Austin East vs. Fulton (District 3AA Championships)

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Ring the bell....Round 3 begins tomorrow.

Austin East and Fulton tangle for the 3AA district tournament crown after the Roadrunners defeated the Falcons twice during the regular season.

This not unusual for the Falcons who always seem to come to life come tourney time.

Fulton will host the district giving the Falcons a home advantage but with the proximity of the schools that is usually not a factor.

Jalen Steele and James Gallman (Fulton) will be a factor, as will, Chance Jones, Chase Jones, Travai Pryor and Brandon Lopez for the Runners.

The key to this game could be the unsung hero, for the Falcons junior Robert Boyd and for AE, senior guard Jamal Lundy.

Come early or don't come at all......

Liberty Tech vs. JCM (District 13AAA Championships)

The rubber game!!!

For those not familair with that saying, it's the third game in a series after both teams have one a game apiece.

So it stands for Liberty Tech and JCM as the two teams split in the regular season and shared the regular season district crown.

The Crusaders will look to one up their district rivals behind the play of senior guard Ricky Williams.

Scoring will need to come from juniors Tarius Johnson and Cordero Williams.

JCM will count on their triumvirate of  Desmond Lee, Kaneal Windom and Liberty transfer Jarston Clark.

This could be a nice stepping stone into region for one of these teams..........who will it be?

Collinwood vs. Summertown (District 12A Championship)

Those in this part of the state know this rivalry is intense. Summertown dominated the first meeting and then Collinwood took the second and came up with the district regular season crown to boot.

Now the rubber game to be held at Mt. Pleasant, so neutral court and all.

Summertown will ride the strong back of Class A Mr. Basketball candidate Wes Long and fellow senior Logan Harville. The Summertown pressure will be tested in this contest.

Tyler Thompson (Collinwood) leads a Collinwood squad that has played exceptional in the past month and has the depth to give the press of Summertown some trouble.

This should be an instant classic, but a loss is not the end of the world as both squads head to region action later in the week.

 

Craigmont @ Raleigh-Egypt (2/10)

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Another big time rematch looms tomorrow with Craigmont making the trek to the Pharoahs den for a little thing we call district supremacy.

Craigmont won the first battle but the boys from RE are playing with a purpose right now and nothing short of the 'boro will be acceptable.

Craigmont has been deep and talented all season getting great play from different people each and every game.

The core of the Pharoahs offense is also predicated on depth and the key to this match-up will be the play of talented senior Anthony Jones.

His size and athleticism may seperate him from the pack but for those who reside in the Western part of the state, thou shalt not miss this contest.

 

Upperman @ Livingston Academy (2/13)

The rematch!!!

Those words make sports fans tingle with excitement.

Revenge!!!

Those words make coaches and players ripe with anticipation.

So if I told you there was a chance for a rematch with a twist of revenge, is that something you would be interested in.

Look no further than Friday night as the Bees from Upperman travel to the "Hog-Eye" to tangle with Chase and the boys from Livingston.

Upperman put the only district blot on the LA Dream Teams squeeky clean district sheet dropping them 81-69 behind the hoops firm of Baxter and Nash, who had 24 and 23 respectively.

Livingston will be ready for the rematch but dont expect the Bees to simply buzz them through, oh no, this will be a heavyweight bout to the finish.

After all this hype, I think I will make the trip to LA and get myself a front row seat for this one.

Dobyns Bennett @ Science Hill (2/10)

Some things never change.

Science Hill rolls into this highly anticipated district clash with guns a blazing and waiting on the other side are the Indians from Dobyns Bennett.

The Hilltoppers currently lead the district at 13-1 and have a win over DB so expect this game to feature intensity and the fierce rivalry atmosphere you come to expect when these two upper East Tennessee powers clash.

The Hilltopper back court will be leaned upon to provide scoring and leadership, Josh Odom and Chris Smith, will need to counteract the Indian inside presence.

Jordan Edwards (Dobyns Bennett) finds himself at a good place in his career coing off a sterling effort last week, he could be the force that the Hilltoppers find to much for themselves to overcome.

This is a must see...so if you live in the area..see it...its a must.

Science Hill @ Tennessee High (2/3)

Science Hill stands atop the district 1AAA standing at the present but Tennessee High welcomes them into Viking Hall with other thoughts in their collective heads.

Both squads have 11 district wins but the Toppers have one les in the loss column.

Josh Odom (Science Hill) has been scoring at a steady pace since the holidays and is ready to bring this trophy back to where it seems to always roost.

The Vikings have played inspired hoops this season and have other plans for the district crown, such as keeping it here.

West Carroll @ Big Sandy (2/6)

An important clash in district 13A as the current leader West Carroll battles Big Sandy for district hardware.

Thomas Greer (West Carroll) leads a good West Carroll squad into the heart of the Big Sandy faithful.

James Cuthbertson (Big Sandy) and Chris Cox (Big Sandy) would love nothing more than taking the crown to their trophy case this season.

Should be a fun match-up in West Tennessee.

Columbia Central @ Shelbyville (1/27)

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The mid-state will be all abuzz as the battle for supremacy in district 8AAA comes to a head in Shelbyville this Tuesday night.

Columbia Central looks to avenge their only district blemish and will count on the inside scoring of Morty Robinson and Dom Parks. 

Shelbyville, who slipped by Columbia 58-53 in their first meeting, has won 8 staright games behind thier talented backcourt of Emmanuel Andrews and Deonta Twilley. 

Good things are happening in Shelbyville this week so dont miss out on an instant classic Tuesday night.  

Austin East @ Bearden (1/27)

Let it be said the Bulldogs don't dodge anyone.

A week after playing in their most emotionally charged game in years the Dogs welcome the state top ranked AA team to the Dog House.

Bearden played toe to toe with national power Oak Hill Academy for a majority of their game last Friday and carry their own state top billing in the AAA classification.

Will the emotion of the Oak Hill game carry over or will there be a let down of sorts. Time will tell.

Demonte Simpson, Nathan Parker and Blake Jenkins played their most complete games of the season against the Warriors and they will be called upon for more against the unbeaten Roadrunners. 

Brandon Lopez (Austin East) runs the show for AE and his leadership and ability to get his teammates easy buckets could be a key for the red and blue. 

You won't find a better showcase of talent on one basketball floor anywhere in East Tennessee, so see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!!