State Basketball Championships

After a slow, rainy drive to Nashville, I was front and center for back-to-back state championship games involving Chattanooga teams.

The GPS game was about four minutes old by the time I got to my seat and things did not look good for the Bruisers. Briarcrest had a 6'1 post player was causing all kinds of trouble for GPS both offensively and defensively. It took three girls to guard her in the post which meant offensive rebounds galore for the Saints. The Bruisers also seemed hesitant to drive the ball inside against her shot-blocking. Finally, the Bruisers' post starter picked up two quick fouls and was watching most of the 1st half.

At one point, GPS was down 15 points in the 2nd half, but there was a definite momentum shift thanks to Simone Busby and Chadarryl Clay. Busby gave up at least 6 inches to Briarcrest's post star, but continued to attack her inside and eventually getting her into foul trouble. Clay seemed to ride the Bruisers' momentum and turned up her energy level. The Bruisers got the game back to tied with about 5:00 to go and it looked like they might have used up all their energy to get it there. Not so. GPS eventually brought the ball up the floor up two and made a terrific pass to Tory Kemp for and And1 nail in the coffin. Pretty amazing comeback as GPS looked totally overwhelmed and out-of-sync for the first half of the game.

Time for the boys game - Ensworth was the bigger team, the deeper team, and had the two best players on the floor. It was going to take something special for McCallie to hang with them, but hang they did. By mixing zone and man against the Tigers, Coach Dan Wadley's Blue Tornado kept Ensworth off-balanced. McCallie also shot the ball better than it did against Briarcrest and survived a sloppy 2nd quarter to be down just a point at the half.

The third quarter was more of the same. It felt like Ensworth was pulling away, but they weren't. McCallie kept making shots and went into the final quarter tied. The 4th quarter was a tough one, however. CJ Reese picked up a 4th foul early and was forced to watch much of the final period. Ensworth's depth was starting to show as well as they had more energy in the final moments. The play of the game was a terrific save by Jay Meacham as he baseball-passed it down court to a wide open Terrance O'Donahue. O'Donahue waited for the pass to keep his momentum going toward his basket, but an Ensworth guard made an amazing hustle play (remember the energy from their ability to substitute) and swiped it before McCallie's big man could get his dunk.

Cordell James did his best to keep McCallie in it with late baskets, but Ensworth pulled away (impressively after their star post player looked to dislocate his shoulder) and made free throws down the stretch to win its state title.

Fun day, great day for the Bruisers and a sad one for McCallie. I don't think McCallie could have done much more to hang with a better Ensworth team. The Blue Tornado played a gutsy, inspired game but were a player away (could have been senior Garrett Hicks who sat out most of the season with a concussion) and needed to be just about perfect to overcome Ensworth's formidable team.

Looking ahead - GPS has almost everyone coming back to defend its title and McCallie should be very good as well, though losing Chad Lee and Jay Meacham inside will hurt.