MURFREESBORO – The TSSAA BlueCross Boys Basketball State Championships tip off Tuesday at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center with Class 3A state quarterfinals and a pair of Class 4A quarterfinals.
Follow along during the first six of 28 games scheduled this week. The week of action ends Saturday with the crowning of four state champions.
Fulton and Volunteer opens the TSSAA state tournament action with their Class 3A quarterfinal.
The USA Today Network will provide live updates of every game during the week's action.
Burros pull away in fourth quarter to advance to 4A semifinal
Hillsboro extended its lead to 21 points early in the fourth quarter before cruising to a 65-39 victory in a 4A quarterfinal game against Sevier County. The Burros (28-4) will face Memphis Overton at 10 a.m. Friday in the state semifinal.
Tyren Fisher finished with a double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Arnez Anderson led the Burros with 17 points, including 5-of-8 from 3. Hillsboro also scored 18 points off 12 Smokey Bear turnovers and shot 55.6% for the game.
Sevier County was led by Reed Ownby who had 14 points. Caleb Tarwater added 12 points in the loss.
Hillsboro in control with 43-31 lead after three quarters
The Burros opened up a 16-point lead late in the third quarter before Sevier County chipped away to trail by just 12 at the end of the third quarter. Hillsboro's defensive pressure has forced tough shots from Sevier County that is having trouble knocking down. The Smokey Bears are shooting just 31.4% for the game while Hillsboro is 7-of-16 from behind the 3-point line.
Burros take eight-point lead into halftime
Sevier County worked its way back in the game early in the second quarter and got within four but Hillsboro built a 10-point lead late after a 3-pointer from guard Arnez Anderson and a three-point play from Xavier Crawley to give the Burros a 28-18 lead.
But the Smokey Bears scored just before halftime to go into the locker room down eight.
Anderson has nine points to lead Hillsboro while Tyren Fisher has six. Sevier is led by Caleb Tarwater who had 10 points and six rebounds.
Hillsboro holds six-point lead at end of first quarter
The Burros have already forced five Sevier County turnovers and hold a 12-6 lead going into the second quarter. Tyren Fisher and Xavier Washington each have four points to lead Hillsboro.
Overton advances to the Class 4A semifinals and Jordan Frison has near triple-double
Overton beat McMinn County 74-55.
The Wolverines were tested the most in the third quarter but were too dynamic offensively — shooting 56% from the field.
Overton’s Jordan Frison filled the stat sheet, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. The 5-foot-11 point guard made 11 of 15 shots.
Overton center Jailen Hardaway ended his evening with 23 points and nine rebounds. He also made all nine of his field goals.
McMinn was led by Reese Frazer who had 15 points.
McMinn County starts the third quarter dominant but Overton finds groove and keeps double-digit lead
Overton leads 56-45 after three quarters.
McMinn County starts the third quarter on a 10-0 run in the first three minutes of the quarter. Reese Frazier scored seven points in the third quarter and has 14 points overall. Overton, however, responded with its own 7-0 run.
The standout plays were Overton’s Jordan Frison’s slam with one hand in transition and Hayden Smith’s two-hand dunk under the hoop a couple of minutes later for McMinn County.
After the great start, McMinn County only won the quarter 19-18.
McMinn County finds rhythm offensively but Overton finishes the second quarter well
Overton leads 38-26 going into halftime.
McMinn County found much more success offensively in the second quarter. It made five of its first seven field goals of the quarter and also was able to profit off of the defensive lapses of its opponent. McMinn County’s Reese Frazier leads the team with seven points.
Overton picked up their intensity and finished the period on an 8-0 run. The Wolverines have three double-figure scorers in the first half. Jordan Frison is up to 14 points along with six rebounds.
Memphis Overton comes out firing against McMinn County in 4A state quarterfinals
Overton finished the first quarter leading 20-11.
Overton’s Jordan Frison, a Mr. Basketball finalist, put the first points on the scoreboard making a mid-range jumper. He has eight points, making four of his five shots, in the first quarter.
The Wolverines launched eight 3-pointers in the first quarter, making two, which helped them to a strong start on the offensive end.
McMinn Central has created some openings but struggled to get the ball through the net, making only four of its 13 shots.
Haywood defeats Unicoi to advance to semifinals
Haywood outscored Unicoi 17-9 in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 3A quarterfinal to win, 63-43.
Mr. Basketball finalist Tylon Chatman scored eight of his 21 points in the final frame and Jabyon Snipe added 16, including a big dunk in the final minute to put an exclamation point on the game.
Grant Hensley scored 14 for Unicoi, which was making its first state tournament appearance since 1985.
Haywood will face Ridgeway on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
Haywood stretches lead over Unicoi County in third quarter
While Unicoi County isn't going away, Haywood hasn't been in any danger heading into the fourth quarter. The Tomcats lead 46-34.
Jabyon Snipe has 14 points and Tylon Chatman has 13 for Haywood. Chatman was a Mr. Basketball finalist this season. Snipe knocked down a last-second 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter.
Grant Hensley has 10 points, a team high for the Blue Devils.
Haywood still leads Unicoi at halftime in 3A quarterfinal
Thanks to an efficient shooting performance, Haywood leads Unicoi, 31-24, at halftime.
The Tomcats, who have yet to trail, hit 12 of 21 field goal attempts and three of five from behind the arc. Tylon Chatman is leading the way with nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
Grant Hensley leads Unicoi with seven points. The Blue Devils have gotten within four points on multiple occasions but never closer.
Haywood bursts out of the gates against Unicoi County
In Tuesday's final 3A quarterfinal, No. 1 Haywood leads Unicoi County, 18-12, after one quarter.
Mr. Basketball finalist Tylon Chatman has scored seven points for the Tomcats, who are shooting 54.5% from the field. Haywood led 13-4 before Unicoi closed the quarter on an 8-5 run, capped off by a Grant Hensley buzzer-beater.
Ridgeway defeats Chester County in 3A quarterfinals
In dramatic fashion, Ridgeway finally put it together in the fourth quarter to beat Chester County 40-36 to advance to the 3A semifinals.
Led by Brian Carter, who led all scorers with 21 points, the Roadrunners put together a 13-2 run to start the fourth quarter to take a 32-31 lead. From there, both teams went back and forth before Carter scored four-straight points late in the game to get Ridgeway within a point of Chester County.
After that, it was the Roadrunners defense, which forced 33 total turnovers, that was able to help the Roadrunners seal the win. Chester County didn't score the final 2:11 of the game.
Ridgeway will play the winner of Unicoi County vs. Haywood on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the semifinals.
Chester County erupts for 17-point third quarter
Chester County outscored Ridgeway 17-6 in the third quarter to take a 10-point, 29-19 lead over Ridgeway after three quarters. Chance Thompson from Chester County, went 3-for-3 with eight points in the quarter to lead the surge for the Eagles.
Ridgeway went quiet, having another disappointing shooting display, going 2-for-9 in the quarter and 0-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Ridgeway holds one-point lead over Chester County at halftime
Ridgeway's shooting struggles continue in the second quarter as the Roadrunners shot just 6-for-21 in the first half and lead Chester County, 13-12, at halftime. The Roadrunners also struggled to hold on to the ball, turning the ball over 11 times through two quarters. It forced Chester County to turn the ball over 13 times.
Brian Carter and Darius Garrett lead all Ridgeway scorers with four points each. Chester County's Quaderious Gaines leads all scorers with seven points in the game.
Ridgeway leads Chester County after first quarter
It was a low-scoring first quarter, but Ridgeway leads Chester County 8-5 after the first quarter. The Roadrunners shot 4-of-13 from the field in the opening quarter and are 0-for-2 from beyond the three-point arc.
Chester County made just two field goals in the first quarter.
MLK holds off White County for 64-52 quarterfinal win
White County made a furious comeback attempt after trailing by 20 points entering the fourth quarter but MLK hung on to claim a 64-52 Class 3A quarterfinal victory to advance to the semifinals against Knoxville Fulton at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
A pair of 3-pointers by White County's Christian Henderson midway through the fourth quarter cut MLK's lead to 52-47 before the Royals ended White County's run and stretched the lead back out to 61-50 with less than a minute remaining. Simeon Williams led MLK with 24 points and 16 rebounds while Azariah Anderson added 13 points including four 3-pointers in the win.
White County was led by Christian Henderson's 15 points.
MLK's 32-point third quarter extends lead on White County
MLK dropped 32 points in the third quarter and leads White County by 20 points, 52-32, to start the fourth quarter.
MLK ran out to its first double-digit lead midway through the quarter after a 3-pointer from Simeon Williams. Williams' basket and a steal and lay up by Avery Townsend gave MLK a 33-22 lead with 4:30 left. The Royals kept the pressure on scoring 10 points in transition during the period.
MLK claims 3-point halftime lead on White County
Logan Cole's offensive rebound and put-back gave MLK a 20-17 lead with less than a minute left in the first half and the Royals hold that lead going into the halftime locker room.
Simeon Williams leads MLK with seven points and seven rebounds. Despite shooting just 34.8%, the Royals scored on four of its last five possessions of the first half to grab control of the game.
Tomas Paul leads White County with four points while Tripp Pinion has two points and six rebounds.
Slow start leaves White County holding 7-5 first-quarter lead on MLK
MLK got off to a slow start and didn't score for the first five minutes of the first quarter, but White County cooled late in the period and was unable to create a significant cushion.
White County is shooting 28.6% from the field while MLK has struggled at just 20%, including 1-of-5 from 3-point line.
Fulton’s 23 fourth-quarter points leads them to state quarterfinal win over Volunteer
Fulton defeated Volunteer 69-55 and will play in the state semifinals.
In one of the first offensive possessions of the fourth quarter, Fulton’s Tyle Lee ripped an offensive rebound after his own miss in the right corner and went for an emphatic and-one lay-up. That play represented how the Falcons were not going to relinquish the lead.
Lee finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds Denaj Kimber finished with 14 points, eight of 12 from the free-throw line, and five rebounds. Taj Kimber had a team-high 18 points, six rebounds, four assists ad two steals
Volunteer’s Joltin Harrison led his team with 16 points
Volunteer’s offense ratchets up offense but Fulton holds lead
Fulton is ahead 46-38 at the end of the third quarter.
Volunteer had its highest-scoring quarter of the game against Fulton — 19 points. Senior Cason Christian has six points in the first four minutes of the period.
Fulton didn’t lose its lead due to the free throws it connected and offensive rebounds.
Fulton extends its lead against Volunteer going into halftime
Fulton’s Taj Kimber scored the last shot — a 3-pointer ending the first half. Going into halftime, Fulton leads 30-19.
Taj scored four points in the first 50 seconds of the quarter — a pull-up jumper and a transition lay-up. He has a team-high 11 points.
Offensive rebounds from Fulton have been a premium for the Falcons. Volunteer is losing the rebound battle 19-11 and was unable to get on scoring in the second quarter.
Fulton in control after first quarter against Volunteer
After a quarter of action, Fulton leads 16-11. The first eight minutes did show three lead changes.
The highlight of the quarter was Fulton junior Tyler Lee's two-hand slam dunk off an assist from junior Taj Kimber. Lee has five points to lead the Falcon. Volunteer is led by Brandin Minton who has four points.
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