GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Wildcats took on Lenoir City this Monday night in the Sectional tournament and won in a hotly contested game 49-44 to officially punch their ticket into the state tournament.

Tullahoma will take on Jackson Southside at 12:45 p.m., Thursday March 20 at Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU in Murfreesboro in the first round of the state finals. The winner will take on the winner of Fayette-Ware and Fulton in the western portion of the bracket. That game will be at 5:30 p.m., March 21.

Prior to the Sectional win, the 28-4 Wildcats took on the 25-3 Upperman Bees last Thursday night in the Regional 4A Championship. Tullahoma was able to gain a little separation early in the game and held on to win the championship game 59-51. Upperman also made the state championships and is on the eastern draw in the state tourney, meaning the teams could meet again for the state title if everything goes accordingly for both teams.

Senior Wildcat Xavier Farrell left it all on the floor for Tullahoma in the highly intense championship game. He finished as the team’s leading scorer of the game with 30 points and was a crucial part of the Wildcats setting the tone and landing the first punch in the contest, as they roared out to a 14-6 lead against Upperman.

The opposing Bees looked a little shell-shocked to be in the situation they were in, and who could blame them? They had only lost 3 games before coming into the matchup against Tullahoma and had won by an average of 21.7 points a game. This resulted in them taking a long time to find what they wanted to execute against the Wildcats, and with posed players all throughout Tullahoma’s roster even when the Bees put together several mini runs, more times than not the Wildcats had an answer.

The eight-point lead the Wildcats generated in the first quarter was able to be maintained, even with star Upperman guard Ty Cobb beginning to find his rhythm. The sophomore for the Bees was held to just three points in the first quarter but took the reins of the Bee’s offense moving forward, as he finished as the game’s leading scorer with 34 points.

With both stars for each team showing out, it was the strategy and execution of Tullahoma that they applied after their early lead that separated the two squads.

A lot like they did in their previous game against Stone Fort, Tullahoma opted to prolong their possessions. They chose not to force looks and waited for a mistake from the Bee’s defense. They showed this on their opening possession of the game where they swung the ball around the perimeter for over a minute until junior Alex Bobo stepped into and knocked down an open three. This play allowed them to maintain a decent-sized lead going into the fourth quarter—they had a nine-point lead after the second period and a seven-point lead at the end of the third.

This team continues to show that they have a multitude of ways to win games, which has helped land them one win away from Tullahoma’s first appearance at a state tournament since 1978. The most fun thing about this team is they play together. They are not selfish, they are always calm, and each and every Wildcat that sits on the bench for head coach Jason Welch is willing to do whatever it takes to win when their name is called. 

See the full recap of the Wildcats’ win over Lenoir City in Sunday’s edition of Tullahoma News.

Tullahoma (59) – Xavier Farrell 30, Khani Johnson 8, Jayden Thompson 6, Sam Bobo 6, Lukas Price 4, Alex Bobo 3, Austin Tinnon 2