Why Clinton boys basketball coach said TSSAA state tournament loss was so painful

MURFREESBORO —In a game with six lead changes and six ties, Clinton boys basketball was close enough to taste a semifinal appearance until the final moments of the Class 3A quarterfinal against Jackson South Side.

The Dragons, in their first TSSAA state tournament since 2004, came up four points short in a 52-48 loss Wednesday at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center.

It was an emotional ending for Clinton's eight seniors, though they entered the game against South Side as underdogs. The Hawks have competed in three consecutive state tournaments and four of the last five.

"They were just born in '04, the last time we were down here," coach Chris Lockard said. "I think our mindset was pretty good, but that is a concern coming in and getting somebody who's been there, done that ... but they've done everything that I could ask. I'm pretty tough on them, but I love them and they know that."

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Three Clinton seniors scored in double figures: Rishon Bright with 12, Lane Harrison had 14 and Jackson Garner had 16. The defense also held a South Side team that averages 67 points to 52. While he was proud that his team stepped up to play the Hawks so close, Lockard said it made the loss more painful.

"Rishon was really locked in and getting to the rim anytime for any shot he really wanted," Lockard said. "Lane is a mismatch nightmare, and wow, was he unbelievable tonight. They all played well, we really did. We just didn't make the shots we typically make. This is a hard one for me."

After big 3-pointers early in the first quarter, and one from Jeremiah Blauvelt to start the third, the Dragons finished 4-of-18 from beyond the arc, far below their average 39% shooting from three. They shot 28.6% from the free throw line.

Lockard has known several of the team's seniors since they began attending his camps in elementary and middle school, and all but two of the group have played together since sixth grade. Lockard said they have brought the culture of the program back to one of success — Clinton was 9-21 the season before the seniors' freshman year and had just one winning record from 2010-18. 

"We talked about renewing culture ... and I really think they've revamped us," Lockard said. "Somebody out there asked me if this was the best coaching job I've done, and it's not. Your best coaching jobs are done when you're .500 and you're trying to find a way to win. These guys, a lot of times, I just asked them what they want to do, and that's something I think they brought to the program: a new confidence, a new culture, a new way of sacrifice to do what you need to do for the team."

Garner's proudest moment from the season was not the region and district championships or reaching the state tournament. He said it meant the most that the team went undefeated in its home gym, the Donnie Dome, named for Lockard's father Donnie who coached the team from 1971-2000.

"We never lost a game at home. this season, and that's really special," Garner said. "It means everything for the city and that just makes it so much more fun to play for Clinton.

Contact Emily Adams at eaadams@gannett.com or on Twitter @eaadams6.