The second annual Best in State concluded this weekend with a day full of hoops as everyone readies themselves for the all important July run in front of the coaches.
16 teams from three age brackets found their way to Stone Memorial High School in Crossville and the action shall we say was hot and heavy.
We will break this down into the three age brackets starting with 15 and under for three separate stories.
Tennessee Fury 15s
The Fury got off to a rousing start finishing with a 2-1 record for the day. Josh Releford (Science Hill) was dynamite dropping 21 points in the opener and 22 in the middle game before an injury limited his effort in the finale.
Blake Grindstaff (Science Hill) had a nice day scoring double digits in the opening game win while Spencer Lowe (Maryville) did straight up work on the glass and found time to contribute a dozen markers in the finale against Pinnacle Basketball.
Connor Arnold (Grace Christian) picked up the scoring slack for the injured Releford in the Pinnacle game dropping a game high 23 points. Newcomer Phoenix Reynolds (Knoxville West) made his presence felt including a quality 15 point effort in the game against the Music City Heat.
Nashville Celtics 15s
The Celtics finished the day with a nice 2-1 record with some balanced scoring led by Geordan Reed (Jackson Southside). Reed was high man in the two wins notching 14 against Pinnacle Basketball and a game high 21 against the Music City Heat.
Newcomer Omar Lyons (Siegel) led the scoring brigade in the opener with 15 and helped solidify the backcourt for the Celtics with his unselfish play and effort. Clay Washburn (CPA) and Cameron Rose (Jackson Southside) contributed 12 each in the second game against Pinnacle Basketball.
Despite not scoring a great deal, Elijah Harris (Liberty Tech) made his presence known with good effort on the glass and on the defensive side of the ball.
Music City Heat 15s
A.J. Bowers (MLK) and John Carter (Summit) provided the majority of the scoring exploits for the Heat as they kept themselves in every game and opened strong with a win over Pinnacle Basketball.
Bowers was a consistent scoring threat the entire day dropping 12 against the Fury, 18 against Pinnacle and 17 against the Nashville Celtics.
Carter produced the high game scoring 23 in the Celtics contest.
Darius Hunter (MLK), Chukwu Prince (MLK) and Jonathan Howard (Cane Ridge) played well for the Heat.
Pinnacle Basketball 15s
Pinnacle played themselves into every game and put things together in the final contest with a big win over the Tennessee Fury. Michael Archie (Brentwood Academy) and Eric Jordan (Ezell-Harding) provided the margin of victory for Pinnacle in the win with 16 and 14 respectively.
Archie was solid the entire day including another 16 spot against the Celtics and a quiet 11 against the Heat.
Tyler McNair (Brentwood Academy) contributed 10 in the Celtics game and added a weekend high 13 against the Heat while Ke'Monte Jones (Oakland) had a big opener with 15 against the Celtics and a hard fought 10 against the Heat.
Top Scoring Efforts (15U)
Connor Arnold (Grace Christian) 23pts vs. Pinnacle Basketball
John Carter (Summit) 23pts vs. Nashville Celtics
Josh Releford (Science Hill) 22pts vs. Music City Heat
Geordan Reed (Jackson Southside) 21pts vs. Music City Heat
Josh Releford (Science Hill) 21pts vs. Nashville Celtics
A.J. Bowers (MLK) 18pts vs. Pinnacle Basketbal
A.J. Bowers (MLK) 17pts vs. Nashville Celtics
Michael Archie (Brentwood Academy) 16pts vs. Nashville Celtics
Michael Archie (Brentwood Academy) 16pts vs. Tennessee Fury
Ke'Monte Jones (Oakland) 15pts vs. Nashville Celtics
Omar Lyons (Siegel) 15pts vs. Tennessee Fury
Phoenix Reynolds (Knoxville West) 15pts vs. Music City Heat
Top Scoring Averages
A.J. Bowers (MLK) 15.7
Josh Releford (Science Hill) 15.3
Michael Archie (Brentwood Academy) 14.3
John Carter (Summit) 13.3
Geordan Reed (Jackson Southside) 12.3
Connor Arnold (Grace Christian) 11.3
Ke'Monte Jones (Oakland) 10.3
