Hottest Teams in Tennessee

Cold. It is cold. It will be colder. Which high school basketball teams are hottest early in December?

The Riverdale Warriors defeated the state’s #1 player ( Jarred Hall Jarred Hall 6'8" | SF Lebanon | 2023 State #65 Nation TN ) and his Lebanon Blue Devils and then put down a ferocious Columbia Central Lion team Saturday night, 53-50.

“We came out a little flat,” said Riverdale junior point guard Maddux Bodenhamer Maddux Bodenhamer 6'1" | PG Antioch | 2024 State TN . “Then we picked it up a little bit. We started rebounding.”

Riverdale Roster
#0 Armon Leavy (2026)
#1 Ryan Edmiston (2024) 6’3″ 200
#3 E.J. Turner* (2024)
#4 Malachi Gilliam* (2024)
#5 Rashad Mitchell Rashad Mitchell 5'9" | PG Riverdale | 2024 TN (2024)
#11 DaRon Waller DaRon Waller 6'6" | SF Riverdale | 2023 State TN * (2023)
#14 Demaurion Locke (2024) 5’9″ 165
#15 Maddux Bodenhamer Maddux Bodenhamer 6'1" | PG Antioch | 2024 State TN * (2024) 6’2″ 180
#21 Idris Gray (2025)
#24 Landon McKinley (2023) 6’1″ 175
#30 Gray Turek Gray Turek 6'6" | PF Riverdale | 2024 State TN (2024) 6’5″ 165
#32 DeAndrew Workings (2024)
#33 Alex Meza (2024)

Like he was at the Cougar Classic, DaRon Waller DaRon Waller 6'6" | SF Riverdale | 2023 State TN was incredibly active and effective around the rim. Long, bouncy. Waller is a threat to get to the basket every night. He might not make the bucket, but he gets to the tin with an uncommon speed and agility.

To end the first half, Waller caught a defensive rebound, burst up the floor, outran a much smaller and, you would imagine, faster defender, euro-stepped into the lane, and softly offered a lefty layup to the basketball God. It swirled and missed.

“DaRon is doing pretty good,” said Maddux of Waller’s entire season thus far. “We didn’t have him a lot last year. Having him on the court this year, his length and his size really helps.”

Riverdale took command as the second half began. Maddux, Malachi Gilliam, and E.J. Turner made smart, highly efficient decisions.

When Maddux Bodenhamer Maddux Bodenhamer 6'1" | PG Antioch | 2024 State TN lived at the free throw line, Riverdale thrived. When he settled for three-pointers or passively hoped for his teammates to create the success was more spotty. Maddux is an elite decision-maker with the basketball in his hands. He must assert himself as such.

Central missed corner 3! Great rebound by @m_bodenhamer . He draws foul. But, Columbia fouls and RHS is not yet in the bonus. Inbounds. Maddux slips on the court! Turnover. 52-50. Columbia Central trying to steal it late. https://t.co/lCJWe6xFQO

— Prep Hoops Tennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) December 4, 2022

Columbia Central played very poorly offensively. The Lions took bad shots from bad spots. The ball-handling was below their standard and passes just did not find their target enough. Overall, Columbia looked ragged and in need of some seasoning. Their best patch of play occurred in the final four minutes of action. The Lions pressed, trapped, forced turnovers. They seem to play best when they were speeding up the opponent and create a chaotic game.

The game closed so tight that the trailing Lions actually took a corner three-pointer to claim the lead in the final minute. They did miss and Riverdale did what they needed to close it out.

“I think this year, all of us [sophomores] playing a lot last year, this year that is going to help us a lot,” said Bodenhamer. “Already this year we held on and won games we never would have been in last year. Most sophomores don’t get to play as much as we did. And I think it will help us.”

Columbia Central Roster
#2 Jordan Davis Jordan Davis 6'3" | SG Columbia Central (football) | 2024 State TN * (2024) 6’3″
#3 Malachi Horton (2024) 6’0″
#5 Jhrevious Hall (2025) 6’2″ 270
#10 Kenneth Jackson (2024)
#11 Quandrees Peete (2023)
#12 Koda Cutlip (2025) 6’5″
#20 Kayden McCoy
#24 DeKelan Armstrong (2025) 6’6″ 200
#28 Kaden Cutlip Kaden Cutlip 5'10" | PG Dobyns-Bennett | 2027 State TN (2027)
#30 Damarion Polk (2024) 6’0″
#33 Ki Hunt (2025) 5’11”

The Antioch Bears (6-1) took their lumps last season, though they appear to have learned plenty. Already AHS picked up their sixth win, the same win total as all of 2021-2022.

“My two guards, Justin Brown and Tyson Belton Tyson Belton 5'11" | PG Antioch | 2023 State TN , are really nice three-point threats outside and Justin is our second leading scorer,” Antioch Head Basketball Coach William Belliford via phone interview Saturday night.

The stellar sophomores do make an enormous difference inside the paint. “[ Jaiden Claybrook Jaiden Claybrook 6'5" | SF Antioch | 2025 State TN ] is doing great,” said Coach Belliford. “I think he is finally getting used to our system and how we play. It was just a matter of him learning what we do.”

What makes him so difficult to defend?

“He has a combination of athleticism and height, but he has extremely long arms,” said Coach Belliford. “He is effective around the basket. Crafty. Great touch around the basket. With athleticism it allows him to score over some guys.”

Claybrook is joined by fellow Class of 2025 prospect Ta’Khyian Whitset. Whitset will go football after high school, but he is much more than some big dude standing around lost.

“Ta’Khyian Whitset is really playing well,” sharee Coach Belliford. “We have two kids that this is their first time playing basketball. “TK”, as we call him, is a football player, but he is a skilled big. Can handle the ball around the basket. He can also score. He is not just a bruiser. He has a 6-foot-10 wingspan. It makes us hard to guard. He is about 6’6″. He is also only 15 years old. There is a chance he wakes up one day and is 6’9″ or 6’10.””

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