Sectional Championship Preview

[caption id="attachment_795664" align="alignright" width="200"] 26 JUL 2019: [player_tooltip player_id="546347" first="Will" last="Pruitt"] #251 drives to the basket during the 2019 NCAA College Basketball Academy held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL. (Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos)[/caption] <p>The Golden Bears of Mt. Juliet aspire to return to the Class AAA State Tournament while young upstart Summit High boast two of the best sophomores in the state.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>AAA: Summit (22-7) vs. Mt. Juliet (28-3)</strong></span></p> <p><strong>How they got here:</strong> Mt. Juliet clawed their way to the regular season 9AAA District Championship. The Golden Bears smashed their way through two consecutive tournaments.  First, they knocked off Hendersonville, Gallatin, and Station Camp to capture the D9AAA Tournament crown. Secondly, the senior-laden Golden Bears met three teams from Clarksville area in Region 5AAA Tournament (Kenwood, Clarksville, Northeast).</p> <p>Summit’s season can be encapsulated by four games against Dickson County.  Dickson County, a senior-laden team, snapped a 7-game in-state winning streak for Summit mid-January before SHS won nine consecutive games.  That streak included a victory over Dickson County in mid-February.  Again, that streak was broken by Dickson County.  That loss cost SHS a D11AAA Tournament Championship opportunity.   A win over Brentwood earned Summit a #3 seed in the regional pairings.  Summit made the most of it with two key wins. The sizzling Spartans knocked off Cane Ridge and then that familiar Dickson County team to set up a sectional appearance regardless of the Hillsboro game outcome (SHS lost in OT).</p> <table class="table table-sm table-striped" style="width: 100%;height: 288px"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 48px" align="left" valign="top"> <td class="gameDate" style="height: 48px;width: 11.0189%">Feb. 2</td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 71.6226%"><strong>Hendersonville</strong><strong> N<span class="text-small"><br /> D9AAA Quarterfinal at Wilson Central, Lebanon, TN</span></strong></td> <td class="liveLinks" style="height: 48px;width: 1.88679%"> <div class="hidden-print"> </div> </td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 12.2264%"><strong>W 72-30</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48px" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <td class="gameDate" style="height: 48px;width: 11.0189%">Feb. 22</td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 71.6226%"><strong>Gallatin</strong><strong> N<span class="text-small"><br /> D9AAA Semifinal at Wilson Central, Lebanon, TN</span></strong></td> <td class="liveLinks" style="height: 48px;width: 1.88679%"> <div class="hidden-print"> </div> </td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 12.2264%"><strong>W 60-31</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48px" align="left" valign="top"> <td class="gameDate" style="height: 48px;width: 11.0189%">Feb. 25</td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 71.6226%"><strong>Station Camp</strong><strong> N<span class="text-small"><br /> D9AAA Championship at Wilson Central, Lebanon, TN</span></strong></td> <td class="liveLinks" style="height: 48px;width: 1.88679%"> <div class="hidden-print"> </div> </td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 12.2264%"><strong>W 57-47</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48px" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <td class="gameDate" style="height: 48px;width: 11.0189%">Feb. 29</td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 71.6226%"><strong>Kenwood</strong><strong><span class="text-small"><br /> R5AAA Quarterfinal</span></strong></td> <td class="liveLinks" style="height: 48px;width: 1.88679%"> <div class="hidden-print"> </div> </td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 12.2264%"><strong>W 70-41</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48px" align="left" valign="top"> <td class="gameDate" style="height: 48px;width: 11.0189%">Mar. 3</td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 71.6226%"><strong>Clarksville</strong><strong> N<span class="text-small"><br /> R5AAA Semifinal at Springfield, Springfield, TN</span></strong></td> <td class="liveLinks" style="height: 48px;width: 1.88679%"> <div class="hidden-print"> </div> </td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 12.2264%"><strong>W 70-39</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 48px" align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <td class="gameDate" style="height: 48px;width: 11.0189%">Mar. 5</td> <td style="height: 48px;width: 71.6226%"><strong>Clarksville NE</strong><strong> N<span class="text-small"><br /> R5AAA Championship at Springfield, Springfield, TN</span></strong></td> <td style="width: 1.88679%"> </td> <td style="width: 12.2264%"><strong>W 53-44</strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Analysis: </strong>Summit is a great defensive team, specifically on the low blocks.</p> <p>Summit was up-and-down in the 2019 portion of this season.  They hit New Year’s Day at 5-4 with a single strong win over M.B.A.  The Spartans welcomed former East Nashville Head Coach Jim Fey to their school after a fantastic coaching career in metro Nashville.  Together they find themselves a single game away from the state tournament.</p> <p>Mt. Juliet High players play for a veteran coach, familiar with the program and they are not unfamiliar to this stage of the playoffs.  [player_tooltip player_id="546347" first="Will" last="Pruitt"] guides a wonderfully balanced and potent offensive team. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="537262" first="Riggs" last="Abner"] (’21 F) gives Mt. Juliet a uniquely versatile forward.  Many victims of the Spartans lacked the frontcourt athleticism Abner and<strong> Isaac Thompson</strong> provide.</p> <p>Riggs finishes at astronomically high 68.4% from the field. Abner averages 11.2 ppg, 5.8 rebounds per, and 4.2 apg.  Primarily a forward, Riggs shoots outside shots at a startling 47% rate.</p> <p>It will be a match of offense versus defense Monday night.</p> <p>https://twitter.com/willpruitt99/status/1227995295939731456?s=20</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Players to watch</span><br /> <strong>Mt. Juliet: [player_tooltip player_id="546347" first="Will" last="Pruitt"]</strong> (District MVP, District Tournament MVP, Regional Tournament MVP, Father Ryan Tournament MVP, Mr. Basketball Finalist), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="643363" first="Gage" last="Wells"]</strong> (2x Double-Doubles in Tournament), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="537262" first="Riggs" last="Abner"] </strong>(41 made 3’s), <strong>Isaac Thompson</strong>, <strong>Charles Clark</strong><br /> <strong>Summit: Keaton Wade</strong> (All-Region), <strong>Destin Wade</strong> (All-Region), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="846016" first="Tre" last="Carlton"], Tristan Conger</strong><br /> <br /> </p> <p><strong>@PrepHoopsTN pick: Mt. Juliet 61, Summit 52</strong></p> <p><em>Follow @AndrewForce8.</em></p>