Let's give everyone a scenario, a not so pleasant scenario.
Your top two players, roughly 50 points and 25 rebounds a game have suddenly been sidelined, your team morale is low and your on your way to one of the most prestigious Holiday events of the season.
Siegel High School in Murfreesboro has lived this tough ordeal in color and how they reacted to this setback could define the remainder of their season.
Let's catch you up on the details in case you haven't heard. Early in the season, senior scorer and MTSU signee Kerry Hammonds (Siegel) went down with a foot injury, his prognosis for the remainder of the season is not known at this time.
Then while on a trip to Hawaii for a holiday classic, Carson Newman signee Levon Tate (Siegel), the heart and soul of the Stars troop, goes down as well.
So here they sit their two best scorers and overall players down for what could be the remainder of the season and a trip to the Arby's Classic awaiting them.
An opening round win against Father Henry Carr from Canada saw the Stars get some solid play from Cedric Williams (Siegel) and Marc Gooch (Siegel).
A loss to a tough Greater Atlanta Christian squad, who would battle to a 55-50 loss to powerful Memphis Melrose in the title game, was not to dampen the spirit of the young and energetic Stars.
A big 60-58 win against Miami Palmetto and their star Tim Hardaway Jr. was huge for the young Stars as Gooch led with 20 and Williams added 17.
The Stars then concluded the Arby's at 3-1 with a tough, hard fought 38-29 win against the host team Tennessee High.
A 3-1 record after the setbacks this team suffered has to make them confident and ready to show the rest of the Middle Tennessee area they are not left for dead.
Williams, the 6'7 junior post, was the beneficiary of the loss of the two stalwarts getting many more scoring opportunities and showing a penchant for blocking shots and grabbing rebounds, as he led the Arby's Classic in both statistical categories.
His stock is on the major upswing as he continues to refine his footwork, shot form and upper body strength.
In the backcourt, Gooch led the way with his scoring but point guards Janeal McDonald (Siegel) and DeVante Ellis (Siegel) controlled the tempo as best they could.
Shooting came from junior wings Oscar Butler (Siegel) and Connor Smith (Siegel), who has been able to score since getting his minutes increased exponentially.
T.J. Mitchell (Siegel) showed he could score from inside or out and helped Williams battle on the glass.
The confidence these guys played with as the tourney rolled on is what Coach Ben Dotson hopes will carry over as the district season gets underway in the coming weeks.
