LesterJWayne

Congratulations to both York and UHS making the State Tournament! 2 ladies teams and 2 guys teams from 8aa is a tremendous accomplishment for the district. 

1 hour ago, CASC95 said:

I attended this game. I'm not from UHS or York. I haven't watched either team this year. What I saw was a York team come in and make some difficult shots in the first half. If they miss those shots, UHS would have won going away because some of the shot selection of York's shots were questionable. But when you hit shots, you look good and York hit those and they got favorable bounces off the rims.

Having said that.....UHS hand checks and bumps from the backside a lot. When a player is out of position, those bumps will get called every time. I am not surprised that UHS got so many fouls called against them, they are "handsy." It didn't help that UHS coach was complaining about so many calls. In fact, one of the refs gave him a warning due to being outside of the coaches box. I can't say I blame the ref in that case.

The ref (yes, one ref) set the tone from the start of this game. UHS didn't adjust and York made shots.

UHS appears to be very deep, but credit York for making big shots.

Perhaps there were calls that went for York, but there appeared to be a few that went for UHS. But, it is not a good look to complain about every other foul (from players and coaches). Because, I can almost guarantee it will not help officiating. Sure, I would be in favor to let the officials know that was a terrible call, but not all the time. In the end, the latter makes one look like a complainer.

There's certainly some validity to what you've stated, but typically an official might make a statement call or 2 during the course of a game in reaction to complaining or what have you. With the discrepancy as wide as I've explained that occured in the game last night, there certainly seems to be much more intention there and ultimately it did decide the game. There were certainly plenty of bumps by York that went uncalled. In fact, I'm not sure the one official that made so many touch fouls against UHS and gave the coach's box warning ever made a call against York. The few calls that went in favor of UHS were made by 1 of the other 2 officials, but they didn't make a fraction of the calls the one official made overall. There's just simply no way to justify a total foul count discrepancy that wide (24-11). York simply did not play that much cleaner than UHS. The officials created an insurmountable advantage in favor of York with such a wide discrepancy in the sheer number of fouls called and FTA allowed.

48 minutes ago, 8AAalltheway said:

I didn't go to the game last night, but I think poor officiating is something that teams have to deal with. Unfortunately, it's just part of the game, like bad turnovers or bad a shooting night. I would argue that Upperman is in a better position than most teams to withstand foul trouble. They have more depth than any other team in 8AA. Did anyone foul out? Also, UHS hasn't been in very many close games this year which may have hurt them down the stretch 

I completely agree that good teams should be able to overcome poor officiating, but this wasn't just poor officiating. Poor officiating misses calls both ways, but at the end of the game the total foul count and FTA for each team is relatively close. This was blatantly obvious biased officiating. We're talking about a +13 advantage in overall foul calls (24-11) in favor of York for the game, which resulted in probably a +20 in FTA for York for the game. If they shoot 70%, that's basically spotting them 14 points. They won by 5! Also, York was in the bonus with about 6 minutes to go in the first half. They got to the double bonus both halves and UHS never even got the bonus either half. End of game situation when UHS was fouling, York is getting 2 shots every time and they missed the first at least 3 times and then made the second.

Rush fouled out at the end, but the bigger issue in that regard was the few players that got into foul trouble in the 1st half that limited the rotation and created some bad defensive matchups for UHS and somewhat negated the UHS depth, which as you've said is a strength for them.

And again, the coach's box warning against the UHS coach was blatant. I'm not sure if the UHS bench insulted the officials or the crowd complaining affected them or like I said they have some desire to help region 3 get the perceived better matchup. I have no idea the reason, but this game was ultimately decided by the officiating crew and not the kids playing the game.

21 minutes ago, tnhoosier said:

Upperman fans complaining about officiating in a boys or girls game is ironic.  They both get favorable results from officials in almost every game they play in the Upper Cumberland.  Both coaches “work” the district/local officials from every opening whistle and reap the benefits.  The difference is those officials are not present in region contests.

In the region they face what every district coach opposing Upperman faces In every game before the regions......little to zero consideration.

 Honestly for the first time in four games York didn’t settle for jacking 3s.  They attacked Baxter in the paint.  Did they get the benefit of a couple calls, I’d agree. But can’t anyone say York was not the more aggressive, downhill team.

 Did York get away with one here or there, probably.  It happens... Upperman has been on the fortunate end of that stick over this season & more often than not over the last few years.

 Unlike the Upperman fans that have posted, hopefully both 8AA teams go to Murfreesboro.
 

More importantly,  Jamestown Is wishing the best for Baxter and their recovery from the tornado.

Complete fabrication but a popular one none the less most likely due to the continued success of both UHS teams. The reality is that the foul count is typically relatively even in most UHS games I've seen. There's no way to justify a foul count discrepancy of 24-11 in any single game. That's not a few missed calls my man.

And York was not any more aggressive or downhill than UHS tonight. In fact, they went to stall ball most of the 4th quarter and TOs almost bit them, but the officials squelched every run UHS made with foul calls and FTs for York. I'm for both 8aa teams going to the Boro, but I don't think York has enough depth and they don't win tonight without a tremendous amount of help. Honestly they don't even have 5 players. Nick folds under pressure and the 5th starter is basically non-existent. Rog, Noah, and the other kid are all solid, but 3 guys won't beat Tyner.

58 minutes ago, GermyPrewit said:

In true UHS fashion aight. The refs rode York’s bus .. so they were obligated to call it a York’s way. There is no way York played a cleaner game.

Nope, York definitely didn't play a cleaner game. I can think of at least 6 no calls that should have went in favor of UHS. Allen and Gore were both hit hard multiple times going to the basket and didn't get the call. Allen had an obvious And 1 in the 2nd half that went uncalled right in front of an official. Gore was knocked to the floor on an illegal screen in the first half right in front of an official and when the UHS coach complained the official told him he didn't see a foul there? I personally saw all of it from the stands. It was obvious. Babic and Rush both got bodied inside all night and I think they went to the line maybe once apiece. Meanwhile York shot 30 FT to UHS maybe 10. This is the 4th time these teams have played this year. York didn't miraculously become the cleaner team in a week. If all of that wasn't obvious enough, the lead official calling an official TO to give the UHS coach a coach's box warning when he was literally kneeling on the hash mark with the ball at the opposite end of the court was over the top arrogant and obvious. I'm not sure the officials are necessarily in bed with York, but they were obviously against UHS. Maybe their from the Chattanooga region and want to help provide the best path for those teams. UHS has the best shot of any region 4 team to get to the Boro and they still do, but going to Howard will be incredibly tough. I don't think York has any chance even playing at home. Literally ZERO depth and those 5 guys are going to get ran off the court.

Tyner should wipe the floor with York. They only play 5 kids. Bring the pressure and run them up and down the floor and Tyner wins going away in the second half just like UHS did the first 3 times they played this year. UHS wasn't allowed to do that tonight because they got a foul called every time they blinked. Foul count was 24-11 in York's favor. York was in the double bonus both halves and UHS never even got to 1 and 1 either half. Tell me that didn't make a difference in a 5 point game. If the game was even close to evenly officiated, UHS wins going away for the 4th time. Unfortunate that such a big game had to be decided by such biased officiating. As bad as I've ever seen. I've not seen the official numbers but I would guess that York shot 30 FT to less than 10 for UHS. That's nearly impossible to overcome. Amazing that UHS was within 5.

Upperman battles Watertown tomorrow night at Watertown to hold on to the top spot. Watertown is well coached and always tough at home, but I think the Bees will be able to pull away in the end. What do you guys think?

42 minutes ago, Iceman2000 said:

We can beat Lebanon and we get to see if we can play better vs Cookeville.  Two good games to play.  Finding the right combination of starters and playing time for each kid is very important.  Moonshiner you going today.

We play at 530 today vs Lebanon and 530 tomorrow vs Cookeville.  Both at Watertown High school.  Good luck Tigers. 

Lebanon is 7-1 and their only loss is to Mt Juliet, arguably one of the top AAA teams in the state, by 6 points. They also won at Cookeville. Anything is possible, but I would say it's far more likely Lebanon wins fairly easily. You're probably setting yourself up for disappointment if you expect Dekalb to win that game.

Upperman

York

Cannon

Upperman and York have to be the favorites with the Bees having a slight edge. Livingston with Sells will obviously be competitive. Watertown will be in the conversation. Cannon Co is my sleeper pick and I honestly think they and Watertown can compete with LA. Put Dekalb, Macon, and Smith in a hat and draw for 6-8.

Looking forward to it!

2 hours ago, LadyCavsFan said:

Dribbling the ball out and spreading the court with the lead is basketball.    You see the team with the lead dribbling the ball and running the clock out in every game, on every night, across America.  That isn't new.  But I have NEVER seen a party at half court with nearly 2 min left in the game.   UHS won't need any motivation next game.  Just press play...  I can tell by their faces the Upperman players don't like it one bit.  This next game may be spectacular.

It is basketball without a shot clock, which IMHO is not very good basketball and definitely isn't fun to watch. Hence the introduction of the shot clock in the first place. Also, there are states that use a shot clock for high school games (ie. CA for one). Again, just my personal opinion and I don't fault Macon for doing it. I also do not fault coach McWilliams for the decision she made down 17 with 1.5 minutes to go. 

18 minutes ago, LadyCavsFan said:

Ok I had heard this happened but I have never seen something like this before.   Wow!  That’s all I got....wow!  Someone please explain this... I thought this was pregame or during timeout!  Did it really happen for almost 2 min?

 

This was the final 1:30 of the game. Macon has basically dribbled out the clock the entire 4th quarter of the last two games against UHS. I'm not saying I blame them, but just saying this is what they are going to do if they take a decent lead into the 4th quarter against any competitive team. Down 17 with 1.5 minutes to play last night, coach McWilliams just told her players to stop chasing them and fouling, which resulted in what you see in the video. It is a prime example of why we desperately need a shot clock rule for TN high school basketball. Again, I'm not faulting Macon because I'm not sure I wouldn't do the same thing, but it's incredibly boring and kind of a bad look.

York is a very talented, well balanced team that can compete with about anyone.

Watertown starts 4 seniors. They're scrappy and tough to put away. They defend well and just keep coming at you. York swept them relatively easily. They played LA within single digits all 3 games, but lost each time. They split with UHS winning by 10 in Watertown. 

What happened with Cumberland Co during that 8 game losing stretch in the middle of the season? All of their game scores look close except for those 2 blowout losses to Stone, but they're overall record is obviously less than stellar.

Anyone have results from the 7AA district tournament?

Both 8AA games Tue night should be great. I think 8AA has a legitimate shot at sweeping the opening round of the region tournament. Going to Cumberland Co and Grundy will be difficult, but not impossible for York or Watertown.

3 hours ago, Dragonfans123 said:

Considering the ref that I am referencing about is a former coach to one of York’s players.

The word has gotten around since he was the ref at UHS, and yet again he’s the ref at the district tournament at Tech. So yes it is a fact that the ref is a teacher in one of the schools in Baxter. 

Yes York had a good game but it cheating when the ref is calling the game for UHS.

 

**Edit** it even confirms it on the schools website that the ref is a teacher in a  Baxter school for the 2018-2019 school year.

So the fact that the official previously coached one of York's players has no relevance, but being a teacher in a "Baxter school" makes him an obvious cheater for the Bees arranged by Bobby and Dana McWilliams? Sounds totally reasonable...

Given this obvious set up, it's really difficult for me to understand how the Bees' star center picked up his 4th foul and had to sit from half way through the 3rd quarter until about 4 minutes left in the game. Probably just part of the cover up, so the scheme wouldn't be so obvious. Amazing that your keen eye was able to identify this. If I were you, I would report it immediately (gmenees@tssaa.org). Since "the word has gotten around" though, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the whole conspiracy is brought to light.

**Edit** Bees 61 York Institute 57
Collin Gore 30 pts, 6 rbs, 4 ast
Isaiah Allen 10 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast
Alex Rush 10 pts, 12 rbs, 4 blks

2 hours ago, Dragonfans123 said:

Only reason UHS can make it to the finals is cause the McWillams make sure to have a ref that refs there games (against York) that teaches at Baxter. 

 

If York lost up right to UHS that’s one thing. But when you know and can see a ref cheating that’s another. 

LOL! Take your tinfoil hat off and come back to reality sweetpea.

York was good last night. The Bees were better. It was a great game and a shame that you would try to tarnish that with your obvious ridiculousness.

LA and UHS in the championship! Should be a good one. Two great games tonight.

It's tournament time!

Click here for the tournament bracket

Who takes the championship this year?

The boys’ All-District 8-AA award winners are as follows:

Player of the Year: Matthew Sells, Livingston Academy
Coach of the Year: Jimmy Miller, Livingston Academy
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Rush, Upperman
Freshman of the Year: Nicholas Smith, York Institute
Most Improved Player: RayQuan Verge, Watertown

1st Team
Matthew Sells, Livingston Academy
Collin Gore, Upperman
Cody Ray, Livingston Academy
Alex Rush, Upperman
Noah Smith, York Institute
Roger Meadows, York Institute

2nd Team
Cameron Welch, Macon Co.
Heath Price, Watertown
RayQuan Verge, Watertown
Case Moody, York Institute
Isaiah Allen, Upperman

3rd Team
Nathan Atkins, DeKalb Co.
Jaydon Kanipe, Upperman
Landrick Leffew, York Institute
Trent Cook, Macon Co.
Tanner Marshall, Smith Co.

Honorable Mention
Luke Alexander, Cannon Co.
Jacob Raines, Cannon Co.
Wade Love, Cannon Co.
Blake Bush, Cannon Co.
Dallas Cook, DeKalb Co.
Tanner Poss, DeKalb Co.
Will McDonald, Livingston Academy
Mitchell Ayers, Livingston Academy
Cayden Jones, Livingston Academy
Clay West, Macon Co
Kelton Ballou, Macon Co.
Jace McWilliams, Upperman

All Defensive Team
Alex Rush, Upperman
Cody Ray, Livingston Academy
Dallas Cook, DeKalb Co.
Heath Price, Watertown
Cayden Jones, Livingston Academy
Jaydon Kanipe, Upperman
Case Moody, York Institute

All Freshman Team
Nicholas Smith, York Institute
Austin DuCrest, Smith Co.
Gus Davenport, Cannon Co.
Braydee Brooks, Macon Co.
Dennis West, Smith Co.
Jyron McClellan, Upperman

Smith played much better than anything I've seen from them this season. They turned it over a ton the first time they played UHS. Last night, they limited turnovers, made shots, and played much better D forcing UHS to make tough shots resulting in the Bees not shooting as well as the first time they played. It was a good game that remained close the whole way. Upperman didn't play their best, but a lot of credit to Smith for being a major cause of that. There are no easy road games in this district. Dekalb gave LA a run last night too.

43 minutes ago, Dexter10 said:

Smith led most of the game against Upperman tonight lost at the end

Score was tied at 26 at the half. Upperman led 42-39 after 3 and won 58-52. Game stayed close in the 2nd half but I don't remember Smith ever leading.