MURFREESBORO – The Cookeville Cavaliers will compete for a basketball state championship for the first time in school history.
The Cavs defeated nationally-ranked Bartlett 41-39 on Friday morning at the Murphy Center to advance to the Class 4A state championship game.
“Those juniors and seniors, they’re tough,” said CHS head coach Josh Heard. “They’ve been through the fights before. We came in at halftime and once again, the seniors were leading the way. Our defense just stayed steady, they never fell off..”
The Cavs opened up the game red-hot from the field. Josh Heard made two threes in the opening quarter and Jack Oakley added another as they held a slim early lead. The Panthers, who boasted a taller lineup CHS, pounded the ball inside and secured several offensive rebounds to keep pace as they took a 16-15 lead into the second quarter.
The Panthers expanded their lead in the second as CHS struggled to secure rebounds. Four points in the frame on jumpers by Colin Ayers kept the deficit to single-digits as Bartlett led 28-19 at halftime.
The CHS defense controlled the third quarter, holding the Panthers to four points in the frame. Heard crossed-over a defender and buried a triple late in the frame as Bartlett’s lead was cut to 32-30 after three quarters.
Heard gave the Cavs their first lead since the opening quarter with five straight points. The teams then traded points before three-star guard Christian Alston buried a three to tie the game at 39 in the final minute. Then, out of a CHS timeout, Ayers drove the lane and fired a pass to junior Joseph Owens who made a layup to give Cookeville the 41-39 lead. A last-second play by Bartlett resulted in a turnover as the Cavs secured the first state championship appearance in school history.
“I told them we haven’t made history yet, but we will in a few minutes,” said coach Heard about the final play. “Jo made a great play in getting to his spot and getting open, and a great player found him. You put the ball in smart players’ hands, into your playmakers’ hands, and good things can come out of it.”
Heard led the Cavs with 18 points, including four three pointers. Ayers scored nine with five rebounds. Jack Oakley tallied six points. Jalen Head scored four while Owens and Davis each scored two.
The Cavaliers will take on the winner of Independence and Rossview in the Class 4A state championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Murphy Center. The game will be audio streamed on the UCR Facebook page and YouTube channel.
“It means a lot to the city of Cookeville, it means a lot to this brotherhood,” said Heard. “To get to a spot where we wanted to get to…I told everyone (after the quarterfinals), we still have two more games. I’m just happy for those guys.”
