15-4A Championship: 3 keys to Collierville’s win over Southwind
Collierville, in front of its home crowd, defeated Southwind, 49-38, to win this season’s TSSAA 4A District 15 Tournament Championship. It’s the first district tournament championship for head coach Shawn Taggart. Here are the 3 keys to the Dragons’ win over the…
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Continue ReadingCollierville, in front of its home crowd, defeated Southwind, 49-38, to win this season’s TSSAA 4A District 15 Tournament Championship.
It’s the first district tournament championship for head coach Shawn Taggart.
Here are the 3 keys to the Dragons’ win over the Jaguars:
Defensive intensity
Freshman guard Ronald Towns had it going early in the first half, converting on three 3-pointers. His third one came early in the second half to give Southwind its largest lead of the night, 17-12. Towns cooled off in the third quarter, thanks to Collierville face guarding him and picking the Jaguars’ backcourt up 94 feet. Southwind’s offense went stagnant, and it had trouble getting into any rhythm offensively. The Jaguars’ guards also struggled to find open looks in half court settings. The Dragons forced the traveling team into bad shots, which resulted in Collierville getting into transition and making its way to the free throw line.
Towns finished with 17 points.
Key senior stepped up
Senior point guard TJ McNeal put the Dragons on his back and carried them in the second half. He scored 16 of his 21 points to lead Collierville to victory. McNeal knew what was at stake: A district tournament title, but most importantly, the No. 1 seed in the regional tournament. Each time in transition, McNeal found a way into the lane and drew enough contact to get the whistle blown. He took advantage of his opportunities at the free throw line, by going a perfect 12 for 12.
McNeal made two key plays in the fourth quarter. First, it was a 3 from the corner that gave his team a 41-29 lead. Minutes later, McNeal recorded a steal at mid-court and went the other way for the uncontested layup.
It was a night the Dragons needed McNeal, and he delivered.
“I was just looking at the way the game was going. Southwind played a really slow pace, and we just knew we had to get stops on defense and pick up the pace on offense,” McNeal said. “I just tried to get my team involved, get to the rack, and get foul calls. I worked on free throws all day today in practice.”
Dragons had key guys to step up
McNeal wasn’t the only player for Collierville to play well. Senior forward TJ Thompson made timely shots for the Dragons. He finished the night with 13 points. Senior Alex Vandenbergh (10 points) was a hand full in the post as he was able to overpower any post player on Southwind’s roster. He was also getting a ton of defensive rebounds. Vandenbergh and Thompson had a great connection in the fourth quarter.
When Vandenbergh was given the ball on the block, he found a cutting Thompson out the corner of his left eye. The made basket by Thompson – which was part of a 12-0 run – put Collierville up by 14 points, as it was well on its way to victory.
All-Tournament Team
TJ Thompson (Collierville), Alex Vandenbergh (Collierville), Ronald Towns III Ronald Towns III 5'11" | PG Southwind | 2026 State TN (Southwind), Justin Gray (Southwind), Mavrick Miller (Houston), Dajuan Montague (Bartlett), and TJ McNeal (MVP) were named to the TSSAA 4A District 15 All-Tournament Team.