Oakland edges Independence 61-59

THOMPSON'S STATION — Oakland picked up its third straight win on Thursday, edging host Independence 61-59 in a tightly-contested non-district matchup between the Williamson and Rutherford County foes.

Senior Tre Jones finished with 18 points to lead the Patriots (11-3), who will square off with Blackman in Monday's critical District 7-AAA showdown, while teammates Keishawn Davidson (14) and Tavon Jelks (10) also scored in double-figures.

“(Independence) shot a very high percentage in that first half, but I thought our guys did a good job of making adjustments at the half,” said Oakland coach Troy Bond, whose squad overcame a 36-30 halftime advantage. “We created some turnovers with our trap and our press, which is what we do well, and I think at the end our legs were a little fresher.”

Senior Belmont signee Grayson Murphy tallied a game-high 19 points for Independence (11-5), which buried six first-half 3-pointers, while Mack Jones, Greg Miller and Jeremiah Barr combined to score 33 in the losing effort.

"We've got to do a better job of closing out games," Independence coach Greg Glass said. "Missed layups, two (missed) free throws, and we have got to do a better job of rebounding."

ReachMichael Murphy at 615-269-8262 and on Twitter@Murph_TNsports.