dirtydawg15

Whitehaven was 7-12 from 3 in the first half

Sevier Co. Bearden Cleveland Oakland Brentwood Franklin Whitehaven Memphis East 6/8 home teams win

Oak Ridge, Bearden, Cleveland, East Hamilton, Brentwood, Franklin, Bartlett, East

In the first half, I thought Bearden's 2nd chance points were the difference. Kesterson made some 3s to close the gap. Oak Ridge made a run and Bearden was able to answer in the 2nd half. Marcus Smith is a fantastic player. Pember had 10 blocks tonight.

Don't forget about Bartlett. They are #1 ranked team in the state. Whitehaven plays @ Bartlett on Monday. If Bartlett and East both qualify for state, they can be on the same side of the draw.

It will be even more interesting this year. Ques Glover is a finalist for Mr. Basketball. It would be odd if someone won District POY over him when he is recognized as one of the top 3 in AAA.

Pember controlled the entire game with his defense. Anderson had 11 points...probably 10 below his average. He had difficulty scoring and getting open looks with Pember guarding him and it disrupted everything they wanted to do offensively.

That guy is the worst official in East TN. If I was coaching, I would prefer a 2 man crew. Pay him and let him go home. He would want to stay though so he could make it about himself.

Bearden wins over Farragut 77-21...and I don't think it was that close. How is there not one good basketball player in that school?

Farragut @ Bearden. Friday December 7th at 7:30.

Oak Ridge and Maryville are out. Both Bearden and Powell advance to Sectionals on Monday night. Winner on Thursday hosts the game, loser travels to either Kingsport or Johnson City. Win sectionals and go to state.

Two really good games tonight at Bearden High School. In the first game, I don't know if anyone had a lead of more than about 4 points in the 2nd half between Powell and Maryville. Both teams were stuck on 48 for a while and then went to overtime at 55. I kept waiting for Maryville to take the lead and pull away and they never did. Joe Anderson hit a huge 3 to tie it with about 3 seconds left. (I think you have to foul in that situation) #32, Tripp, played huge for Powell and I thought #4, Giles, had a great game for Maryville. But the name of the game is survive and advance and Powell did just that. In the 2nd half of the doubleheader, I thought Oak Ridge started really well. They were getting after it defensively and running for easy baskets. Green is such a good coach. He knew everything that Bearden tried to do on offense and was calling plays for easy baskets in the first half. I think Bearden really missed Pember and adjusted to not having him out there. Oak Ridge went up 7 in the first half and Bearden tied it up going into halftime. Bearden adjusted well in the 2nd half and was able to make the plays to win the game. Oak Ridge was in foul trouble all night. Glover gets the headlines for Bearden, but I thought Robinson, Brown and London Stephney played outstanding tonight. Bearden ended up winning by 14, but it was a much closer game than that. I think it was a 4 point game with about 2 minutes left. The officiating crew for the first game I thought was great. Not so much in game 2...and I'm a Bearden supporter. Inconsistency at both ends and at one point in the 2nd half Oak Ridge was called for 4 consecutive fouls. You could kind of feel the game turning. It just seemed that the refs tried to assert themselves too much. I was sitting behind the scorer's table and even the demeanor of the two crews was vastly different. Region semifinals is always the best atmosphere all season. 4 great teams with fan bases/communities that come and support their boys. Powell @ Bearden Thursday night at 7:00

I believe how this works is that it will be at the highest seeded District 4 team still alive. So the winner of the Bearden/Maryville game will have the inside track to host. If they are both eliminated, then it will go to either Catholic or William Blount if they advance. If no District 4 team advances to the semifinals, then the region will be at Powell, the District 3 champion.

@Norman Dale that is one thing I forgot to mention. I haven't seen a team all year try to run with Bearden. Most are trying to slow it down and play half court while Bearden is trying to push the tempo. This one was up and down from the tip and a game that really suited the Bulldogs. Who knows? These teams might play a 3rd time.

Bearden wins 93-76. I haven't been to every game, but I have been to a lot of games and that is the best that Bearden has played this season...especially the first half. Bearden has struggled to get going at times, but it only took about 2 minutes tonight. Glover and Stephney led the way with Pember, Robinson and Brown doing their part. #22 for Cleveland had to have 25-30 points. I would be interested what Cleveland would say about comparing Bearden to the Gate City, VA team they played a few weeks ago. All in all, two very good basketball teams that are both expecting to make the trip to Murfreesboro in about a month.