The Tennessee Tigers 15 and under crew made the trek to Memphis for the AAU State Tournament with something to prove. Mission accomplished...
The Tigers finished 4-1 losing only to the eventual champion Team Penny and grabbing a 3rd place finish which qualifies them for the national tournament.
The loss snapped a 13 game winning streak which included championship titles in the Eddie Ford Spring Classic and AAU 15 and under Eastern Sub-State.
Several qulaity performances from the Tigers aided their ascent to the final four including large contributions from Keaton Dotson (Station Camp), Sterling Hewitt (Pearl Cohn) and Jordan Long (Chattanooga Central).
Dotson was a force on the interior all weekend his top effort included a 22 point performance in the quarterfinal which saw him go 9 of 10 from the field. Hewitt was consistent as has become his trademark. His high flying antics wowed the Memphis crowd. Long was impressive especially in the lone defeat leading the charge with 16 in the Team Penny defeat.
Coaches were quick to point out the contributions of several teammates including Cannon Campbell (Rossview) who was commended for his leadership at the lead guard spot and his defensive efforts.Ben Bell (Lipscomb Academy) for his consistent and timely long range shooting and Javon Vaughn (Rossview) was lauded for his energy and defensive play.
Also making significant contributions to the team over the weekend were Matthew Norl (Kenwood), Gabe Reasor (Franklin), Nash Young (Beech) and Brad Allen (Greenbrier).
