CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville High boys basketball hosted Memphis East to determine who moved on to the state tournament. The Wildcats looked to knock off the Mustangs to continue their winning streak, and the team did so in dominant fashion in their sectional with a 84-75 victory.
Clarksville wasted no time in the first quarter to jump out to an early lead. Through 5 minutes of play, the team outscored Memphis East 14-3. While the Mustangs started out slow, the team stuck with their game plan. They emphasized getting the ball into the interior which worked in their favor in the remainder of the first quarter. As their offense picked up, they still struggled to slow down Clarksville on the other end of the court.
One of the buckets down the stretch of the quarter included Wildcat JJ Wheat knocking down a 3-point field goal at the buzzer. The 3-pointer capped off a 12 point quarter by the senior. With the trifecta, Clarksville went up by 12 points in one quarter of basketball.
The momentum stayed with Clarksville through the entirety of the second quarter. Memphis East kept the deficit manageable by getting to the free throw line consistently, but the team struggled to knock down field goals from the floor. This trend played a key component in the overall point production by each side. As a point of reference, the Mustangs would only make 7 total field goals in the first half compared to the Wildcats 13. At the half Clarksville led 38-25.
Second half
Memphis East came out of the half poised to make a run to get back into the game. They continued to feed the post while players looked for an open lane to drive to the hoop. They found more success doing so in the third quarter, but could not cut down on the deficit.
Clarksville’s ability to continuously score from all three levels of the floor paid dividends through three quarters of play. The team’s offensive production delayed any kind of comeback the Mustangs had in mind. The Wildcats expanded on their lead to make it a 59-41 game as the third quarter concluded.
The point differential and scare time that remained played to Clarksville’s advantage as the game advanced through the final quarter. At the four minute mark the Wildcats led by 12 points, but Memphis East did not quit.
Due to the Mustangs effort, aggressive play and Clarksville High miscues, the visitors eventually were only down six points with a minute to go. In the end, Clarksville put their opponents away with clutch defensive stops and free throws.
During sectional play, JJ Wheat reached 2,000 career points in route to the team’s win – a milestone that only a select few have reached in Clarksville High history.
Post game
Clarksville coach Ted Young spoke on his team’s ability to create shots saying, “The first quarter set the tone for the team. We worked on where we thought open shots would be in practice and translated that to the court tonight. Our ability to move the ball at times tonight was perfect and left us with wide open shots that we have practiced everyday since November. Of course playing on our home floor was a key factor in tonight’s win as well.”
Young touched on this being his sixth time he has qualified for state as head coach. Each time one of his teams appeared, it was done so in back to back seasons. Young credited his players’ work ethic and mentality, which played crucial roles in the team returning to state.
Clarksville High takes on a talented Lebanon High team on Tuesday, March 16, at Middle Tennessee State University.
Scoring leaders
Clarksville: JJ Wheat – 31 points; Jahiem Berry – 23 points; Arnett Hines – 11 points; Joseph Schreiber-Rivera – 10 points; Kellen Howard – 5 points; Daferlin Walls – 4 points
Memphis East: EJ Smith – 18 points; Jamarion Harvey – 17 points; Alijah Curry – 13 points; Trey Richmond – 13 points; Kenji Lewis – 3 points; Joshua Thompson – 3 points; Zackery Hayslett – 2 points