Know Nothing

Congrats to the Rebels. I knew that they would respond after a subpar performance against Powell. See you guys at the 'Boro.

If your team is Fulton, what about that 20 point butt-whipping Powell gave Fulton at Fulton on Senior Night? DB played hard and probably well, and Powell was still good enough to get by on a bad night. Deal with it. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

You might be a little bit surprised by what happens over at Powell tonight. D.B. may win the game, but I would be shocked if they "win easily." Also, if Maryville is able to control the tempo of the game against Science Hill, they could win. I definitely think that Wattad will be the best player on the court, but Maryville will almost certainly control the glass and paint. If Science Hill does not shoot well, watch out.

Wow. I had no idea that you guys had a banquet up there for the whole district. That is a terrific idea. I wish we did that in District 3AAA, or even Region 2AAA.

Basile did not play bad, he just did not get many looks. Powell definitely schemed around him in preparing for Maryville. Also, I love Basile's game, but I think he would be a better player if he lost about 10-15 pounds. He's not plump or hefty by any means, I just think he would be more dynamic if he lost a few pounds.

Hargis is a bit of a character. He's probably one of the toughest competitors you will ever come across. He has absolutely no fear on the basketball court. He's been playing varsity ball since he was a freshman. Should be a good matchup between Hargis and Throp.

Dobyns Bennett vs. Powell should be a really good matchup. The difference for Powell of late is a vastly improved defensive scheme. The better defense has led to more confidence on offense. I would venture to say that Powell may very well have the best perimeter shooting team in the entire state. They have four different guys that can take over a game by making threes. They just shot 33 for 63 in the Region Tournament from three as a team. Think about that for a minute. 33 for 63 as a team. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" /> If they keep it up, they will be a hand full. The only thing that Powell lacks is a true center. So far, Ogan and his boys have used that to their advantage. Many times the other team's big will guard Jason Seymore who is 6'4", very quick and shoots 48 %from the three point line. That is a tough matchup. I've heard that DB has some good guards and some decent athletes, but that they don't have much of a bench. Powell will have to contain Sensabaugh, Sylvester and Williamson. DB will have to contain Chris Conner, Matt Hargis, Tyler Howell and Jason Seymore, which no one has done for awhile. I think that all signs point toward a Powell win in substate by 8.

Really? A freshman? Dang, I thought he was a sophomore. Justin Walker would be a good choice as well. I'm probably forgetting others. A few more possibilities: Zach Cantrell (Halls) Jason Seymore (Powell) Jared Stephens (Oak Ridge)

Update on Wiggins -- He's chillin' at the house. /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Prepxtra and KIL Player of the Year -- Chris Conner (Powell) Prepxtra and KIL Sophomore of the Year -- James Gallman (Fulton) Prepxtra Coach of the Year -- Lee Henson (Karns) All-Prepxtra -- in no particular order Cameron Sharp (Halls) Shannon Hollingsworth (Fulton) Darryl Flourence (Austin-East) Quinche Dowdell (Oak Ridge) Jordan Roth (Karns) Jesse Booher (Karns) Antwaine Wiggins (Greeneville) Matt Hargis (Powell) D.J. Shannon (Wartburg) Kent Basile (Maryville) Will Akers (Farragut) Zach Onusic (Farragut) Demonte Simpson (Bearden)

No other opinions on this great game? /unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":unsure:" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" />

Not to brag, but I was pretty darn close to getting the scores right in the semi-finals. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Powell vs. Maryville -- These two teams did not against each other in the regular season. However, this has been a really good rivalry. Ironically, the last two times these teams have played, the games were at West High School in Holiday Tournaments. Both games were classics, won by Maryville at the buzzer. This will be a match-up of contrasting styles. Clearly, Powell is undersized against Maryville in the paint. I look for Powell to change defenses often and try to pack it in and force Maryville to shoot outside. If Douglas gets in foul trouble, quite a bit of the size advantage disappears. I also think that Conner can score inside on those guys, but is better suited to outside play. Conner is 8 of 10 from three in the Region Tournament. That is pretty darn strong. Damron vs. Hargis will be a fun match-up to watch at the point. Two good competitors there. Like I said, it is a hard game to read. No offense to Farragut, but Powell is probably the best outside shooting team Maryville has faced all year long. And no offense to Bearden, but if Powell is up by double digits, it will be hard to come back against Conner and Hargis. For awhile now, I have thought that Powell is a team of destiny. Powell by 4.

Congrats to Powell and Maryville for making it to substate!! It is a great acheivement that those boys will remember their whole life. Congrats also to Karns and Bearden for fine seasons, especially Karns who probably over-achieved this year by using teamwork and superior effort. I will miss watching Booher and Roth!! Powell was awesome in the third quarter tonight. Karns only scored two points in the period. That was the difference in the game. Conner was great, going 5 for 6 from three-point land. I heard a Karns coach say that Hargis had triple double. He was very tough. I left at half-time of the second game and was surprised to hear that Maryville came back and won. It looked like Bearden was in control. Maryville is a dangerous team. They are big, fast and athletic. The Championship game should be a real doozie!!

I'm sure that Carson Newman would love Conner, but I am hearing through the grapevine that he might go to UT-Chattanooga.

I think you are trying to say that 4AAA is stronger than 3AAA. That may be true, but Powell is 3-0 against 4AAA this year beating Farragut twice and Bearden once. All those wins were on the road. I think that the brackets are just fine. How would it make for a better tournament? This year you will have a 4AAA vs. 3AAA team for the championship. Both number 1 seeds advanced. Why would you want to change the brackets?

Powell has to control Roth and Booher. Someone made the point that in Karns' recent one-point win over Powell, Matt Hargis did not play. Hargis is Powell's starting point guard and is arguably one of the best point guards in East Tennessee. When he plays well, Powell is hard to beat.

Powell/Karns is at 6. UT/UF is at 9. No reason you can't see both. I will.

The other Region 2-AAA thread has been high-jacked by a Farragut student, so I thought I would start another one. I got three out of four on my predictions for the first round, thinking that Halls would beat Bearden. Here's my take on the second round: Karns vs. Powell -- These team split this year, with Powell winning an early season double overtime game and Karns winning in February by 1. Matchup-wise, this game should favor Powell. Powell's guards are quick enough and athletic enough to guard Booher and Roth, and Powell's front-line has a clear advantage in Conner and Seymore. In fact, Karns has no one on their team who can shut down Conner. However, Karns' "Air Force/Princeton"-style offense is very hard to guard man-to-man. Powell will have to find some way of guarding Karns that eliminates their transition three. I think it will be a great game for three quarters. Karns has been on a high for quite a while, and I just think that they have peaked. Look for Powell to break open a close game late and win going away. Powell by 11. Bearden vs. Maryville -- I really thought Halls would beat Bearden, so that fact that they are here surprises me. Bearden's guard play has not been that good this year, but it has gotten significantly better lately. Their guards have good size, if not great athleticism, and it probably gave Halls fits. Moreover, Jenkins and Simpson are very good post players. Having said all that, Maryville is more physical and talented in the post than Halls was and my guess is that Maryville advances. They are playing good basketball and they will have to keep Douglas out of foul trouble or Jenkins and Simpson could make a difference. Another concern is that sometimes Maryville goes ice cold shooting the ball (first Oak Ridge game). They can't have any long dry spells, because Mark Blevins knows how to coach with a lead. Maryville by 7.

The news said Bearden 68-63. It said that Bearden got out to a big lead early. Halls came back, but Bearden held on for the win.

Semi-final matchups: Powell vs. Karns Bearden vs. Maryville Congrats to these teams on reaching the final four. That's two years in a row for Maryville, Bearden and Powell.

were you the kid that got thrown out of the game? is that the reason you only saw the first half? Powell played really well and controlled the glass, which is why they won the game. Powell did shoot the eyes out of it, but they have for most of the year, so that is no surprise.

FYI -- The Oak Ridge/Maryville game will tipoff at 5:00 due to a scheduling conflict at the school. All other first round games will start at 7. I'm thinking Powell vs. Halls for the Championship.

Oak Ridge at Maryville: This game matches two pretty evens teams. Maryville is better outside, but they do not run the ball in transition as well as Oak Ridge. Despite Douglas, I think that Oak Ridge is better inside. Last time they played, Maryville ran a sluff man defense and it worked for awhile. Oak Ridge is athletic enough to give Maryville problems. If this game were on a neutral floor, I would take Oak Ridge, but on their home floor I think Maryville squeeks by the Wildcats. Powell at Farragut: Powell is a hard team to figure out. The last three years though they have peaked at tournament time. Look for that trend to continue. I don't think that Farragut has anyone to match up with Conner. He torched Farragut last time. Farragut is a team of basically four three men and a two guard. They are tough to match up with and they are well-coached. Last time, Powell played an extended 3-2 zone and controlled the glass. It will be much closer this time, but I think Powell wins by ten on late free throws. Bearden at Halls: This is a rematch of a first round game last year where Bearden blistered Halls. Halls should win this game, but I don't know that they will be able to recover from last night's game in time to win. They are playing at home and it should be a huge crowd. Halls is certainly better at the point guard position. Segars will have a tough time with Bearden's personnel. Inside, it is about a draw with a slight edge to Bearden because of athleticism. Playing at home will be the difference and Halls wins by ten. William Blount at Karns: Should be a no-brainer. Karns coming off a huge couple of wins (Oak Ridge, Halls) and WB coming off a butt-kicking. The key is how will Karns react to their success. That was such an emotional win last night and you never know how high school kids will react coming off something like that. My guess is that this game is decided very late and that Roth or Booher makes a clutch shot to win by less than 5.

Second round games are Tuesday night at 6 and 7:30 at West High School.

How bad is Lambert's ankle? It is a darn shame if he can't go tonight. Maybe he'll be able to come back for the Region games.