Whitelow twins lead Ripley boys to TSSAA basketball state tournament for first time since 2015

Ja’Marion Whitelow tipped a loose ball to the top of the key. The ball found its way to his brother, Ja’Marcus Whitelow.

Ja’Marcus stood tall and drilled the 3-point shot in the third quarter to pad the lead in the Tigers’ 75-48 win over the Memphis Business Academy in a TSSAA Class 2A sectional game to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2015.

The Tigers (26-7) play Cannon County at 2:15 p.m. on March 14 at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro in the 2A quarterfinals.

In the second quarter, Ja’Marcus fired a bounce pass to Ja’Marion for an easy bucket. Ja’Marion screamed in excitement and shared a low-five with his brother.

The twins, both seniors for the Tigers, scored in double figures. Ja’Marion scored 22 points and had four blocks while Ja’Marcus had 19 points and hit five 3-pointers.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Ja’Marcus said, smiling, when asked about playing on the same team with his brother.

“It’s just great, man,” Ja’Marion said. “It’s just a good spirit, and we’re looking forward to going to Murfreesboro.”

These two brothers, who both carry the nickname “Twin,” are just the front of a high-powered machine that’s won 18 of the last 19 games, 16 of those wins by double figures.

“We just keep working hard in practice and lead the team,” Ja’Marcus said. “We just stick together, we just work hard.”

Ripley coach James Sales took the job over leading into the 2022-23 season. The Tigers had talent, but the late start of gelling together ended up in a loss to Ridgeway in the sectional game last year.

One big thing Sales was adamant on was a no-nonsense approach. If anything was amiss for a player, they weren’t going to play. The Whitelow twins faced some struggles in the classroom and missed some time last season, Sales said.

This year, Sales has noticed a stark change in commitment both on and off the court. That commitment has helped the Tigers reach the state tournament.

“Those guys just work their butt off,” Sales said. “Everybody likes to be around them, (teammates) soak in what they see. You can ask them to any type of drill and they just go hard and do what’s right. They’re great teammates. I’m so happy for them, they deserve it.”

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The Whitelow brothers and Sales all know that runs to the state tournament don’t happen every year. That’s why the next week of preparation is going to be exciting and memorable for the Tigers.

“We’ve had good teams that should have been (in Murfreesboro),” Sales said. “Just to see it come to pass … just for the community, man. People are excited to give Ripley another chance to go to the state tournament. I’m happy for the school, I’m happy for the kids.

“It’s been awhile, we’ve tried to do something new here and getting these guys to buy into it and have the community buy into it and see the work we’re putting in – everybody’s enjoying it.”