MtJBears

Girls District Tournament is all set #1 seed Beech vs. #8 seed Portland #2 seed Lebanon vs. #7 seed Gallatin #3 seed Mt. Juliet vs. #6 seed Hendersonville #4 seed Wilson Central vs. #5 seed Station Camp Tournament starts next Wednesday at Hendersonville. Should be exciting. I think team on rise is Mt. Juliet. They seem like they've found the solution

Current Standings as of Jan. 24 Beech 9-0 Lebanon 7-2 Station Camp 5-4 Mt. Juliet 5-4 Hendersonville 4-5 Wilson Central 4-5 Portland 1-8 Gallatin 1-8 Beech appears to have #1 send locked up. Lebanon appears to have #2 seed. After that it's a fight for #3 and #4 between 4 teams. In some fashion these 4 teams will face off in first round of district Tournament to decide who goes on to Regional Tournament. This year District is at Hendersonville. Regional is at Clarksville Northeast. Tournament is not far away. Just 3 weeks. Get ready for it.

District Tournament begins next Wednesday. All games will be played t Portland High School. This is the first time in several years that 1st. Round games haven't been played at higher seeded teams. Wilson Central has #1 seed locked up. Mt. JULIET & Hendersonville battling for #2 and #3 seeds. Appears coin flip will determine. Portland and Lebanon have inside track for #4 and #5 seeds, which will make for interesting opening round game with Portland hosting tournament. Beech appears to have #6 seed Station Camp has #7 seed Gallatin has #8 seed locked up. Wilson Central is strong favorite to win tournament. Should be interesting to see how the other 3 teams advance to Regional Tournament at Clarksville High School this year. District 10-AAA is stronger than normal this year. Rossview is strong this year. Henry County is much improved. It won't be a cakewalk for 9-AAA this year as has been in past. I'm going to take a guess and pick District Tournament to go like this. Champion - Wilson Central Runner-up - Mt. JULIET Third Place - Hendersonville Fourth Place - Portland Portland gets a boost being host and takes advantage of it.

I've been following Mt. Juliet girls basketball for many years. I have kept up with records over the years and from 2002-2015 here are the district records for each team. Mt. Juliet. 171-17 Wilson Central 132-56 Station Camp. 50-34 Beech. 100-88 Lebanon. 42-42 Hendersonville. 73-115 Gallatin. 45-143 Portland. 9-75 Mt. Juliet has won 11 regular season district championships and have won 9 district championships in those 14 years. That being said I think we can safely say Mt. Juliet has been the dominate team. True enough this is a down year for MtJ. They lost about 90% of their offensive production from last years team. Should come as no surprise Wilson Central is the top team this year. But for MtJ to lose what they did and be the second best team is remarkable and testament to Chris Fryers coaching ability. Mt. Juliet loses only 1 player off this team and there is help on the way from the middle school. So I would say watch out for return of Lady Bears next year. The incoming freshman group is very talented.

I was at the game. What I saw was girls for BOTH teams making deliberate blatant plays. Intentional 3 second calls, 10 second calls, 5 second calls, missing FT's intentionally by shooting air balls or slamming the ball against the backboard. Riverdale did not attempt to take a shot till seconds remained in the game. There is such a thing as holding the ball to preserve a lead or take the last shot. I have never have witnessed a game where each team purposely tried to lose a game. If neither team wanted to win..... WHY PLAY THE GAME. If each coach has more concern about getting a better seeding by losing a game there has to be a better way to do it than what I witnessed.

Yes John Wild has exceeded expectations. My question is how long will he remain at Wilson Central. He never stays anywhere long. Just check his background. Here today, gone tomorrow. I think WC has good chance to make Sectionals along with Mt. Juliet. Once you get that far anything can happen.

I have followed Mt Juliet basketball for several years and I can say Troy Allen is the best boys coach they've ever had. He has the least talent of any team in the district and he gets more out of it than any coach could. What they did to Beech last night was unbelievable. Put a 64-21 beat down on Beech. If I'm not mistaken that is the biggest margin of defeat Beech has suffered. I don't think anybody wants to mess Mt Juliet right now. And with the District and Region Tournament at Mt Juliet...... LOOKOUT

I think you would find out Mt Juliet is one of the most successful girls programs over the past 15 years in the State. As long as Chris Fryer is the coach the trend will continue.

Mt. Juliet is top team in this district and one of top teams in state. Wilson Central will not make top 4. Mt. Juliet and Blackman could play for State Championship.

Well its official the ELITE EIGHT have punched their tickets to the dance at the Glass House and today will learn their upcoming opponent. Morrisrown West (30-3) Jefferson Co. (22-11) Bradley (27-5) Blackman (31-1) Mt. Juliet (29-1) Rossview (27-3) Ridgeway (26-3) Germantown Houston (23-7) Should be interesting to see the way the blind draw goes.

Well tonight is the Sectionals and we will have the ELITE EIGHT headed the Murfreesboro. it is too bad 2 of the Top 10 teams were in the same bracket in 4-AAA but thats what happens when you have upsets in the Districts. Hence Rkverdale and Columbjs were both upset. I see Morristown West and Farragut coming out of East Tennessed. I see Blackman and Oakland coming out of the Mid-East. I think the Bradley vs Oak, and game could go either way and should be the best game of the night. I see Mt. Juliet and Overton out of the Midstate. I give Overton a slight edge playing at home. I am taking Ridgeway and Dyer County to both go on the road and win their contests. No doubt Blackman is the favorite and should be. If Mt. Juliet can get good guard play they can be a load with their strong inside game. I would say MJ has the biggest front line that will be in the tournament. Would be a great matchup in the finals. Two contrasting styles. MJ height againt Blackman's athleticism. The blind draw will be Sunday afternoon. Looking forward to some awesome matchups.

I was at the first Blackman- Riverdale game won by Blackman by 1 point. The play I am referring to there was 12 seconds left to go in the game. Alley had the ball close to the Riverdale bench on that sideline. She was pressured by 2 Blackman defenders. It was obvious that a pass from Alley to Davenport standing alone under the basket would have given Riverdale a 1 point lead and there would have been around 8 seconds left in the game. Blackman could have called time out and set up a play. As we all know Barrett called time out and Riverdale did not score and Blackman won the game. My statement was and is RIVERDALE had a golden oppurunity to win the game. They didn't. And Blackman won. I do believe that play was cruitial to the out come of the game.

Riverdale beats Columbia. UP NEXT ..... Blackman vs. Riverdale. Get your popcorn ready cause this is going to be a hum dinger. Since all the District 7-AAA teams won will not the semifinals now be played at Siegel? I think playing the game in Murfreesboro is great. Both student bodies will turn out to support their team. I would think the gym will be overflowing with fans. This is what high school tournaments are about.

I agree Columbia is more than capable of beating Riverdale and beating Blackman as well. I just picked Riverdale to advance over Columbia. Columbia does hold a win earlier over Riverdale and also took Blackman to the wire losing by 2 points. Its just the way the draw falls that these 3 teams are all in the same bracket. Without any doubt this is the strongiest Region in the State. Anyone of these 3 teams are capable of winning the State Tournament. To be honest this Region Tournament could be stronger than the State Tournament. The way the system is set up there will always be teams left out of the State that could compete and win it. The area of power in the state switches as time passes by. Middle Tennessee seems to be always strong. But the shift of power can change depending on the level of talent that is developed in that area. For 20 plus years Shelbyville was the dominate team because they had a great coach that developed talent. Who knows what the future holds. Should be exciting to see how things work work for this year's tournament.

I love the guards for Oakland as well. I just think playing on the road will be a big disadvantage. Bradley has been on a roll and appears to be a team to be reckoned with. I will say this. There is one team I feel can derail Blackman and that is Riverdale. Some people forget the first time they played at Blackman all Riverdale had to do to win the game was for Brandy Alley to make one pass to a wide open Davenport standing under the goal in the last few seconds. Give Blackman credit for hanging on. But I am very concerned about Riverdale. I've always heard its hard to beat a good team 3 times. Just ask White County and Clarkrange. Both those teams failed in their attempt to take a 3rd victory from a very good opponent.

Well the dust has settled and the Districts are history. As usual there were upsets and surprises that can turn the Regionals upside down. Such ks the case in Region 4-AAA where you have 3 of the top 7 teams in the FINAL AP Poll kn the same bracket. The Riverdale at Columbia game has to be the biggiest game of the night in the state. They played each other back in Dec at Riverdale and Columbia won a nail biter by 2 points. Whoever wins gets probably Blackman in the semifinals. Can't get any tougher than that. Ofcourse with al these power houses in one bracket opens it up for teams such as Oakland, Shelbyvile, and Smyrna. Don't under estimate Smyrna. They have beaten Shelbyville twice and played Oakland down to the end twice losing close games. Region 2-AAA in east Tennessee is loaded with outstanding teams. Powell, Bearden, Farragut, Heritage, and Maryville. This is one of the toughiest Regions along with 4-AAA. Here goes my re-evaluated State Tournament Picks Science Hill. Still undefeated and winning games by big margins Farragut. Just missed out making it to State last year losing to SH in Sectionals. Think they make it Blackman. They will have tough test in Regional semis. I think it will be Riverdale and lookout for Another down to the wire nail biter. Bradley Central. Seems to beplaying at top of their game. They will host Sectional and that gives them. A big advantage. Mt. Juliet. Lady Bears have considerable size advantage over any team they play. Guard play is key Nash. Overton. Game in Semis against Brentwood looms ahead. Could go either way. Ridgeway. Memphis teams don't appear as strong. Dyer Co. Just a guess. Don't know anything about them except they have a outstanding W/L record Its all just a guess but its fun. Can't wait till we get to Murphy Center.

In the consoluation girls game in District 15-AAA Germantown defeated Collierville 55-53 in overtime. Got the score from the Memphis Commerical Appeal.

Mt. Juliet had physical game with Lebanon Saturday night. Ron DeGray and Savannah Summers received facial injuries. Both are ok now and ready for championship game Tuesday night. I thought MJ took control early and didn't let up. For Beech to have a chance Baker is going to have to play out of her mind. I just don't see it. I think it will be around a 10 to 15 game.

Very impressed with the Mt. Juliet girls. Was able to use their size and put the game away early. McCade had outstanding game. I heard she was named MVP of District. Both DeGray sisters were named to all-district team also. I think Lady Bears can make deep run in tournaments. Lebanon got early jump on Wilson Central and 4 for quarters was in control. Wilson Central made their run late in game but could never get closer than 3 points. WC was playing without 2 starters which had to make it difficult for them. MJ knows all about losing starters. Over the years they've had their share of injuries. Now on to the semifinals at Beech on Saturday. MJ should be strong favorite to win title. All 4 teams do advance to Region 5 Tournament to be played at Rossview.

This is the reason you don't have the home student section directly behind the visitors bench. Are you LISTENING Wilson Central? Having immature young kids behind the visitors team bench is just asking for trouble. I guess finally someone in the student said something that got the situation started. If Pickett County is smart they will move the student section to another area or move the visitors team bench to a safer location. Wilson central has the same set up with the visitors team bench in front of the students chering section. Over the years I've seen some close calls with students getting out of control and sercurity called in to control the crowd. Wouldn't it be simple to move the student section OR swap the team benchs. I believe in the students having fun but today some kids are just looking for something else than clean fun. Bottom line the kids are being punished for something that was out of their control. Hope TSSAA changes their ruling on suspending the teams from playing in the upcoming tournaments. My advice to Pickett County ..... Move the cheering section or the visitors team bench. You may want to give this some serious consideration also WILSON CENTRAL.

I just heard Cheyenne Hooper the 6'6" center is returning to the CAK team and will be available at the start of the Regional Tournmen. With this development I say watch out for CAK. They made a run at the State last year and made in the to the semifinals. With Hooper they will be a tough team to beat. Cannon County had all kinda problems with them last year. I think you have to consider Elizabethton, Grainger, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Sullivan East, and CAK to be the top teams competeing for the 2 spots to make it to State. Going to be some really good teams that have to stay home. Oops forgot about Fulton. Going to be a battle for sure.

The girls play Thursday night. At Mt. Juliet Mt. Juliet vs. Portland and Wilson Central vs. Lebanon At Hendersonville Hendersonville vs. Station Camp and Beech vs. Gallatin ALL 4 boys games will be played at Beech on Friday Wilson Central vs. Portland Mt. Juliet vs. Beech Station Camp vs. Hendersonville Gallatin vs. Lebanon ALL winners advance to semifinals to be played at Beech.

Chrsi Fryer on the hot seat or in trouble at Mt. Juliet? You have to be joking to even suggest that. Its true he has had some girls to transfer in the past 5 years or so but I would say they transfered because they knew they would not be starting and coming off the bench and could transfer somewhere else and get more playing time. There is one girl that transfered because her friend she played AAU basketball with in the summer wanted her to transfer to her school so they could play high school ball together. Chris Fryer is the most successful girls baskeball coach Mt. Juliet has ever had. He has won over 400 games, won the disrict regular season championship for the 5th straight season. I would say any high school in Tennessee would love having him as their girls basketball coach. I believe Chris has been at Mt. Juliet for 15 years. He has won 20 or more games each year except one and he won 19 that year.

Well its only a few weeks away. The State Tournament in Murfreesboro. This year's tournament should be exciting again. There are several outstanding teams in the state this year. Blackman is currently rated #1 in the State and the Nation. However, District 7-AAA is probably the strongiest disrict in the state by far. Blackman, Riverdale, Oakland, and Smyrna. Enough said. Science Hill must have a very good team. They are undefeated and East Tennessee especically around Knoxville is balanced with several oustanding teams. Here goes. My picks for the State Tournament field. Science Hill Maryville Blackman Riverdale Mt. Juliet Brentwood Ridgeway Dyer Co. Blackman and Riverdale are in the same region with Columbia and they could knock one of them out Memphis basketball is down this year. Blackman should be the favorite but their Region is loaded and anything could happen.

I think this is Cannon County's year. They have been playing great ball all year. I think the game at Livingston tomorrow night will be a test. LA is tough at home and they have been playing good ball since Christmas. I do see Cannon getting a win but it will not be easy. I'm going to go out on a limb and make my State Tournament picks for Class AA Grainger Elizabethton Cannon Co. Livingston Martin Luther King Creek Wood Dyersburg McNairy Central Picking Cannon County to bring home GOLD BALL