The Jacobs: Two brothers with zero postseason experience, but play with no fear

<p>For the first time this season, Memphis East star big man <strong>James Wiseman</strong> didn’t have senior forward <strong>Malcolm Dandridge</strong> by his side when the Mustangs stepped onto the court Thursday night against Whitehaven.</p> <p>Memphis East senior point guard <strong>Derrein Merriweather</strong> was also out as he’s dealing with a concussion he suffered in the District 16-AAA Tournament Championship game against the Tigers. So, the Mustangs needed others to step up.</p> <p>Surprisingly, Memphis East got a lot of help from <strong>Tadarius</strong> and <strong>Terrance Jacobs</strong>.</p> <p>Wiseman did his usual damage, finishing with 27 points, 20 rebounds, 10 blocks, two assists, and one steal in the Mustangs’ 60-44 victory over Whitehaven to capture the TSSAA Region 8-AAA Tournament Championship. Tadarius, who’s a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard, added 15 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 21 minutes of action. His brother, Terrance, who stands at about 5-5, added seven points, two assists, and two steals in 11 minutes of action.</p> <p>Without Dandridge and Merriweather, all of the attention was on Wiseman, but in a game with so much at stake, Tadarius and Terrance played like they were upperclassmen.</p> <p>Terrance scored all seven of his points in the second quarter when there were three ties and three lead changes. His only three of the game came under the two minute mark, which gave the Mustangs a 21-16 lead at the moment. A layup by senior point guard and Bradley commit Antonio Thomas put Memphis East up 23-19 at the break.</p> <p>Tadarius started to do damage midway through the third quarter. He scored six points in the period to help the Mustangs outscore Whitehaven 18-5 to grab a commanding 41-24 lead.</p> <p>Wiseman, a finalist for the TSSAA 3A Mr. Basketball Award, wasn’t surprised by how the young brothers performed.</p> <p>“They’re great players,” Wiseman said. “They were able to knock down shots, so I was just trying to face up and find everybody when I was doubled and tripled team.”</p> <p>The Tigers rallied late in the fourth quarter as junior point guard <strong>Jesse Payne</strong> knocked down two 3s. Devine Owens made one as well to cut his team’s deficit to 49-42. But Tadarius scored seven of his team’s final 11 points to seal the win.</p> <p>After the game, Memphis East head coach Javonte Holmes talked about the play of Tadarius and Terrance, stating he wasn’t surprised by what he saw from the two, despite their inexperience in the postseason.</p> <p>“They’re the future,” Holmes said. “I love those guys. JR (Terrance) has so much confidence and TD (Tadarius) is just coming off injury, and he’s building his confidence. I love what I saw from him tonight.”</p> <p>Tadarius missed the entire second half of the regular season with a broken wrist. Since he’s been back, Tadarius has been a plus offensively.</p> <p>His brother is the smallest player on the roster, but he plays like he’s the biggest point guard out on the floor. Wiseman had the perfect answer to Terrance’s assertiveness.</p> <p>“For him to be so little, he has a lot of heart,” Wiseman said about Terrance, who hit his brother with a bounce pass for an uncontested layup in the second half.</p> <p>The Mustangs will host Bolton next Monday night in the sectionals. The winner will head to the 3A Boys State Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Whitehaven will play at Bartlett next Monday.</p>