Class 3A QF Scoring Stars

<p>Midway through Wednesday, the State Tournament sliced eight strong 3A teams to a final quartet. Many players impacted the four outcomes, but these players shocked the system and delivered in the huge moment(s).</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Final Scores</span></p> <p>71 <strong>Greeneville</strong><br /> 37 North Side</p> <p>77 <strong>Stone Memorial</strong><br /> 64 Bolton</p> <p>52<strong> South Side</strong><br /> 48 Clinton</p> <p>78 <strong>Fulton</strong><br /> 57 Fayette-Ware</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1179286" first="Rico" last="Sain II"]</strong> (South Side)<br /> Rico’s speedy hands and wonderful defensive instincts helped him greatly in the win over Clinton High School.  Sain II recorded four steals in the victory.  Sain II was comfortable finishing traffic or also on the break.  He was a step quicker than everybody on the Clinton team.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1381652" first="Taj" last="Kimber"]</strong> (Fulton)<br /> Silky smooth, Taj scored all over the floor.  He pulled up against strong defenders with an uncommon smoothness.  He was clever and confident.  The sophomore played like a YMCA veteran with the obvious athleticism of a teenager. Very, very few players in the entire state score as smoothly as Taj and he is only halfway to graduation.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1011978" first="JaSteven" last="Walker"]</strong> (Fayette-Ware)<br /> Mr. Basketball Finalist [player_tooltip player_id="1011978" first="JaSteven" last="Walker"] played rather well in traffic, finishing 11-16 from the field.  It was, alas, not enough for the Wildcats to overcome a blitzing Fulton Falcon unit. Walker’s footwork was very good, especially considering that he was dancing around shorter, ostensibly quicker, swarming players. He finished high above the </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1381653" first="Denaj" last="Kimber"]</strong> (Fulton)<br /> It was an "easy" 17 for Denaj.  The sophomore buried 75% of his outside shots and scored with fluidity in the halfcourt.  He did not get to the free throw line, but many of his attempts were jumpers.  Pure jumpers. </p> <p><strong>Trace Thackerson</strong> (Clinton)<br /> The strength of Thackerson's game was composure and ball-handling. Until the final couple of minutes, Thackerson was the critical backbone of the Clinton attack. He needed to be. Jackson South Side constantly turns over guards and quickly turns those into easy buckets.  Thackerson prevented that, for the most part, and kept his team within striking distance. </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1135401" first="Tyler" last="Lee"]</b> (Fulton)|<br /> Tyler’s buckets largely came in the lane. He rebounded around the rim, and finished nearby door-knockers. Lee’s agility in the lane was as strong as expected, but the major question regarding his game is, ’Can he play 12-18’ from the basket?’  Last season he showed that he can, but this team is so guard-heavy that his wings are clipped a bit.  For the betterment of the team, Lee played his role perfectly and scored 20 points on nine of ten shooting.</p> <p><strong>Desmir Hatchett</strong> (Fulton)<br /> Many of Hatchett’s 15 points did come early, and those mattered more than late, when the Wildcats were desperately chasing the game.  Hatchett’s speed helped him get into the dangerous spots on the floor. Several of his early buckets came as the Wildcats were still adjusting to the transitional pace.  He was a wonderful outlet for the flying Falcons.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1122457" first="Marcellus" last="Jackson"] (</strong>Fulton)<br /> Though the sparkplug does not get much attention outside of his own locker room, Marcellus is a disruptive player defensively and lightning-quick in the open floor.  Much of the fastbreak success Fulton found emanated through the hands of Marcellus.  The short, diminutive guard burst up the floor as if shot out of a cannon and FW simply could not keep pace.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1025276" first="Jakobi" last="Gillespie"] </strong>(Greeneville)<br /> That Jakobi scored 22 points with the benefit of a single free throw make shows how dynamic the Mr. Basketball truly is.  He trapped well.  He surged up the floor excellently in transition.  Jakobi was an expert with the high-glass kiss.  It was a masterclass for the Belmont-signee.  JG made 35.7% of his team's field goals (10-28), but did not get his typical train of free throws, likely because the game was a blowout early and required no late fouls. </p>