PEARLBALL

I’ve saw both arguments and photos showing what appear to be conflicting evidence. On the video in real time it looked good. That’s for the two WCs to argue til the end of time I guess. I’m more interested in the phenomenon that is men’s basketball in 6AAA/8AAA. I’ve watched both these play Coffee County two times this year. Game one against Sparta- CC wins at home. Not a blow out, but a solid win. Up in Sparta, less than 2 weeks later, they destroyed CC. That was the White County team I expected in Manchester. Similar situation in McMinnville. WC blows out CC only to get blown out themselves down in Manchester. Having seen somewhat the best and worst of both, I was shocked that White County lost. First guess was Slatton was sick or inured, but I saw him in the video. Point is, I suppose, Boys basketball this year has been unpredictable, if not entertaining. That loss won’t hurt Sparta most likely and neither team will forget it for one reason or the other. Fans won’t either. That’s good for high school sports. I’ll drift back over to the 8AAA girls thread now.

Reasonably close at the half. Vinson drops two 3s in consecutive possessions early in the 3rd and the rout was on. Shelbyville plays hard and crashes the boards. They just can’t score the ball. They have exceeded expectations this year in my opinion. When Bella shoots it like that, anyone else on District 8AAA might as well stay at the house. Even the few times she might be held in check, others have really picked up that slack. Really impressive how the youngsters continue to improve.

Nailed it ECU. Vinson only had 6 or 8, but CC still wins by over 20 (I lost track at the end). Just like the first meeting, CC was bombs away from the 3, hitting 12 on the night. Radio said post game, JPC gets win 200 tonight. Congrats to him.

Against a quality opponent too. Congratulations FC

The epic clash and all out war I waited on all season long never materialized. It wasn’t flashy, but CC dominated from start to finish. A win was really never in question. Barring 5 starters quitting, CC locked up the reg season tonight. Good job to JPC, his staff, and team.

The addition of the assistants and their kids has helped and they have contributed. However, those additions have not been what’s enabled JPC to sustain his success at CC. Having Vinson goes without saying, but seniors Jenna Garretson and Ellie Graham have really stepped forward to fill in the void left by the departing seniors from a year ago. Jenna was HUGE in both games this past weekend. I’m not sure CC pulls out the game Friday without her play in the 4th quarter. She made a couple of huge shots down the stretch. The transfers are going to pay off long term as they are young and talented, but to say CC has been able to stay on top due to this is a stretch. The home grown player with a mother on the staff is as important or more so than the transplants. She is going to be dominant in the post in the years to come. She has already had some moments that give us a glimpse of what is to come. Put all of these pieces together knowing Bella is still around for another year in ‘20-‘21 and we see JPC building a program with staying power. The present is bright. The future very well may be brighter.

I think anything could happen in regionals and beyond. The physical and psychological hold Riverdale has had over the area and most of the state has evaporated over the past 12 months. There are still good basketball teams in the Boro and East of here also. Bradley and Stone Memorial will have plenty to say about it, but what was once a dream (winning a region 4 AAA game or advancing to the sub state) is now a possibility. Still plenty of growing to do for CC, but plenty of ball left to make that happen. As for FC, best focus on the future. This year is lost. I would be playing the youngsters early and often hoping to improve for ‘20-‘21.

Very proud of them. I’m not surprised at all. Going back to last years regionals, I didn’t see that much separation between the two teams. CC is going places over the next two years. More importantly at the moment, we need to rest, refocus, and take care of Tullahoma Tuesday.

CC beats Riverdale this afternoon handily. Before people jump all over me, I understand this isn’t the Riverdale of the past decade, but still a great win. Congrats to the kids and coaches.

I would hate to be an oddsmaker in this district lol. Thus far, CC is the only constant. Any other game, you can throw a dart at the board and have more luck than trying to figure them out. Depending on which Tullahoma team shows up Tuesday, the regular season suspense may be put to bed early. The boys side is equally confusing, if not more so.

CC just gutted it out. LC played some hard nosed D. Forced CC to take the outside shot and they weren’t going in much tonight. Defended Bella pretty well. We made a couple of timely shots when it mattered, got a couple of stops on D, and Vinson made FTs in the end like she does. Some games we win just because of the culture. CC expects to win and in games like this, when the ball doesn’t bounce their way, they still pull it out. I thought last week that the next 3 games (the 2 LCs and Tullahoma) would tell the tale. Two down, one to go.

Lincoln battled hard tonight, but CC just too much. CC by 3 in a squeaker.

Good win for CC. Established themselves early and game was never really in doubt. Vinson was lights out early and Graham shot the ball well after a slow start. This was CCs first test in 8AAA and they passed with flying colors.

Nice win for Lawrence County tonight in Tullahoma. Wow

Don't open that wound Eagle Eye. LOL. CC has owned Tullahoma for several years, but that one win may have cost CC more than a district championship in my opinion. I wouldn't bet a dollar against CC, but this might be the year CC doesn't win the regular season and takes the tournament. The youngsters around Bella get better every day. Playing Tullahoma later instead of early helps CC's cause. I had expected Lincoln to put a wrinkle in things, but it hasn't happened.

I'm pretty sure OEE is right.

Shelbyville was very physical in Manchester Tuesday night. On the right night and with the right set of officials ( ones that will let them play), they could be a handful. Not saying they win, but they compete. Lawrence County is almost always competitive, particularly on their home floor. I would never count them out. CC's youth is a variable that concerns me. They have tremendous upside, but I'm interested to see what happens over the next 12 days or so. They play the two LCs and Tullahoma. I'm pretty confident they win at Lawrence and vs Lincoln, but HOW they win will determine how I feel about the Tullahoma game. I've only seen them once, but I give Tullahoma the edge thus far due to experience. To me, Duncan and Vinson cancel each other out, so the supporting casts are vital. Edge Tullahoma for now.

I’m curious too. Those girls have been together for a while and this was the year I expected all that youth to mature and take the next step. The season is still early. I’m not writing them off just yet but the start is surprising.

Well I was trying to be nice. I did think a couple of young kids played ok. But you’re right I guess. They are terrible.

Commodore took the words right out of my mouth. Shocked at the start of the year for LC. I was sure they were legitimate contenders in 8AAA this year. Still have to play the games I know, but CC is getting better every game and Tullahoma is doing their part as we wait for the first clash between the 2 in January. CC actually looks ahead of schedule to me. FC had a decent game plan last night and Hollman did a commendable job in the 1st half on Bella, but the Lady Raiders were dropping 3s from everywhere and the game was really over by the end of the 1st quarter. Bella doesn’t force things when not open and Graham in particular has been knocking shots down when given the opportunity. CC still has the ability to score a lot of points quickly. I will say FC has some younger kids that may have some upside down the road. Not this season, but there is some talent there. Even though the lost by 40, they actually looked a little better than I expected.

Yep. That’s the one. Electric crowd tonight. Electric crowd that night. I stated some time back that I wish one of these games could have been played in February when both had improved over the season. Other than the outcome of both, I don’t know if we could have asked for any better games.

Not by 31 in Manchester. Don’t you remember Shockley giving us the bird at half court?

What a game. Felt like 1993 all over again.

I’d never heard of Valor before yesterday and for good reason, but 103 against anyone is impressive. CC looked a little shaky at times last weekend, but they are loaded with young talent. I said sometime over the summer that they would have more depth on the roster this year, but they look to go legitimately 10 deep. I think you could put Vinson out there with any number of lineup combinations between the other 9 and see little to no drop off. Before someone says it, I know the competition was far from being world beaters, but CC was impressive this weekend. We will have a better gauge come Monday against White County, but the early results are very promising. I’m speaking beyond district play. That’s a given. I’m very excited to see this team come February.

While I’m happy to see White County back on the schedule, I wish they could have spread the games out a bit. WC comes to Coffee County on Monday next week and then CC comes to Sparta on Dec 6th. I know it’s hard to get non- district games in once district play starts, but playing that close together we really don’t get to see how teams grow and evolve as the season goes along. CC could very well start off slow as they learn to play together. I would have liked to see them play once in late January vs 2 times in 11 days. Either way, I expect two really competitive games. Sorry to hijack your thread. It’s gotten slow over in the 8AAA thread. Lol