Why another last-second TSSAA basketball tournament loss prompted Bartlett boys coach to ask: 'Is it me?'

MURFREESBORO – Coach Dion Real contained his emotions as best as he could after Bartlett suffered a 41–39 loss to Cookeville on a last-second shot in the Class 4A TSSAA boys basketball state tournament semifinals on Friday morning.  

It wasn’t until senior guard Christian Alston said he wanted to win a state title for Real more than he did for himself that Real held his head down, wiping the streaming tears from his eyes.  

Bartlett’s loss to Cookeville, the second time in three years the Panthers lost in the state tournament on a last-second shot, opened old wounds for Real.  

"You start looking in the mirror, can you get over the hump?” Real said. 

He’s not necessarily ready to walk away from Bartlett or even coaching. But after another close loss in the state tournament, it made him think.  

“Is it me?” Real added. “And that’s one thing, I say; I never want to be in the way of a community from being very good.” 

In 2022, the Panthers were stunned by Dobyns-Bennett at the buzzer. That was also in the TSSAA 4A semifinals. 

Bartlett (32-5) never got a shot off in Friday’s loss after the inbound went to R’Chaun King with 2.7 seconds left.  

Cookeville (32-2) stole the ball from King as he turned to go up for the potential game-tying shot. On Cookeville’s previous possession, it was a well drawn up play as Colin Ayers dribbled from the backcourt to the right and toward the basket, causing the defense to collapse on him. That left Joseph Owens wide open inside for an easy layup with 4.5 seconds left.  

Deja vu.  

Dobyns-Bennett stunned Bartlett in 2022 with a buzzer-beater before beating Bearden for a state championship that season.  

Christian Alston, who finished with 20 points, struggled to hold back his tears as he felt that all-too-familiar feeling of coming up short, playing on the last team Bartlett brought to the state tournament.  

"I wouldn’t rather be at any other high school my four years,” Alston said. “I feel like coach Real has prepared me for anything, walking out of Bartlett High School.” 

2024 STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKETS:TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2024 brackets

King, who transferred from Link Academy, came with a goal of doing the one thing he hadn’t accomplished yet in his career, which features a GEICO Nationals championship with Link, and that’s a state title.  

"I’m really proud of the team and I really just appreciate coach Real for taking me in and accepting me as a player,” King said. 

But in the end, the Panthers came up short. And not even returning to the state tournament after a year hiatus will make Friday’s loss feel any better.  

"I don’t want to be in the way of winning when it matters,” Real said. “I may need to go do this somewhere else and start all over again.” 

Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @wynstonw__.