Full Court Press for Monday, Tuesday
MONDAY
Westview (19-2) at TCA (14-6) (Girls)
Players to watch: Westview’s Deja Graves; TCA’s Savannah Lee
Series history: Westview has won all three meetings (102, 58, 56-27 and 52-30).
Notes: TCA is now 3-0 against teams that reached the state semifinals last year with two wins over Middleton and an overtime win over Gibson County. But this semifinalist is in Class AA. The Lady Lions are going to have to be patient on defense because the Lady Chargers know how to work the ball and find the high-percentage shot. One of Westview’s two losses did come against a Class A team (Dresden).
TUESDAY
Covington (6-11, 2-2) at Liberty (8-9, 2-2) (Boys)
Players to watch: Covington’s MJ Taylor; Liberty’s Demarious Bond
Last season: Liberty won two of the three meetings. The Crusaders won 66-62 and 71-66, while Covington won in the postseason 79-68.
Notes: The winner of this will stay within two games of the district leader. Both of these teams have had roller coaster season, but they have the potential to finish well and make a postseason run. Liberty is 3-2 since the Christmas break, and the Crusaders haven’t won back-to-back games since Dec. 16 and 20.
Middleton (13-4, 5-1) at Jackson Christian (11-8, 4-1) (Boys)
Players to watch: Middleton’s Tylandrius Parks; Jackson Christian’s Jeremy Stewart
Earlier this season: Middleton won 65-56 at home on Dec. 9.
Notes: These are two of the three teams sitting with one loss in District 15-A play at this point in the season. Riverside is the other. Middleton broke a two-game losing skid on Friday with a win over TCA, but the Tigers are going to have to play even better than that to try and beat Jackson Christian on its home court. The Eagles have won three straight games, and they will have had one week to prepare for this one.
Sacred Heart (10-8, 4-1) at St. George’s (11-4, 4-1) (Boys)
Player to watch: Sacred Heart’s Tareqq Williams
Last season: St. George’s won both meetings (80-65 and 78-39).
Notes: Sacred Heart didn’t play well at St. George’s last year, so the Knights will be looking for a better road trip this year. Both took their first loss in district play Friday night, but they are still tied for first place in the district, one game ahead of Rossville Christian. So which team will be able to bounce back quickly and not lose another district contest?
Fayette-Ware (10-7, 3-1) at Lexington (11-11, 4-0) (Boys)
Players to watch: Fayette-Ware’s D.J. Jackson; Lexington’s Aerion Butler
Last season: Fayette-Ware won all three meetings (82-44, 56-53 and 72-65).
Notes: Lexington is currently the district leader, but Fayette-Ware is sitting with South Side at one game back. Lexington has won six of its last seven games. But these next two games will test the Tigers as they host Fayette-Ware before traveling to South Side on Friday. This starts a three-game road trip for Fayette-Ware.
Dyersburg (18-1, 4-0) at Crockett County (19-1, 3-1) (Boys)
Players to watch: Dyersburg’s D.J. Swift; Crockett County’s Javion Hannah
Last season: Dyersburg won all three meetings (44-38, 62-51 and 60-52).
Notes: If Dyersburg wins this one, the Trojans will have made it through the first half of the district schedule without a loss. Dyersburg has won 12 straight games. Crockett County has won four straight since losing to Westview in the district opener. To stay in the district title hunt, the Cavaliers need to win this one.
McKenzie (11-7, 8-1) at Dresden (9-5, 6-2) (Boys)
Players to watch: McKenzie’s Brandon Baucum; Dresden’s Dresser Winn
Earlier this season: McKenzie won 61-58 at home on Dec. 13.
Notes: Remember that Dresden had won a football state title a week prior to the first meeting, so some of the players might not have been in basketball shape or had their mind on basketball just yet. McKenzie has won five of its last six games with the loss coming to Huntingdon. After this one, Dresden has Huntingdon on Thursday in their first meeting of the season. Dresden has won four straight games since losing two straight games.
Haywood (15-5, 4-0) at Ripley (12-8, 4-0) (Boys)
Players to watch: Haywood’s Tristan Jarrett; Ripley’s Famous Jones
Last season: Ripley won two of the three meetings. The Tigers won 58-48 and 70-69, while Haywood won 54-41.
Notes: The district title came down to these two last year, and it is looking like the same could be true this year. Haywood has won six straight with four of those coming in district play. Ripley has won four its last five with the loss coming against Halls. Guard play will be exciting to watch in this one with Haywood having three senior leaders at that position, and Famous Jones can score 30 points on any given night.
Bolivar (12-7, 3-1) at South Side (15-0, 4-0) (Girls)
Players to watch: Bolivar’s Hailey Hardaway; South Side’s Cheyenne Cunningham
Last season: South Side won all three meetings (65-49, 63-52 and 70-33).
Notes: These two are currently first and second in the 14-AA standings. After losing to Chester County last week, the Lady Tigers picked up two solid wins this week in district play. South Side is six wins away from a perfect regular season. The Lady Hawks still have two games remaining with Bolivar beginning with this meeting. This one is at least at home.
USJ (18-2, 5-0) at Tipton-Rosemark (13-6, 6-0) (Girls)
Player to watch: USJ’s Ashton Hulme
Last season: USJ won both meetings (69-43, 73-46)
Notes: Tipton-Rosemark looks to be USJ’s toughest competitor as these are the only two undefeated teams left in the district this season. The Lady Rebels have won seven straight games, but they did have a rough start that included a 13-point loss to Jackson Christian. USJ has won 12 straight. Anna Jones will get her points, but if the Lady Bruins want to put a team like this away, they will have to have a strong post game.
Greenfield (19-2, 12-0) at Gibson County (15-8, 10-2) (Girls)
Players to watch: Greenfield’s Chloe Moore; Gibson County’s Justyce White
Earlier this season: Greenfield won 75-62 at home on Dec. 13.
Notes: Even after Gibson County’s stumble last week against Peabody, these two are on top of the 14-A standings. Greenfield has a two-game lead over the Lady Pioneers, so the Lady Yellowjackets could secure the No. 1 seed in the district tournament with a win here. Gibson County is two games back of Greenfield but also two games ahead of Peabody. The Lady Yellowjackets have won four straight, including a win over the fourth-ranked team in the state.
*Records are current through Friday night’s games.
Michael Odom, 425-9754