges 18, R.T. Wilcox 13, Hassan Littlepage 10, Deshawn Johnson 7, Jalen Alexander 2, Jag Littlepage 1.

WESTMORELAND (43) – Colton Pippin 15, Caleb Graves 9, Lucas Garrison 8, Dalton Leath 7, Brycen Carter 3, Dylan Duffer 1.

Half: 33-22, Maplewood. Three-point shots: Westmoreland 5 (Graves 2, Garrison 1, Leath 1, Carter 1), Maplewood 3 (Wilcox 2, Bobo Hodges 1) Records: Westmoreland 19-13, Maplewood 21-5.

SPRINGFIELD The Beech High School boys basketball team fell behind early on and couldn’t recover in a 64-46 loss at Springfield in a Region 5-AAA Tournament quarterfinal game played on Saturday evening.

The Yellow Jackets limited the Buccaneers to eight points in the third quarter, extending a nine-point lead at halftime to 15 points entering the final period.

Beech High sophomore point guard Ty Dean elevates for a layin after driving past Springfield defenders Troy Chatman (23) and Dalaino Walker during first-half action. Dean scored 10 points in Saturday evening’s 64-46 loss.

“Defensively, I thought we played well tonight,” Springfield head coach Darryl Travis said. “I would’ve liked to be a little better on the boards than we were tonight, but I don’t guess I have much room to complain when we hold a team that is that explosive to just 46 points.

“Offensively, I thought we handled their 1-3-1 (zone defensive) pressure pretty well tonight. We had a few hiccups when we weren’t facing the basket, but I was pleased with the way we handled their pressure.”

Dalaino Walker led all scorers with 21 points, making three 3-pointers, and teammates Keenan Pulley and Talarico Cogshell provided 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The Buccaneers were led by senior forward Caleb Walton with 13 points, and classmate Noah Chatman scored 12 points. Beech sophomore guard A.J. Roberson provided 11 points, and classmate Ty Dean contributed 10 points.

Beech High senior forward Caleb Walton is pressured by Springfield’s Elijah Collins. Walton scored a team-high 13 points.

Springfield (18-12) jumped out to an early 10-4 advantage behind two 3-pointers by Walker, but Dean’s 3-pointer helped bring the Buccaneers back to within a point at 10-9.

Pulley’s late 3-pointer gave the Yellow Jackets a 13-9 lead entering the second period.

The Yellow Jackets – the District 10-AAA Tournament champion – opened the second stanza with an 8-2 run.

Walker and Pulley combined for 11 points in the period, helping the Jackets outscore Beech by a 15-10 margin over that eight-minute span to take a 28-19 lead into the halftime break.

“They really hit some key, pressure 3-pointers in the first half when we had hands in their faces,” Beech head coach Darrin Joines – whose squad captured a 48-38 victory over visiting Springfield on Dec. 15 – said. “I thought that was big and gave them the lead in the first half.

“We had a letdown there in the third quarter. I guess you just have to tip your hat to (the Yellow Jackets), because tonight, they were the better team.”

With Beech struggling offensively in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets extended the advantage to 15 points (42-27) entering the final quarter.

Springfield again jumped out on Beech in the early minutes of the fourth period behind another 3-pointer by Walker.

The Buccaneers – the No. 4 seed from District 9-AAA – fouled for the final four minutes, a strategy that might have worked after the Jackets only connected on 9 of 20 free throws down the stretch.

Beech High sophomore guard Nelson Smith drives past two Springfield defenders along the baseline during second-half action.

However, Beech (16-16) was unable convert enough on the offensive end to threaten.

“I thought we had chances tonight to get out to a bigger lead, but we missed a lot of shots around the rim tonight,” Travis said. “A couple of 6-foot-4 guys tend to make you readjust your shots, and that’s what we were up against in the lane.

“I’m proud of our guys for playing the way they did tonight, but they know we still have some work left to do. We’re not happy yet, and I think we still have a few more wins left in us.”

Springfield advanced to face Mt. Juliet – a 74-66 winner over visiting Rossview in its 5-AAA quarterfinal contest on Saturday evening – in Tuesday evening’s semifinal round.

The Buccaneers lost their final three games and six of their last seven contests.

Beech loses three seniors – Chatman, Walton and Ben Buhrow.

BEECH (46) – Caleb Walton 13, Noah Chatman 12, A.J. Robertson 11, Ty Dean 10.

SPRINGFIELD (64) – Dalaino Walker 21, Talarico Cogshell 13, Keenan Pulley 12, Aaron Gardner 9, Cameron Trotter 5, Troy Chapman 2, Elijah Collins 2.

Half: 28-19, Springfield. Three-point goals: Beech 5 (Robertson 3, Dean 2), Springfield 5 (Walker 3, Pulley 2). Records: Beech 16-16, Springfield 18-12.

GALLATIN The Station Camp High boys basketball team spent the better part of Saturday evening’s Region 5-AAA Tournament quarterfinal game fending off a serious challenge from visiting Clarksville Northwest.

In the end, the Bison’s experience paid dividends as Station Camp outscored the Vikings by a 15-5 margin over the final 3:30 to erase a six-point deficit and collect a 60-56 victory.

Station Camp High junior guard Thomas Zazzaro maneuvers past Northwest’s Dezmond Stacker (at left) and Shaquan Hicks during second-quarter action. Zazzaro scored one point in the Bison’s 60-56 victory in the Region 5-AAA Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday evening.

“We strung together a couple of stops when we had to have them,” Station Camp head coach Seth Massey said. “Guys stepped up and hit free throws.”

The Vikings (15-11) led 56-54 with 1:33 left but gave up a 3-point play to Bison junior forward Kody Eden as Station Camp (32-1) surged in front to stay.

Eden – who led the Bison with 17 points – made two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

“I just knew that tonight was a big game, win or go home,” Eden said. “We either had to bring it or go home, and I didn’t want to go home.”

Northwest – the No. 4 seed from District 10-AAA – led by as many as seven points (44-37) early in the fourth quarter before Bison seniors Sawyer Taylor and Yalen Reed made back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the gap to one point with 6:20 remaining.

“We hit some big threes (in the fourth quarter),” Massey said. “Keaton hit one. Yalen hit one. As an offensive unit, we also got some big offensive rebounds late to keep possessions alive.”

Dezmond Stacker and Isiah McCoin helped give the Vikings a six-point lead with 3:35 remaining, but the Bison began their decisive run shortly thereafter.

When Bison junior point guard Chase Freeman fouled out with 1:33 remaining, junior Thomas Zazzaro handled those ball-handling duties the rest of the way.

Station Camp High senior guard Peyton Anderson drives around Northwest’s Isiah McCoin during second-quarter action.

“We trust our point guards,” Zazzaro said. “I’ve been doing this going back to the Beech (Holiday) Tournament. I’m comfortable with it.”

Station Camp – the District 9-AAA Tournament champion – made 13 of 18 free-throw attempts, including 6 of 8 in the fourth quarter.

Northwest tied the game at 12 before the Bison closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run to hold a 20-12 lead after the opening period.

“They’re a good ballclub,” said Zazzaro of Northwest. “This whole region’s good.”

The Vikings rallied by scoring nine of the first 11 points of the second quarter, including four from McCoin. His 3-pointer tied the game at 24 with 4:42 left in the first half.

“We knew that they were somewhat similar to Cane Ridge, so we had to prepare for them,” Eden said.

Tariq Silver and Christian Choice produced field goals to give Northwest a 28-24 lead with 2:59 left in the half, and the Vikings held a 30-28 lead at halftime.

“That was a tough matchup with (Northwest’s) length,” Massey said. “They’re bigger than Cane Ridge. They’re longer at the point. (Choice and Silver) are long, and (Correal Murry) is every bit of 6-foot-7 or 6-8. They’re as athletic a team as we’ve played this year.”

Northwest trailed by a point in the third quarter before closing the period with an 8-2 run, capped off when McCoin stole a pass and scored on a layin just before the buzzer to give Northwest a 42-37 lead.

Station Camp senior guard Keaton Dotson backed Eden’s offensive production with 16 points, and Freeman scored 11 points.

The Bison advanced to Tuesday evening’s Region 5-AAA Tournament semifinals at Clarksville High School to face Lebanon, which captured an 81-60 win at Kenwood in its quarterfinal contest on Saturday evening.

Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.

NORTHWEST (56) – Shatar McClay 19, Isiah McCoin 12, Tariq Silver 12, Dezmond Stacker 7, Christian Choice 6.

STATION CAMP (60) – Kody Eden 17, Keaton Dotson 16, Chase Freeman 11, Yalen Reed 8, Sawyer Taylor 7, Thomas Zazzaro 1.

Half: 30-28, Northwest.Three-point goals: Northwest 5 (Choice 2, McCoin 2, Stacker 1), Station Camp 5 (Dotson 2, Reed 2, Taylor 1). Records: Northwest 15-11, Station Camp 32-1.

WHITE HOUSE Saturday evening’s Region 5-AA Tournament quarterfinal between the East Nashville and White House boys prep basketball programs was a stark contrast to the last time the two teams played in the postseason.

However, the outcome was the same.

The visiting Eagles took control in the second quarter and were never threatened in a 78-42 victory.

“We were competitive two quarters out of the four, the first and the third,” Blue Devil head coach Gary Smith said. “Other than that, it was just a total mismatch.

“I think we did everything we could to prepare the guys for it. They’re just better … they’re just much better. That’s the bottom line.”

White House High junior forward Malik Morgan elevates to shoot a second-quarter jump shot in front of East Nashville junior Marques Whitmon. Morgan scored a team-high 14 points.

With White House employing stall tactics, visiting East Nashville captured a 13-12, overtime win in a regional quarterfinal played during the 2010-11 season. The Eagles finished as the Class AA state runner-up that season.

The two teams eclipsed that offensive production less than a minute into the second quarter on Saturday.

“We have a few opportunities early, and we didn’t finish,” Smith said.

It was during the second period that East Nashville (23-8) separated itself, forcing 12 turnovers during that eight-minute stretch. The Eagles – the No. 3 seed from District 10-AA – forced a total of 31 turnovers, 18 of which came in the first half.

“We knew exactly what we were going to see,” Smith said. “We saw them my first year here, and the result was pretty much the same (a 68-42 setback during the regular season).

“They play a different game. We’ve worked five (players) against eight, five against nine in practice, but it still wasn’t like playing against their five.”

In addition to the turnovers, Eagle sophomore guard Gene Holmes made three of his four 3-pointers over the first four minutes of the second stanza, and senior teammate Leonardo Holmes sank one during that span as well.

Gene Holmes led four East Nashville players who scored in double figures with a game-high 25 points.

Leonardo Holmes turned an open-court steal into a transition layin in the final minute of the half, giving his squad a 25-point lead (39-14) at halftime.

“We would run a perfect set and throw a great pass, and they’d just be waiting on it,” Smith said. “Not only are they quick, but they anticipate well. When we get a rebound or catch a pass, they would strip us. They’re so quick that it’s not a foul, and they’re going to finish when they get a breakaway.”

The Blue Devils – the No. 2 seed from District 9-AA – didn’t lose any ground in the third period as juniors Bradley Cole and Malik Morgan scored six points each in the period, but the Eagles scored 16 of the first 19 points in the fourth quarter to create a 37-point margin.

Morgan scored a team-high 14 points, and Cole provided 10.

White House High junior guard Bradley Cole dribbles to the basket during second-quarter action. Cole scored 10 points.

“Probably most of our league (9-AA) is in shock tonight,” Smith said. “That (10-AA) is just a really strong district.”

East Nashville advanced to face Whites Creek – a 54-31 winner over visiting Harpeth in its Region 5-AA quarterfinal on Saturday – in Tuesday evening’s semifinal round. The Eagles suffered a one-point loss and 10-point setback to Whites Creek during the regular season.

White House (15-15) concluded its most successful season since the 2010-11 campaign, finishing as the 9-AA Tournament runner-up and placing third in 9-AA during the regular season. The Blue Devils lose three seniors – point guard Luke Hopkins, guard Gavin Herrell and forward Logan Trimmer.

White House High senior point guard Luke Hopkins shoots a first-quarter shot in the lane in front of East Nashville junior Marques Whitmon. Hopkins scored seven points in the Blue Devils’ 78-42 loss on Saturday evening.

“I believe that whatever success we have in the next few years, I’ll credit this year’s seniors for much of that,” Smith – who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program – said. “Luke, Logan and Gavin were great leaders. They led by example. They didn’t have to say a lot. Our players admired the way they practiced and the way they played.

“I think the program is moving in the right direction. We did play for the district championship, and we got to host a region game, which we haven’t done in four years. It was really an enjoyable year.”

Reach Craig Harris at charris@mtcngroup.com or at 615-575-7138. Follow him on Twitter @HarrisGNESports.

EAST NASHVILLE (78) – Gene Holmes 25, Brian Thompson 12, Marques Whitmon 11, James Kirk 10, Leonardo Holmes 9, Jayden Lockett 4, Monte Catlett 3, Royal Hobson 2, Dominique Washington 2.

WHITE HOUSE (42) – Malik Morgan 14, Bradley Cole 10, Luke Hopkins 7, Logan Trimmer 6, Connor Hollis 3, Jared Ward 2.

Half: 39-14, East Nashville. Three-point goals: East Nashville 6 (G. Holmes 4, L. Holmes 1, Whitmon 1), White House 2 (Cole 2, Hollis 1). Records: East Nashville 23-8, White House 15-15.