'Now I can taste a little gold': East Nashville boys basketball is TSSAA champion after runnerup disappointments

MURFREESBORO – Avery Patton has been part of more silver ball trophies than he cares to think about.

It's left a bitter taste in the East Nashville boys basketball coach's mouth — being part of two TSSAA basketball state runner-up teams.

But on Saturday, the Eagles finally had their first golden moment. And it was one to remember. East Nashville defeated Milan 72-55 to win the TSSAA Class 2A boys basketball state championship at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center. It came in the program's third title game appearance after it finished runner-up in 2011 and 2014.

"Gold is going to be sweet," said Patton, who completed his third season with a 33-3 record after being a longtime assistant prior to replacing former coach Jim Fey. "I can get that bitterness off my tongue. Now I can taste a little gold."

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State tournament MVP Jaylen Jones scored 20 points with seven assists and five rebounds in the championship. It capped a week where Jones, a junior point guard and No. 3 college prospect in the state according to the 247Sports Composite, averaged 14.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists.

"When we needed him to score, he scored," Patton said. "He is always looking for his teammates. I was on him all year about being more aggressive offensively shooting. 

"He felt suited to distribute to his own teammates. Today, when we needed him to score, he came out and scored."

East Nashville dominated from the start, grabbing a 39-25 halftime lead thanks to scoring 19 points off Milan's turnovers. The lead grew to as high as 27 with 1:49 left in the third quarter before Milan (25-8) trimmed the deficit to 66-54 with 1:42 left after Dyonte' Lumpkin's bucket.

But Jones scored on a layup to end the rally. East Nashville senior Jarrod Taylor added two free throws before one more layin.

East Nashville is just the fourth Metro Nashville Public School to win a boys basketball state championship since the TSSAA went to multiple classifications in 1972, joining Maplewood in 2017, M.L. King in 1991 and Pearl in 1981.

"I knew East Nashville, with all the great players that East has had have never won," Patton said. "That's what we were focused on — making history for East Nashville. I never knew there were just four since 1972."

Patton pointed to area private schools getting young local talent before they get to high school. But Metro Nashville is also an open-zoned school district, which prevents some athletic programs from getting the top athletes that may be zoned for their school.

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The title came on a day when most expected two Metro Nashville schools to be playing for a championship. But Class 4A tournament favorite Cane Ridge lost to Knoxville Bearden in the state quarterfinals

"We just knew we were the last (Nashville) team in the state tournament," Taylor said. "That means something for all of us. To see (Cane Ridge) go down, it was kind of sad. We know that we had the whole city on our back outside. They were rooting for us."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.