ptguard12

Agreed! I can't imagine the State Tournament at any other place than the Murphy Center. It is where young boys and girls dream of playing for a State Championship.

It is really hard to stay undefeated with that big of a target on your back. I personally have always felt that undefeated teams perform better in tournaments when they have a loss before tournament play. It helps to remind them that they can lose and refocus the team on the bigger picture. However, no one goes out there to try to lose. I love the small town atmosphere of Scotts Hill and the support they have for their Lady Lions. I am looking forward to seeing them at Decatur County on the 10th. Here is hoping they make a return trip to Murfreesboro this year.

Big win for Dresden. The most important game of the season will likely be the District 13A Championship Game. If it comes down to these two, you can expect a dog-fight. Winning the 13A crown will be paramount to having the best shot possible of winning the first round Region 7A game against the #4 seed from District 14A. If Dresden or Gleason can get that win and get to the Region 7A Semifinals, and at that point anyone can win, regardless of who they play.

Middleton is already great, but her potential upside is huge. I love her overall game and the toughness she brings to the court. She is only going to get better, and she is going to be another very special player for Riverdale over the next few years.

Miss Williams would make a great Class AA Miss Basketball nominee. Unfortunately, she comes from an area that is greatly overshadowed by boys basketball coverage. Her talent has been obvious for a long time now, and she could certainly end up being a nominee.

I drove over to Perry County that night to see the Lake County/Perry County game. I wouldn't dare miss the opportunity to see Lake County on a rare trip for them to Middle Tennessee, so I had it marked down on my calendar at the beginning of the year (it beat me having to drive all the way to Greenfield or Bradford to see them). I discussed this game on the 14A thread, I believe. In that game, one sizzling hot quarter from the outside separated Lake County from Perry County. Lake County won that game because they have a more well-rounded team with solid players at all five spots and a capable bench. They are also about 5x more athletic than Perry County at all five spots as well. They did not win that game because Flowers outplayed Simmons. In fact, those in attendance would probably tell you that Simmons actually outplayed Flowers. She was statistically better than Flowers in almost all statistical categories outside of probably rebounds. Flowers was faster than Simmons, but it didn't help her to force Simmons into any turnovers (I believe she had fewer turnovers than Flowers). Flowers's speed was offset by Simmons's strength and IQ. Flowers is much more explosive and her moves are definitely flashy and awe-inspiring. Simmons doesn't have the speed and athleticism to do the kind of "wow" things Flowers does, but it doesn't keep her from playing excellent basketball each night. Both are excellent players and they do everything possible for their team to win. I was impressed with both players court demeanor and leadership abilities. Perry County plays a brutal schedule, and Simmons has done very well despite having teams throw numerous defenses at her all year long and moving from the 2-guard spot to the point. Her numbers would likely be even better if she had more than just a couple of other good players on the floor with her to take just a little bit of the defensive attention off of her. Flowers has strong players around her that can score and take the pressure off of her every game. Teams cannot sit on her all game long and leave others wide open and still beat Lake County. Her speed is her greatest asset, and she finishes well. She would likely have greater numbers if she weren't sometimes picked apart by referees (sometimes she is out of control, but other times, she's not) or if her team didn't play some weaker teams that allow them to blow the game open midway through the 1st quarter. Essentially, you could easily nominate any combination of girls and not miss a beat in Class A. All are deserving, and they will all likely end up being All-State this year (or at least they should). This is just one of those years where there are quite a few great ball players out there, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Next year's nominations (barring any injuries or other unforeseen circumstances) should be much more clear.

It is much more interesting this year than the last couple, because you knew who was going to win. The talent is nowhere near as high this year (and probably won't be for a long time), but the teams are more competitive with one another. It should be a great District 13AA Tournament and Region 7AA Tournament.

I am looking forward to this game tomorrow night. I always enjoy games at Cornersville. I think Cornersville will take this one, but it should be a great game. Both teams have some really strong players on them that are going to want a District 11A Regular Season Championship. Good luck to both.

This is RBS's district to lose. I just wonder how bad their non-competitive schedule is going to hurt them come Region Tournament play. I think they have the players capable of getting to Murfreesboro. It is just hard to do that when suddenly games are really hard after they have been so easy all year long.

District 9A Scenarios #1 and #2 are set with Moore County and Forrest (coin flip) assumming both win their remaining games over Community and Huntland (they should). #3 - #5 could go any number of ways: -If Huntland loses to Moore County and Forrest, but beats both Cascade and Boyd, then Huntland will finish 3rd. -If Eagleville beats both Boyd and Cascade, and Huntland loses to Cascade, Moore County, and Forrest, then Eagleville will finish 3rd. -If Cascade wins out in the district by beating Eagleville, Huntland, and Middle TN Christian, then they will finish 3rd. If this scenario happens, then most likely Huntland and Eagleville will both finish 7-7 with the tie-breaker going to Huntland because of their two wins over Eagleville. So, Huntland would be 4th and Eagleville would be 5th. -Cascade plays the biggest role in the #3 - #5 spots because they play Huntland, Eagleville, and Middle TN Christian, and they could win or lose any number of those games. Winning two out of the three (depending on who they beat and lost to) would change the scenarios. #6 and #7 - If Middle TN Christian beats Cascade, then they will be 6th. If not, then Community will be 6th and Middle Tennessee Christian will be 7th. #8 - F.C. Boyd Christian *All of these scenarios are with the assumption that Moore County and Forrest win the rest of their district games and that everyone who still has Boyd left on their schedule gets a district win in that game.

I have only three things: 1. The numbers beside the names of the players who I believe are the frontrunners is not an indicator of which of those five I believe should be the nominees. For example, just becuase Carly Daniel (Wayne County) is listed at the "1." does not mean I believe she is anymore of a favorite than say the person who is at the "5." I just numbered them and put the names down for those five spots. The numbers mean nothing. In hindsight, I should have put bullets beside those players names. The star beside Barbee's name indicates that I feel she should clearly be the winner. 2. In AAA, you could literally throw 15 - 18 players' names in a hat, draw three at random, and have three great nominees. AAA is very deep this year. There are three teams that have multiple girls that could get a nomination based on individual play (Clarksville, Riverdale, and Memphis Central). Barbee is a done deal in my opinion as far as a nomination. Those other two spots are up in the air, and any number of girls could get those two nominations. Muhammad should likely be in the favorites, but it was tough to choose five only (and I set myself to that limit). I am big on Kerstetter as the one performance I saw of her this season was absolutely unbelievable. Very few of us were aware of how special she is as a player as she was the best kept secret in Tennessee coming into this season. Could you replace her with Muhammad? Certainly. 3. Lastly, I take more into consideration a team's strength of schedule and the individual's performance against that type of schedule than I do a team's overall record. A great team can be made up of solid players at all five spots and have some depth on the bench. However, they may not have a "star" player. The best player in a class may not necessarily be on a team with a great record, and certainly may not be on a team that is "ranked" by the AP. A great example of this that comes to mind was Meredith Richardson at Bradford in both 2003 and 2004. Was Richardson the best player in Class A that year? It is debatable, but I believe so. Did her team have a great record in either of those years? Not even close, they were 13-19 in 02/03 and 11-16 in 03/04. She is a prime example of a great player on a not so great team that won Miss Basketball because of her individual accomplishments and performances, not her team's record. Those of you who know me on here, know I see a lot of basketball year round. I see more teams and players than 99% of the people in Tennessee as I roam around watching whoever I want each night (I was at Hickman County and Page tonight) and I follow the AAU/Club ball scene every summer. These are my opinions and nothing more. Many respect them, but others could care less. Me posting who I think the favorites are won't have much of an impact. However, I have had four individuals so far this year with ballots who have e-mailled me asking for my input on players. Last year, I had nine. Keep in mind, these are only nominations people. A committee will sit down and look at all of the players nominated and decide who the three Miss Basketball nominees will be. Very likely, most of the players I mentioned (and some I did not) will be sent in on a nomination form. The committee will then decide on the three nominees. Some great players will get recognized, and a lot of other great players will be left off.

Class AAA This is the easiest of the classes in terms of picking a winner. However, it is the toughest class in determining who the other two nominees should be. The favorites for a nomination should be: 1. Shacobia Barbee, 5-11 Junior F, Riverdale* 2. Kyra Kerstetter, 6-0 Senior W, Brentwood 3. Caya Williams, 6-1 Junior C, Mt. Juliet 4. Basharra Graves, 6-2 Junior F, Clarksville 5. Isabelle Harrison, 6-3 Senior C, Hillsboro Others to Consider: - Hasina Muhammad, 6-1 Senior W, Memphis Ridgeway - Shanice Cason, 5-5 Senior PG, Siegel - Ashlee Mitchell, 5-5 Sophomore PG, Tennessee - Danielle Ballard, 5-9 Junior SG, Memphis Central - Hannah Goolsby, 5-10 Sophomore W/F, Cookeville - Jessy Ward, 5-7 Senior CG, Clarksville - Armeka Booker, 6-0 Senior F, Oak Ridge

Class AA Favorites: 1. Jenna Adams, 6-1 Senior F, McMinn Central 2. Kayla Biles, 5-9 Senior W, Upperman 3. Mackenzie Sells, 5-10 Senior W, Livingston Academy 4. Emily Sissom, 5-7 Senior CG, Cannon County 5. Kendra Williams, 5-7 Senior PG, Bolivar Central Others to Consider: - Keiona Kirby, 5-6 Senior SG, Liberty Tech. Magnet - Maelyn Cutshaw, 5-9 Sophomore CG, South Greene - Haley Felker, 5-8 Senior W, Harpeth - Cara Bowling, 5-8 Senior SG, Elizabethton - Ann Jones, 6-2 Senior F, Liberty Tech. Magnet There are a lot of tremendous players in AA this year. This is certainly not all of them, but if I had to give the ten that have impressed me the most thus far this season, these would be them.

Class A After watching all of these players throughout some point this year, there are five players who stand above the rest in terms of individual play, abilities, statistics, and college potential (any of the three would make great nominees): 1. Carly Daniel, 6-2 Senior F, Wayne County 2. Rachel Garland, 5-9 Junior W/F, Moore County 3. Alycia Simmons, 5-6 Senior CG, Perry County 4. T.T. Flowers, 5-5 Junior PG, Lake County 5. Layce Colter, 5-5 Senior PG, Red Boiling Springs Others to Consider: - Keta Robinette, 5-6 Senior SG, Marion County - Jordan Galey, 5-10 Senior W/F, Greenfield - Caroline Warden, 5-5 Senior PG, Jackson County - Heather Vann, 5-10 Senior F, Moore County - Alaina Jordan, 5-9 Senior CG, Coalfield

Lawrence County has all of the necessary pieces to make a run to Murfreesboro. The Gilbert sisters are "stars" in the making. Guard play is strong with Williams, Moore, K. Gilbert, and Smith (huge pick up for them from Summertown to give them increased depth). Post play is even better with A. Gilbert, Hunt, and Clayton. Williams, Moore, Hunt, and Clayton are some of the most fundamental players around, and Coach Scott should thank Mr. Flatt (and the Express AAU Organization and Coffman Middle School Program) for that. He developed those girls from day one, and they are why Lawrence County is in the position they are in. This has always been a highly self-motivated and successful group, so their success in high school is no surprise. The Gilbert sisters took them from a potentially great group to an elite level group. Winning the District 8AAA Tournament is a must for them (and they should), becuase that would keep them opposite of Riverdale in the Region 4AAA bracket. However, Siegel, Blackman, and even Oakland will present some great obstacles to them to keep them from ever getting to Riverdale. If they can make it to the Region Championship Game and earn a Sub-State game, then I like their chances of getting to Murfreesboro. ***Old age is really starting to kick in.....a miracle I can get my own name correct most days.***

It is very likely that Scotts Hill will lose a game during this stretch. However, this stretch of games will be great preperation for the post season. If anyone gets them, I think it will be Hardin County. I am going to try to get over that way to see them one more time before post-season play begins (probably the game at Decatur County).

Looking forward to this game tomorrow. I always enjoy my visits to Chapel Hill. Hoping for a good one. Good luck to both teams.

Why was the Summertown and Loretto game postponed (and what is the make-up date)? I was planning on coming down for that one tonight. Seems to me that if Lawrence County is able to play, then Summertown and Loretto should be able to play.

Based on what I have seen from these teams, I would rank the top of Class A like this: 1. Moore County 2. Jackson County 3. Lake County 4. Wayne County T5. Scotts Hill T5. Clarkrange Those top four teams are all capable of beating one another. They all have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, Moore County's starting five is probably the best starting five in the bunch (when they are all healthy) and they have the best post duo in Class A. However, they lack depth, their PG is young, and their outside shooting is questionable at times. Their strengths are the weaknesses of other teams listed above, and some of their weaknesses are the strengths of those teams as well. I would say that Scotts Hill and Clarkrange are just a hair below those four. No one is the clear favorite for the Gold Ball this year, and you can bet someone not listed above will make some noise and knock off someone.

Perry changed it up multiple times all night, but most of it was zone. I would estimate that Lake County hit about 14 3's--it was alot. Flowers managed the game very well and stayed out of foul trouble, but so did Simmons for Perry County. I thought they were both excellent tonight--two premier guards in Class A. Simmons is not a natural PG (played the 2-guard spot in the past for PC), but she handles it very well. Flowers pressured her all night long, and she never faltered. Perry tried a trapping 2-3 zone early to pressure Flowers and force her to give up the ball after she crossed half court, and she too didn't make mistakes. Her quickness with the ball was unmatched. I believe the majority of Lake County's damage from the outside was done by Gray (#3?), Jones, and Horton (I could have gotten a name mixed up, but I think these were the ones). 3-point percentage was very high. Hart was good inside tonight for Lake County as well, when they got the ball to her. She has some very aggressive moves on the low block. Overall, I would put them right there with Moore County, Jackson County, and Wayne County as the best Class A teams I have seen this year.

Drove over to Perry County to watch Lake County play them tonight. Left even more impressed with Lake County's speed and outside shooting abilities then from when I saw them in the preseason at UTM. The game was even through three out of four quarters. Lake County held a 2 point lead at halftime, 33 - 31. Coming out of the half, Lake County absolutely went crazy from the outside, hitting 5 of 6 or 6 of 7 three's during one stretch. That opened up the game to about a 16 point lead. The closest Perry could get was 10 in the fourth quarter as Lake County went on to win 70 - 54. Both teams played very well, but Lake County's outside shooting and rebounding was the difference. The refs let both teams play, so the game was very physical, but the stars stayed on the floor which is nice for neutral observers like myself. It was a great battle between Flowers and Simmons at the PG spots. They are both potential Miss Basketball nominees. Simmons won the stats battle between the two tonight, but Flowers got the win, which is the most important. It was good to see those two go at it as they are vast contrasts of each other, the speed of Flowers versus the strength of Simmons. A great matchup throughout the entire game. If Lake County is making outside shots like they did tonight, it will be tough for anyone in 14A, or in Class A for that matter, to beat them. As for Perry County, their record is deceiving because of the strength of their schedule. They will be a tough out for anyone in 12A.

I would like to see Loretto pull this one out, but it is highly unlikely. Lawrence County has too much athleticism, speed, and depth for Loretto. I don't think Loretto has an answer for Gilbert inside, and the only one who would be able to physically guard her is Laws (and Loretto's coach won't risk her getting into foul trouble). Loretto will likely zone to contain Gilbert, Clayton, and Hunt inside, as well as try to slow the game down. Lawrence will likely press full-court and fall back into an aggressive man defense in the half-court to speed up the tempo. As heavily favored as Lawrence County is in this game, you know that some emotions will play a part in the outcome, and emotions are hard to account for when predicting outcomes. They are what make rivalry games like this one so unpredictable. With all that said, logic tells me that it will likely be: Lawrence County by 25 (but I am hoping for a good one) Good luck to both teams.

Updated (12/12/10) Division I Isabelle Harrison, 6-3 C, Hillsboro - University of Tennessee Hasina Muhammad, 6-1 W, Ridgeway – Auburn Erika Cook, 5-11 SG, Hunters Lane – University of St. Louis Shanice Cason, 5-5 PG, Siegel High School – MTSU Taylor Reece, 6-2 F, Brentwood Academy – Samford Alexus Patterson, 6-1 C, Knoxville West - Southern Illinois Shelby Hicks, 6-0 C, South Greene – USC Upstate Makensey Campbell, 6-0 W/F, Sullivan South – Western Carolina Carly Daniel, 6-2 F, Wayne County - Belmont Mackenzie Sells, 5-10 W, Livingston Academy – MTSU Ann Jones, 6-3 C, Liberty Tech. Magnet - University of Memphis Cara Bowling, 5-8 SG, Elizabethton - ETSU Tianna Porter, 6-2 F, Henry County - University of Pittsburgh Alaina Jordan, 5-9 SG, Coalfield - Coastal Carolina Casey Ryans, 6-0 F, Cherokee - Morehead State Torie Vaught, 6-0 F, Maryville - Belmont Symone Daniels, 6-0 W/F, St. Benedict at Auburndale - Drake Briana Morrow, 5-11 F, Glencliff - Jacksonville State Shyra Buley, 5-4 PG, Knoxville West - Austin Peay Rachel Allen, 5-5 PG, Clarksville Northeast - Tennessee State Whitney Kyle, 5-11 W, Jefferson County - Morehead State Juli Osbourne, 6-0 F, Dobyns Bennett - Campbell Kyra Kerstetter, 6-0 W, Brentwood - William & Mary Division II Armeka Booker, 6-0 C, Oak Ridge - Mars Hill College Caselia Campbell, 6-2 F, John Overton - Carson Newman Ansley Ricker, 5-6 SG, South Greene - Mars Hill College Jacqueline Kestner, 5-11 SG, Sullivan Central - Concord University Blakely Burleson, 5-7 CG, Tennessee High - Tusculum University Torey Hyder, 5-11 F, Powell - North Georgia Cierra Anderson, 6-0 C, Cleveland - North Alabama Lashawnda Peacher, 5-9 W, Springfield - Carson Newman Jacqueline Kestner, 5-9 W, Sullivan Central - Concord Allie Sprouse, 6-3 C, Cocke County - Kings College NAIA Jenna Adams, 6-1 F, McMinn Central – Lee University Emily Sissom, 5-7 PG, Cannon County - Union University Shaelyn Brown, 5-8 G/F, Seymour - Cumberland University Jordan Neuharth, 5-9 CG, Walker Valley - Lee University Haley Felker, 5-7 SG, Harpeth - Trevecca Rachel Honeycutt, 6-0 F, Tennessee High - UVA-Wise Diamond Wright, 5-8 SG, Hunters Lane - Wilberforce Teri Williams, 6-0 W, McGavock - Wilberforce Hayley Newby, 6-0 F, Farragut - Freed-Hardeman Kati Prince, 5-8 PG, Waverly Central - Blue Mountain College

Huge win for Richland! Congrats to the Lady Raiders.

Mt. Pleasant in a real close one Cornersville by 15 Santa Fe by 32