wcfields

I was lucky enough to hang on and win the girls "Big Ones" regular season picks but trying to pick the tournament winners is an exercise in frustration just because of this type upset. Expect the unexpected, flip a coin, just enjoy the competition. Tennessee has one of the best womens' programs overall in the country. I only wish I lived there to enjoy a few games in person. Perhaps next year if things go well. Good luck to all of the teams and let's hope the officiating is good and we don't have games hinging on the three whistles. wcfields

The people on this board are generally the most informed folks I've read when it comes to sports. And that is a major compliment. NO, the sportswriters today (with exceptions) at times seem to be writing about a game with which I am unfamiliar. "Double double" or "triple double" is a huge topic, but someone taking a charge to change the momentum of a game or threading a bounce pass to a post player for an easy layup is out. The long range 3 pointer makes headlines. Fundamentals and skill count for little. As a second point, the officiating has declined in quality in my opinion and I have a theory on that. Some may disagree. I am not so sure it's bias or lack of knowledge of the game. When there were TWO officials calling the game it forced the refs to really keep an eye on the game and get into the flow quickly. You could tell how tightly or otherwise they would call the game from early on. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an outside official come running in to make a call that should have been called (or not called) by an official closer to the play. "If I have a whistle, I'm supposed to blow it". And many times, they do blow it. I don't know the stats, but my guess is that with the move to three officials, we are probably close to three times as many calls. [Personally, I don't like the 'mercy rule' either. In my day, I didn't see a coach intentionally run up the score on a weaker team. Do we have to enforce ethics with rules?]

Good comment. Tennessee womens' basketball has come a very long way since 1980 (?) and the old three on three, half court game. Other than perhaps California and one or two other large states in terms of population, Tennessee teams have shown at every level that they can play with just about anyone. I had the good fortune of being in town for business reasons a couple of years ago when the NIKE tournament took place and I believe a TN team was ranked the second best by ESPN writers after the tourney. And this was the top ranked of the two December events. Memphis Central should have won the other tournament which preceded it but horrible calls determined the outcome of a critical game, costing MC a one point loss. You guys are right. You can take your top 10 or 12 AAA players, drop the names in a hat and pull out five starters who make an all-star team. The girls are taller, more athletic in general now that they're allowed to run the court and play a complete game and many are truly student athletes. You couldn't guess I am a native Tennessean could you? But having lived in NY, CA, TX, KY and now GA and having worked for years abroad with the opportunity to watch boys and girls sporting events in the evening, I feel my comments are supported by the facts. So let's enjoy the playoffs, keep up the great, insightful comments and please ladies and gents, describe the games for those of us who live too far out of state to have the privilege of actually sitting in the stands and enjoying those games. I love hearing of games from A to AAA, east to west so even though I'm an east TN native with a small 'bias' for that area, it really doesn't matter. Love the playoffs except for one thing... it means another season has come and gone.

I don't have a dog in this fight and if the fan did as is related to us, I don't blame the police for responding. If someone did toss an object toward the player's face, they deserved to be ejected en masse unless it was quite clear who the offender was. White Station fans tend not to take losing lightly from experience following Tennessee HS BB games from another state. My comment really is that this was a perfectly reasonable question for a reader to ask and the person responding did an A+ job of giving us the story. No taking sides, seemingly no rancor or bitterness, just "the facts ma'am" as Jack Webb used to say. I wish there were more civil back and forth comments like this everywhere. Probably not worth two cents but it's my contribution.

There are several really good players in AAA, but I would have to rank Armeka Booker of Oak Ridge in the top 5. She doesn't have the usual supporting cast the team has had in the past 10 years, she adjusted to a coaching change after the best girls' coach in Tennessee retired at the end of last season. Still, she has taken the team on her back and even though Knox Halls and Campbell County were picked to win the district championship, Armeka just led the Cats to an 8 point win at Halls to take sole possession of the district lead. If they can come through tomorrow against Campbell County, it's very likely OR wins the district. Just give her a little more credit.

Congrats on the award! You should be (and obviously are) proud of the young man! W C Fields PS On the girls' side, I felt that Armeka Booker (OR) who had the chance to play only 1 game due to weather, yet took her team on her shoulders to lead her team to an incredible comeback deserved a better ranking. She scored all 13 of her team's points in the 4th quarter, blocked a ton of shots, had even more boards and several assists and she's done it all year long. No slight to the other girls as they all are worthy. Just disappointed to see how little recognition Armeka received.

I give the kids a lot of credit this year but after last year's debacle (prior coach) I have to believe Aaron Green is 90% of the difference. Can someone tell me the story of OR's 2009-2010 head coach? Where did he come from? Surely his resume did not justify the position? I really do not say this to be mean, but I follow Tennessee HS sports and live in another state so I rarely get to see a game in Tennessee. I reached a point where I turned on the girls games and some other area teams when I could pick them up but pretty much stopped listening to the boys. (First time in 40 years and I'm ashamed to admit that.) It's always a pleasure to watch/listen to games like OR vs Maryville. Both are class acts, win or lose. Thanks

I could not agree with you more. Coach T had ranked Murfreesboro Siegel above 1.70 and for those who follow his numerical rankings, you know that is nearly unheard of. Oak Ridge on the other hand despite a great start and apparently some quality coaching was wallowing around 26 or so at the time. After the William Blount game the only place I found a mention was on the Maryville sports website. By the way, they do a far better job usually than the Prep Extra, News Sentinel site which has run the headline "West shocks Bearden 67-66" since December 18th as their main headline. Then after Oak Ridge ran Siegel out of the gym in the fourth quarter (6'9" guys and all the rest of the reasons nobody expected OR to compete)I naively expected at least a mention of the game since Siegel has been ranked #1. Not a word. Nothing on the Murfreesboro site, the Tennessean site and sadly nothing in the Oak Ridger. (Online anyway as I live out of state) But I sure saw a lot of ink concerning the Riverdale girls' win in some Georgia tournament. Good for them, but come on, why not cover the occasional non-Knoxville game?

Bearden lost to Oak Ridge in the Region Finals last year with this same team. This time around Clarksville N.E. punched their ticket two games farther along in the tourney. Bearden had a good team this year and should be proud of their season. But they weren't the best team in history to come thru ET. Coaching is and has been problematic in big games where the other team has half a chance. In this year's region final, Bearden was jacking up 3s with a couple of minutes to go leading by 40. Running up the score on a team that is completely outmanned in terms of size shows a lack of class. Ironically, Bearden ended its game with NE by jacking them up at the end just to try and get back into the game. Clang. Raleigh Egypt and White Station are the cream of the AAA crop with Walker Valley close behind. Too bad only one of them will win and my money is on White Station and the amazing Joe Jackson. Hopefully he will be a little more mature on court tonight than he was in the game against Red Bank.

White Station and (shoeless?) Joe Jackson who is one of the most incredible players I've seen in years. Close behind are Raleigh Egypt and Bearden. I'll stick with White Station, JJ and coaching. Fulton in AA is a match for anyone they will play but this year not a lock. Humboldt is my last pick until someone shows they can be beaten. Good luck guys, all of you.

Until Clarkrange beats Oliver Springs on the court for a third time this season, OS is my pick in their division. Beating a team twice is difficult but three times is extremely difficult. Ask Oak Ridge about Powell, a team that beat by 25 or more not once but twice. Otherwise, it is unlikely that a team from the East will take the gold ball. On the boys' side, Humboldt appears to the the only true lock. My pick is White Station and Joe Jackson, with or without shoes, though Raleigh Egypt and Bearden will have something to say about that and ultimately the brackets make a big difference too. Fulton has a shot in AA. Good luck to each team. Just wish I could see them play.

Lacking size, Science Hill has dominated upper east Tennessee winning their last 18 games. Can they continue vs Oak Ridge and teams from out of the area? Bearden cleaned Oak Ridge's clock last week. Is OR up to playing at Science Hill? I'll climb far out on a limb and predict a very close game. I live out of state and only know what I read and hear on Prep Radio. You guys are there. Any interest or thoughts? With a few exceptions, I'm picking teams with little to lose and everything to gain.

Both are quality teams. Regardless of the opposition, it is difficult to go undefeated this deep into the season. It says a lot about the coaching and the dedication of the players where McMinn Central is concerned. Upperman played a much more difficult schedule which tends to do a better job of preparing a team for the postseason. Teams with no losses or great records vs tough opponents carry that in the back of their minds and if they can focus on the game at hand and not on protecting their record, they tend to be ok. My guess is that Upperman comes into the game with less pressure, probably a bit more experienced versus good teams and even though the game is at McMinn Central, a slight edge. Too bad both can't go to the state tournament. I hate to see either of them lose in the substate, but if I had to pick one, it would be Upperman. Either way, congratulations to both teams, both sets of coaches and fans and best of luck in the tournament in Murfreesboro. I only wish I lived in Tennessee and could get to watch some of the best basketball in the nation. I've seen other girls' teams in other states and Tennessee teams can play with anyone. It appears the state is finally getting long-due recognition in the national polls as well.

I noticed something I had not in prior years last night during the Lenoir City vs Oak Ridge boys game at Oak Ridge. From early in the game, the three man team seemed at first to favor LC, then later OR. I'm fairly neutral with respect to officiating because it is a very difficult job. I've done it and it's far more challenging when you wear the stripes than it is sitting in the stands focusing on the ball. However, these guys without a doubt were the worst crew I have seen working a game in high school anywhere. I drove nearly 500 miles roundtrip to watch one ref have a direct outcome on the final score. After the game, I asked about the refs and they were from 'upper east TN' I was told. I won't narrow it down further. My guess is that both sides felt the refs called a horrible game. At tournament time, let the kids play. You only make calls on fouls which affect the shot, 'traveling' to gain advantage, etc. No wonder there is such a huge difference in the quality of teams in upper ET vs mid and west state teams. Did anyone else actually see this game? Is there really THAT big of a difference in style of play between the regions of the state? Again, the team I came to see won the game. No complaints on that. But it would have been nice to see the kids playing full-tilt, not walking on eggshells out of fear the refs would stick 'em.

Clinton is an excellent team. They simply have the misfortune of playing in the same district with Oak Ridge. There is a good chance Clinton and OR will meet again next week. Clinton (IMHO) is an overall better team than Powell and Oak Ridge is probably a better team than Bearden, despite the 6'4" and 6'2" girls inside for Bearden. If OR has overcome their internal "issues", look for a very good final with Clinton and OR III. A home sub-state game is on the line so it doesn't get anymore important than this. Congratulations Clinton and good luck. Best wishes to all the remaining teams, A, AA & AAA! Great posts folks.