Basketball in Hoop
Hume-Fogg’s boys basketball team had just three wins entering postseason play.
That didn’t stop the Blue Knights from punching their ticket to the region tournament.
After losing to Martin Luther King Magnet twice earlier in the season by a combined 11 points, Hume-Fogg proved that the third time was the charm, upsetting the Royals 45-41 in the quarterfinals of the 10-AA district tournament Friday at Lipscomb Academy.
Hume-Fogg upset Lipscomb Academy in the opening round of the tournament before earning the region spot with the win over MLK. The Blue Knights will take on No. 2 seed Whites Creek in the district semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s been a tough year,” Hume-Fogg coach David Givens said. “Obviously from a wins standpoint it wasn’t what we had hoped for, but our message all year long has been focus on the process, get better and be playing your best basketball come tournament time.”
The third-seeded Royals (15-12) came out of the gate looking confident after handing seventh-seeded Hume-Fogg (5-19) a five-point loss on Dec. 11 and a six-point loss on Jan. 29. MLK quickly jumped ahead 11-8 after the first quarter.
The teams traded buckets to begin the second quarter, but the Blue Knights used a 10-0 run to take a 25-19 advantage at halftime, thanks in large part to 10 points from senior Daryl Thompson, who finished with a game-high 21 points and several blocked shots.
“He altered a lot of shots,” MLK coach Brent Burns said. “He got in there and played well tonight.”
The Royals were quick to respond in the second half, using a 6-0 run to tie the game and keep it locked at 29-29 after three quarters.
MLK scored two of the first three baskets in the fourth quarter to take a three-point lead, but Hume-Fogg strung together a 16-point fourth to seal its fate.
“It was a hard game, but we made it through,” Thompson said. “We’ve been in this predicament all year where we would be ahead at halftime, but they would come back to tie it up. This time we actually finished the game.”
For Givens, whose team has just five wins but has lost eight games this season by less than 10 points, Friday’s win demonstrates the perseverance he’s seen from his group all season long.
“It’s a credit to our kids,” Givens said. “They’ve just done a great job of hanging in there and sticking together.”
Harpeth 72, White House-Heritage 55: Behind a total of 12 3-pointers and Zane Hutton’s 31 points, including five 3s, Harpeth (11-16) used the 3-ball to get past the Patriots (9-14). Harpeth will face No. 1-seeded Cheatham Co. in the District 9-AA semifinal Saturday 8:30 p.m. at White House-Heritage.
Springfield 31, Clarksville 28: In a game where neither team could get a shot to fall, Clarksville (12-15) missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer to tie it. Talarico Cogshell scored 13 points to lead Springfield (15-12). The Wildcats will face No. 1-seeded Rossview in the District 10-AAA semis Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Clarksville.
Independence 48, Centennial 44: Malcolm Walker’s slam dunk with nearly a minute remaining in the game gave the Eagles (24-2) the momentum they needed to hold the Cougars (16-11) at bay. The District 11-AAA semifinal win puts Independence, the top seed, in the finals against a surprising Franklin (8-17) squad that finished 1-11 in regular season district play. They’ll tip off at 5:30 p.m. at Brentwood High. Centennial will face Dickson County (11-16) for the consolation prize at 3:45 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant 60, Richland 58: Walter Crawford’s two free throws with less than eight seconds remaining would prove to be enough for a close victory over the Raiders (9-14) in the semifinal round of the District 11-A tournament. Crawford scored 29 points and netted four 3-pointers for the Tigers (21-3). Mt. Pleasant will face Columbia Academy (22-4) Tuesday at Culleoka High for the championship after the Raiders tip off with Grace Christian (14-13) for consolation.
Girls
Smith County 44, Cannon County 41: The Lady Owls (18-10) advanced to the District 8-AA semifinals after defeating the Lionettes (10-20) at Tennessee Tech. Abbi Gregory led Smith County with 16 points and two 3-pointers. Maleah Scott scored 14 for Cannon County. The victory gives the Lady Owls a Region 4-AA berth and a district semifinal matchup with No. 2 Livingston Academy (21-8) on Saturday. The tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Tennessee Tech.
FRA 59, Knoxville Webb 55 OT: The Lady Panthers (25-3) rallied in the fourth quarter to force overtime and closed the deal in the extra period to advance to the Division II-A East/Middle Region championship. Riley Casey led FRA with 28 points and six 3-pointers. She scored seven of her team’s 11 points in the final quarter. Jesse Heldman led the Lady Panthers in overtime with four of her 10 total points. FRA will tip off with Ezell-Harding (25-4) at Donelson Christian Academy for the title on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Brentwood Academy 41, Father Ryan 39: Two Lady Eagles, Sydni Harvey and Bre Jackson, each reached a milestone Friday night by scoring their 1,000th career point as Brentwood Academy (23-5) barely defeated Father Ryan (20-6). Harvey, a sophomore, led the Lady Eagles with 12 points while her teammate, Bria Dial, scored 11. The Lady Irish made all five of their 3-pointers in the fourth quarter during their failed comeback effort. Audrey Burdge led Father Ryan with 12.
Goodpasture 52, Watertown 44: The Lady Cougars (19-8) overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Lady Purple Tigers (23-10) in the District 8-A finals. Watertown was undefeated in district play during the regular season. The Lady Cougars outscored their opponents 28-7 in the fourth quarter. Lauren King went 9-of-10 at the free-throw line during that time. Goodpasture missed only seven of their 26 free throws in the fourth. King led Goodpasture with 21 points.
Ravenwood 45, Summit 28: The No. 3-seeded Lady Raptors (21-9) outscored No. 2-seeded Summit (14-13) 26-15 in the second half led by Kiera Downey’s 23 points and two 3s. Ravenwood will face No. 1-seeded Dickson Co. in the District 10-AAA championship Saturday 5:30 p.m. at Brentwood.
Reach Sam Brown at 615-259-8232 and on Twitter @SamBrownTN.