GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma boys’ basketball team blew out a great Cannon County High School team on Jan. 10. The Wildcats won the matchup by a score of 75-47.

Tullahoma has started to hit a rhythm mid-way through the 2025-2026 season. Against Cannon County, as they have in many matches recently, they took hold in the first half. One player who contributed to this early lead was also huge in the Wildcats, doing the same in their last game against Lincoln County, Austin Tinnon. The big man for Tullahoma ended up being the third leading scorer in the game for the Wildcats with 13 points. All of his 13 points came in the first quarter. Tinnon’s aggression inside the paint was on full display once again, as he earned three trips to the free-throw line in the opening quarter, constantly against the opposing Lions. His play has been huge in the Wildcats’ success all this year, along with their recent stretch of success.

Another player that stood out for Tullahoma, who also had a notable performance in their win over Lincoln, was freshman Price Harden. With every game that goes by, it is clear that Harden is becoming more confident. Since he has been inserted into the rotation of the varsity team, his perimeter defense has always been present, but now his scoring ability is starting to break through. He ended up being the Wildcats’ game-high scorer with 15 points. The majority of the damage he did came from beyond the arc, raining in four three-pointers. He had two in the first half, along with a field goal from within the arc. This scoring from Harden, combined with Tinnon’s big scoring first quarter, contributed heavily to Tullahoma having a 47-28 lead after the first half buzzer. 

Another strong performer for Tullahoma in the first half and game as a whole for the Wildcats was junior Jackson Knight. He was Tullahoma’s second leading scorer with 14 points; six of his points came in the first half.

Going forward in the contest, Cannon could not catch Tullahoma, with the Wildcats’ defense in the second half only growing stronger. The Lions in the third and fourth quarters only scored 19 points. This effort from the Wildcats–huge offensive first half and defensive second half–helped give them a five-game win streak, along with a record of 12-4 on the season. Cannon County, with the loss, snapped a three-game winning streak they had running and brought their record to 13-3.

This superior play from Tullahoma has put them on others’ radars for being one of the best teams currently in the class of 3A in Tennessee. The Tennessee Sports Writers Association recently ranked the Wildcats as the fifth-best team in the class of 3A. The four teams they had slated ahead of Tullahoma are the following: White County (tied for third), Heritage (tied for third), Jackson North Side (second), and Upperman (first).