Haywood fans came in big numbers to support

MURFREESBORO — At 2:45 p.m. of Friday, one side of the Murphy Center was a sea of purple.

Haywood had a large number of fans on Thursday, far outnumbering the Brainerd fans, but on Friday, the number of Tomcat fans in attendance increased.

But that is the way the that the people of Brownsville have always supported Haywood at the state tournament.

Those Haywood fans put on their T-shirts with "Purple Pride" on them and support these kids that have worked hard all season to go for a gold ball.

Look at the last two sectional games that the Haywood boys have hosted — 2015 and '17 — against South Side, and the gymnasium is packed at 5:30 p.m. for a game at that started at 7 p.m.

These Haywood fans know how to make the trek to Murfreesboro and give its team a home-game atmosphere.

And it worked at times as the crowd got loud when Maplewood stepped to the free throw line in the final minute.

The Panthers missed five straight free throws adding to the chances that Haywood had to grab the lead back. Maplewood was 2-for-8 in the final 1:03, but one of those two sealed the deal.

Only one other fan base rivaled Haywood's fans, and those were the fans supporting Clay County, who got to watch Tyreke Key break the record held by South Fulton's Trey Pearson for points in a game with 54 on Thursday. On Friday, he broke the record for points in a season held by Haywood's Tony Delk.

Key now has 1,312 points this season with one more game to play on Saturday.

But the Tennessee Secondary Sports Athletic Association will miss those Tomcat fans showing up on Saturday after Haywood lost by one in the semifinals.

Dedric Boyd said it best with his final words during the press conference after the loss.

"I promise this is a blessing ... to play in front of our fans and our whole city really is a blessing," Boyd said.

Michael Odom is the prep writer for The Jackson Sun. Reach him at michodom@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9754. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterMichael.