Eastern and Central Sub-State action were at the fore-front this past weekend with teams earning their spots for the upcoming state tournaments in the various age divisions.
Over in Nashville, the Tennessee Panthers took the 16U sub-state finishing 5-0 to wrap up their state tournament berth.
The Panthers started strong with a big 88-38 win in the opener behind 13 from Austin Douglas (Cheatham County) and a dozen from Jake West (Hendersonville).
Ross Plunkett (Creek Wood) led the charge in game #2 with 17 as the Panthers cruised 76-53. Douglas added 13 in the win.
Preston Brown (Hendersonville) dropped 16 while Austin Kirby (Hendersonville), Christian Bell (Mt. Juliet) and Kyree Elder (Cane Ridge) all added 12 as the Panthers moved to 3-0 with a big win.
Plunkett took charge in the semi-finals with a 16 point effort and Elder added 11 as the Panthers defeated Team Nashville to move to the final game.
Douglas and Plunkett scored 16 and 10 respectively in the final game for the Panthers as they conclude the weekend at 5-0.
In the Eastern Sub-State a dash of all three age groups, 15U, 16U and 17U were sprinkled throughout the weekend.
In the 17U Division five teams vied for the four spots at state in a round robin format. There was a three way tie for the top spot with the Tennessee Tigers, Tennessee Bobcats and Tennessee Express all finishing at 3-1. Tigers get the top vie the tiebreaker.
In the 16U division the standard format was in place as the Tennessee Triple Threat dominated the Chattanooga Elite in the title game 72-35. Jireh Wilson (Georgia) led the winners with 19 while rising sophomore Cole Copeland (Bradley Central) finished with 16.
The Tennessee Tigers and the Middle Tennessee Stars were the final two teams to also qualify for the state tournament.
In the 15U classification the Tennessee Vision behind 20 markers from Luke Smith (Knoxville Catholic) defeated Team Penny-White 54-51.
This game was close throughout with the Vision clinging to a narrow 45-44 lead with less than two minutes on the clock after a Smith bomb put them ahead.
Edwin Bailey (Memphis East) closed the gap to 1 with 30 ticks remaining before Smith closed the game out at the charity stripe.
Joining the Vision and Team Penny at state will be the Tennessee Fury and the Tennessee Travelers in the 15u division.
Here were some of the top scoring performances throughout the event in all age groups:
Chad Culbreath (Ripley) 29pts vs. Tennessee Bobcats 17s
Connor Arnold (Grace Christian) 27pts vs. Tennessee Travelers 15s
Josh Jones (Walker Valley) 25pts vs. Middle Tennessee Stars 16s
John Payne (Cookeville) 25pts vs. Tennessee Chosen Few 17s
Chad Culbreath (Ripley) 22pts vs. Tennessee Tunder 17s
Michael Gray (Creek Wood) 22pts vs. Tennessee Chosen Few 15s
Bo Hodges (Station Camp) 22pts vs. Team Penny
Mac Brower (East Hamilton) 21pts vs. Tennessee Chosen Few 15s
Jarrell Reeves (Oakland) 21pts vs. Tennessee Wizards 16s
John Bryant (Jefferson County) 20pts vs. Tennessee Thunder 17s
Cole Copeland (Bradley Central) 19pts vs. Middle Tennessee Stars 16s
Makale Foreman (Dobyns-Bennett) 20pts vs. Tennessee Thunder 17s
Caleb Hollander (Homeschool) 20pts vs. Tennessee Elite 16s
Dakota Quinn (Davidson Academy) 20pts vs. Tennessee Chosen Few 17s
Luke Wiseman (Arlington) 20pts vs. Tennessee Legends 15s
Kenny Benton (Walker Valley) 19pts vs. Tennessee Elite 16s
Josh Jones (Walker Valley) 19pts vs. Tennessee Elite 16s
John Woodruff (Carter) 18pts vs. Tennessee Chosen Few 17s
Emmanuel Sanders (Lipscomb Academy) 18pts vs. Tennessee Chosen Few 15s
