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Two very competitive games in the semis. I thought Oakdale quit being aggressive in the 2nd half against OZ offensively and it nearly cost them..... OZ missed two point blank shots under a minute that could have tied the game....... Smith hit some big free throws for Oakdale down the stretch to help the cause...... Good for Oakdale to be in a position to play for the title. The Coalfield/Jellico game was the better game of the two as both played at a high level offensively. Jellico shot the ball well from the 3 ball land and Coalfield really shot the ball well from both inside and outside....... Lee for Coalfield was a mis-match for Jellico and really had no answer for him...... he played well and Coalfield passed the ball well for the most part. Bowlin for Jellico still proved he is the best player in the District with his performance...... I thought the triangle in two and box and one that Coalfield played was effective with the fact it forced some of Jellico's players other than Bowlin and #23 to shoot the ball especially late in the game where every possession was valuable. If there's a better guard in East Tennessee other than Bowlin in Class A I haven't seen him...... his ability to score, dish, & rebound is really impressive for his size. As a neutral fan that watched the game, I would say that he gets fouled 8 to 10 times a game that is not called.... the charge call that was called on him in the 2nd quarter that gave him his 3rd foul was very questionable and he had to sit the remainder of the half........ McKinney played well for Coalfield as he will only get better with time and he will be a very special player for Coalfield in future years as he will get bigger and stronger. The championship game will have a great environment and will be a very close competitive game IMO...... It look like it will be hard to get the games in with the forecast of Snow on the way....... hope they get to settle it on the court and not go to seeding to determine placement for the region but the forecast does not look favorable...... we shall see.

Hey if Coalfield shoots 60% from the floor saturday night they will beat Jellico..... but it's highly unlikely they will shoot that well on a neutral floor in a tournament atmosphere. Not sure what type of defense Oneida played against Coalfield but if you play them zone (without trapping) Coalfield will give you trouble........ you gotta make Coalfield play off the bounce without fouling and make them hit tough running shots....... I agree that Oakdale has the best starting 5 of the 4 teams left........interesting to see how Oakdale handles the venue setting saturday night...... Will they embrace it? or will they tighten up? They have not been in this situation with these players so we shall see........... Yes, it's getting close to Baseball time Kaz......... Will Oneida continue their strong showing in baseball this year........ correct me if I'm wrong but I think they are the defending District Champs.........and gave Grace (a very strong baseball program as they should be with what they have to offer, not to many public schools can offer what Grace does in baseball) a run for their money in the region game.... gotta give credit to their coach for turning that program around when many people thought you could not win at Oneida in baseball...... I'm assuming their middle school program has been a big help to the high school program. Kudos to their players for buying in.

If that is true, it's a game changer in Oakdale's favor. I don't see anyway that OZ could pull out the win without Murray being 100%. He is the one player for OZ that brings it every night. But hey, it's still high school basketball so anything is possible I guess.

The Jellico-Sunbright was a very competitive game. Give credit to Coach Jeffers and Sunbright players for a great effort in the game. Sunbright almost caught Jellico looking ahead as they did not take the lead until the 3 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Those two 3 pointers that #33 (Cross) hit for Jellico were big, without those I don't think Jellico escapes. The OZ/Oakdale game is the most interesting match-up of the 2 semi-final games. OZ played well at home in the win over Wartburg...... Oakdale has been resting for the week....... the long lay off may or may not come in to play.... we shall see...... I think OZ has a shot to knock off Oakdale if they can stay out of foul trouble especially Murray..... Oakdale may have trouble keeping OZ off the boards for 2nd opportunities as Murray is a relentless rebounder........ Will be interesting to see if Oakdale plays man or zone against OZ....... I think a zone could be somewhat effective, don't think OZ can shoot lights out on a neutral floor and this could keep Smith out of foul trouble early..... Oakdale can not afford Smith in early foul trouble...... It will be interesting to see how each coach adjust offensively to the defense they are seeing. I'm picking Oakdale in a very close game with a big key to the game is who gets in foul trouble early Murray or Smith..... The 2nd semi-final with Jellico/Coalfield could go either way (I think if Jellico had won big over Sunbright it would have helped Coalfield's chances as that game may have woke them up)....... Jellico has handled Coalfield twice this year with double digit wins...... I think Bowlin will have to have a big game (25 points plus and needs to shoot the ball way more than he has been) for Jellico to pull this game out........ Coalfield will play zone I'm sure to keep Bowlin from getting inside and make Jellico beat them from the perimeter (which is the smart thing to do) but sometimes their zone is passive and allow easy baskets for the opponent.......#33 for Jellico will guard McKinney and in both games as did a good job on keeping him from going off........ I think Lee will have a big game for Coalfield as he is a match-up problem for Jellico........ If #33 and #23 for Jellico get into double figures I think Jellico will pull this one out if not than Coalfield will have a chance to get the win....... #33 can not get into foul trouble guarding McKinney if that happens than Jellico has a match-up problem I think. I'm picking the higher seeds in both games in close competitive games..... Should be a fun night of basketball saturday night in Wartburg.

Grace is the top dog in District 3....... they will win their district and win the region also in my opinion........ I do think Megis, Harriman, & Tellico can be knocked off by a District 4 team in the region...... we shall see........ that's why they play the games and let the chips fall where they fall..... I would not be surprised to see a Grace and a District 4 team playing in the region championship.

The District Tournament is wide open........ Jellico, Oliver Springs, Coalfield, or Oakdale could win it. Should make for a fun tournament for all parties involved...... Alot of people are saying that District 3 will sweep District 4 in the first round of the region...... I don't think so....... District 4 number 1 or 2 will have a good chance to win on their home floor....... Grace is the top dog in district 3 and I do not believe anyone in District 4 can beat them period...... All others Meigs, Harriman, Tellico can be beaten by a District 4 team. We shall see....... throw it up and let the chips fall where they fall.

Justin Bowlin from Jellico should be voted MVP. He is the best overall player in the district..... He can score, pass, and rebound....... Plus he makes every player on Jellico's team better with his ability to distribute the ball...... If you take him off the floor then Jellico is probably a 4 or 5 seed at best........ Maverick Smith from Oakdale is a very good player but he has probably better overall talent around him compared to Bowlin at Jellico......... Hopefully, the coaches will keep an open mind in assessing this award and vote who is truly the best overall player

Man oh man, I bet Wartburg is still kicking themselves for letting Ellison get away. To not find a way to keep that guy because of health insurance was crazy. Don't think they are committed to football at Wartburg. Ellison had success there, he proved himself as a play-caller at Clinton at a higher level of football, and now he is the Head Coach at Powell. Don't think too many quality coaches are lining up to coach football at Wartburg. Maybe they can find a newcomer that will bring football back to being competitive. Good luck in your job search.

I think you are right, the district will probably come down to Jellico & Oakdale. I think Oakdale may have hit a bump in the road. They should have lost at OZ (horrible walk call), they won at Jellico but neither team played well at all, and survived on their home floor against a below average Oneida team. You know the old saying, you live by the 3 ball you die by the 3 ball. Those shots are not falling for Oakdale right now. If not for Smith right now they would have lost at Jellico and against Oneida. They better turn it up a notch this week with Wartburg & Coalfield left on their schedule or the #1 seed (if they win the coin toss) is out the window.

Not really, someone will walk into Wartburg and win the tournament. Don't think Wartburg is much of a threat this year. They may not even make it out of the satellite round. It looks like they will face OZ who has beaten them twice this year. But, you have to consider that not rotating the tournament is unfair to all parties involved. Most districts in east Tennessee rotate or play neutral site. Rumor has it that each school was offered $250 upfront to play it at Campbell County but it was voted down. I guess that defeats the argument of playing it somewhere else besides Wartburg that the tournament will lose money. I hate to say, but District 4 is being controlled by the 4 morgan county schools. Man, I would hate to be in OZ, Oneida, & Jellico's shoes knowing that the tournament will always be played there unless the TSSAA moves one of the morgan county schools somewhere else. It's funny how our administrators and coaches preach fairness and ethics to the players but obviously politics rules with this situation. Will someone please tell me how the players at OZ, Oneida, & Jellico can climb on a bus every year to ride to Wartburg but to ask the morgan county players to ride a bus to Oneida or Jellico every three years is fair to all parties involved? There is not an argument unless you are looking through morgan county colored glasses.

I agree also. If Jellico & Oneida have the seating capacity that is required by the TSSAA then they should be put in the rotation to host. There is no justification that anyone could come up on why this should not happen. Travel distance should not be an issue. All other schools have traveled to Wartburg in the past without problems. The administrators in District 4 really need to take a hard look at this situation and come to a logical decision that rotation is fair way to go. A voting block should not be used against Jellico & Oneida because of distance. Kids from Jellico and Oneida and other district 4 teams have climbed on the bus the last four years with the tournament being played at Wartburg and had no trouble getting there on time. I think you may have some people in positions of authority that want to have their cake and eat it too. The TSSAA preaches fairness and sportsmanship and I would like to think that administrators would keep that in mind when making decisions that affect student-athletes.

I think District 4 No. 1 has a good chance to beat District 3 No. 4. After that, I would say District 3 will have the advantage in all other opening round region games. I saw Meigs beat Cosby in the King of the Smokies tournament at Pigeon Forge. They are a solid team and will be a tough our come tournament play. Also, saw Jellico defeat triple A Cumberland County in the same tournament by 3 in a very entertaining game. Bowlin was double teamed on every in-bound possession and a double team came at him every possession he had the ball in his hands. He was was probably fouled on every in bound possession as he was held quite a bit by the opponent. (by the way the officiating was very consistent the whole way it was a wrestling match and very physical) He still had 17 points and numerous assists. I'm not sure that is the best way to play them because the double teams lead to easy baskets for other players. I would think that the best way to play them would be to man up with your half court defense and have good help when bowlin penetrates and make him kick out and see if the other players can make shots consistent. Make them earn their points by knocking down jump shots from the outside. By doubling him full court it's leaving them with easy shots close to the basket which most of their players will make. Just an opinion.

I would say you are right when Meigs missed their leading scorer and would have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. That would be like Oakdale playing without Steinmetz or Smith or Jellico playing without Bowlin or Coalfield playing with McKinney (I still think Lee is their overall best player) or OZ playing without Murray in the post. Oakdale style of play tends to give up alot of points to the opposition. I just don't think they can pull off a big win in tournament play on a neutral floor with their inability to get defensive stops. Their press leads to easy baskets for the opponent. I understand their coach believes in his system but sometimes you have to tweak the system to counter the opponent. Oakdale's coach has did a good job with the team but his lack of in-game adjustments to his defensive game plan may hurt them in tournament play. I personally think his defensive game plan is to press to speed up the game to gain more offensive possessions quicker. If Oakdale makes 3's they are tough to beat but sometimes those shots will not be falling on a neutral floor and at some point you have to dig in defensively and get stops. That's Oakdale weakness IMO.

Right now Jellico is the front runner after 4 games but I wouldn't say they are easily #1. The OZ game was a 2 point margin at Jellico. I will say they have the upper hand as they still have Oneida & Sunbright left with a home and home and they seem to be the two lower tier teams in the district right now. With that said, Jellico will probably have 8 wins with a home match-up with Oakdale and road games at OZ, Wartburg, & Coalfield so they could be looking at least 9 wins in district play which will probably secure a 1 or 2 seed. I don't think they will run the table in regular season district play. They have the best player in the district (IMO) in Point Guard Bowlin. If he was around 6'1 or taller he would be really a match-up nightmare, but he still gets it done at 5'10. I think they are playing in the King of the Smokies after Christmas against a strong field. Will be interesting to see how he plays against really strong athletic teams. He will be playing at the college level probably in NAIA or D-3. I think Jellico is a bit stronger than teams in the District thought they would be. There is still plenty of ball left to play so will be interesting to see how the district plays out in regular season. I think the champion of District 4 will have a chance to beat #4 out of District 3 but I dont think District 4 can win any other opening round region match-ups. District 3 has 4 really good teams in Grace, Harriman, Tellico, & Meigs. I thinking an all District 3 match-up in the Regional Championship.

Jellico defeated Coalfield Friday Night 75-62 to stay unbeaten in district play. (4-0) Both teams played hard which provided for some very entertaining action. Justin Bowlin had 18 points and also broke the state assist record of 787. He is now the all time leader in the state of Tennessee with 790 assists. Quite an accomplishment for this young man! Jellico's half court man defense did a good job of keeping Coalfield from getting to the rim off the bounce and their players were in good help position to whole night. Jellico's #33 did a good job of guarding McKinney in keeping him from getting to the rim for the most part. Number 23 for Jellico hit some big shots for them early to get them to an early lead which they were able to maintain. Coach Hill's move to the zone helped neutralize Bowlin some and kept him from getting in the paint but it wasn't enough for Coalfield to overcome. The emotion of the game seemed to get to Coalfield's players as two received technical fouls and one player got into a shouting match with Jellico's student section. Give credit to Coach Hill as he removed the player from the game and he remained on the bench the rest of the way. Also, give credit to the JHS administration as they immediately put a stop to their student section from taunting Coalfield's players. Overall, a very hard fought game played by both teams and the return match at Coalfield should be entertaining as well. The district tournament is gonna be a good one as the district is very competitive and its played on a neutral floor. (ACHS)

District 4 is going to be very interesting come tournament time. I think there are 5 teams that could win it if they get hot and start playing well. (Oakdale-Coalfield-Jellico-Wartburg-OZ) Jellico beat OZ last night by 2 on their home floor to remain unbeaten so far in district play. Bowlin dropped in 31 against constant double teams from OZ (game was very physical from what I heard) I still can't believe OZ has only won 1 game. They have a decent team especially with Murray in the post. There is something that's not right with OZ's team (may be team chemistry issues) Their team does play with an edge which is good at times but they seem to question officials decisions too much for my liking. Coalfield travels to Jellico Friday night which is shaping up to being a interesting match-up. It will interesting to see Coalfield's game plan defensively to deal with Bowlin. If you guard him man you better have alot of help waiting because he can get to the rim and if you give him room I heard he has improved his outside shot. If someone on Jellico's team steps up and knocks down shots I think Jellico will pull it out if not Coalfield has a chance to pick up a big road win. Should be a very entertaining game.

I think the District will be pretty much a 5 team race between Oakdale, Jellico, Coalfield, OZ, & Wartburg. I don't think Oneida has enough scoring to challenge over the course of a 12 game district schedule although they might surprise someone along the way. Sunbright will be challenged to win a district game with limited talent. Jellico has two nice wins to open up district play at Oakdale and handled Wartburg at home handily. Oakdale has a nice starting 5 offensively but with their style of play defensively they give up easy baskets which could hurt them over the stretch of district play (Personally I think they press to much). OZ has good potential but are struggling to put up wins right now (They are tough to beat at home). Coalfield has a nice team that will challenge everyone in the district (team will get better through the course of the season) and Wartburg is limited in talent right now but with Coach Layne calling the shots will grind it out and will be a tough out come tournament time. Should be a very fun and competitive regular season district schedule to determine seeding for the tournament.

The District is pretty much wide open. I think the top four teams in no particular order are Coalfield-Oakdale-Jellico-OZ. Wartburg is close to cracking that top 4. They will be coached up by Layne. With the tournament being played on a neutral site this year it's up for grabs and should be an exciting tournament. OZ has good size and experience, Jellico has the top player in district in Bowlin, Coalfield has good young talent, Oakdale returns plenty of experience. I think Oneida & Sunbright would have to be underdogs to claim a title.

Better be careful Kaz, someone might mistake you for flying off the deep end....... Oneida will have 28 in the first quarter and mercy rule will be effect for the whole 2nd half...... maybe even playing 8 minute running clock quarters the 2nd half. I'm pretty sure Jellico players and coaches have cashed their chips in....... your right they may be even getting ready for the round ball. I agree playing this game and then having a bye is not good. The first crew will be done by the middle of the 2nd quarter and then the bye week. Ole Coach Lambert will have to use his creative skills to keep the Indians hungry until playoff time rolls around. Something tells me the Indians will be ready though come playoff time especially playing at home on the reservation....... Stay calm Kaz.......... Lol

Even though they are a struggling program pujo, I don't think that will happen. I heard they had around 35 players out for football this year. Region 1 will be getting a struggling program which will only weaken that region.

According to the TSSAA, many complaints from coaches and administrators about enrollment differences within the classes. I personally don't think they should have changed anything until the classification cycle is up in two years.

It would make sense but I don't think they will. Region 1 will be Cloudland-Unaka-Hancock-Greenback-Jellico. Private school will lobby to stay in Region 2 and TSSAA will let them. Only public schools are plucked out to travel it seems.

Winning football games at programs that have been struggling usually lifts everyone spirits involved in the program. Good to see Oakdale having some success.

Word is out that the District 4-A Basketball Tournament this year has been moved to Anderson County High School. The District Athletic Directors met at Oliver Springs High School this week and voted to move the tournament to a neutral site for the 2014-2015 season. The tournament will move back to Wartburg High School the years that District 4 holds the region. Seems like a fair assessment since Wartburg has held the tournament for the past number of years. Anderson County is probably about an hour drive or less for schools involved. Really don't think the crowds will diminish playing at ACHS instead of Wartburg. Vote went as follows: Move to Neutral Site- Oneida-OZ-Jellico- Wartburg (I guess that got tired of hosting each year; much work involved) Keep at Wartburg- Oakdale, Sunbright, Coalfield. Should make for an interesting tournament atmosphere.

Jellico is a lock, they will be moving to upper east tennessee. They used to be there and they will be heading back. (3 hour bus rides are back for Jellico, Cloudland, & Unaka) I'm hearing Greenback from District 3 will move to upper east tennessee also. (Your guess is good as mine) Travel will be tough for all schools involved. Gates will diminish for everyone involved. Not sure what the answer is to solve problem with only 3 Class A football schools in upper east tennessee.