By Noah McKay
MURFREESBORO – The Upperman Bees advanced to the semifinal round of the Class 3A boys state tournament with a 61-41 victory over Hume-Fogg on Thursday night at the Murphy Center.
The Bees used strong performances by freshman guard Ty Cobb and sophomore forward Bronzden Chaffin to advance in their first state tournament appearance since 2021.
“They came out ready to play,” said UHS head coach Bobby McWilliams. “We got off to a good start and settled in pretty quickly. That was a big part of our game.”
The Bees appeared fresh after a 10-day layoff, rattling off an 8-0 run to open the game. The Blue Knights, who were making their first tournament appearance since 1989, answered after a timeout with 10 straight points to take a 10-8 lead. Upperman responded with buckets by Cobb and Chaffin to take a 15-13 lead after the first quarter.
A Brayden Roberts triple gave the Bees a 20-13 lead. Hume Fogg answered with shots, but the Bees ended the half on a 7-0 run to take a 32-20 lead into halftime.
The Bees capitalized on Blue Knights’ foul trouble, stretching the advantage to 39-23 on three Chaffin free throws.
The Blue Knights never cut the deficit to under 15 as Upperman cruised to the final four.
“We just play how we play,” said McWilliams. “We were going to take whatever was given, and we were able to get in the right spots at the right time and I think that made a big difference. We were also able to keep them off the boards.”
Cobb led the Bees with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“It felt good,” said Cobb on playing at the Murphy Center. “I’ve been coming here for a long time watching the older guys and my sister, she played here a bunch of times. Finally got to come here and play, so it felt good.”
Chaffin tallied 16 points and eight rebounds.
Roberts hit three threes while Evan Huddleston scored six points. Branson Turnbow added five points. Clayton Harris and Jack Torrence each scored three and Kam Bush scored two.
“That’s who we are and that’s why we’re here,” said McWilliams on his team’s depth. “Our depth… it was big.”
The Bees (30-4) will take on the winner of Fulton, who are the defending 3A state champions, and Fayette-Ware on Friday at 8:45 p.m. at the Murphy Center. The game will be audio streamed on the UCR Facebook page and YouTube channel.
