Landon Bryant and LHS Endure a Massive Blackman Comeback
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PICTURED: Landon Bryant Landon Bryant 6'4" | SG LaVergne | 2025 State TN LaVergne finished winners, 47-44, as Garrison Eady Garrison Eady 6'2" | PG Blackman | 2025 State TN missed a last-second three-pointer to tie. Blackman vs. LaVergne The…
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Continue ReadingPICTURED: Landon Bryant Landon Bryant 6'4" | SG LaVergne | 2025 State TN
LaVergne finished winners, 47-44, as Garrison Eady Garrison Eady 6'2" | PG Blackman | 2025 State TN missed a last-second three-pointer to tie.
Blackman vs. LaVergne
The Wolverines hopped out to a 12-0 lead within the first three minutes! This against a team that allowed 40, or fewer points, 11 times last season.
Two of the first made buckets fluttered off of the hand of Landon Bryant Landon Bryant 6'4" | SG LaVergne | 2025 State TN , PrepHoopsTN Combine Co-MVP.
The hosting Blaze played nearly five minutes without scoring! Garrison Eady Garrison Eady 6'2" | PG Blackman | 2025 State TN made a wonderful pass to Brayden Sanford under the rim, after drawing two defenders, but a help defender and Sanford’s lack of urgency ruined that.
With 1:35 Trey McGaffee flipped up a banked layup among the trees to open Blackman’s bank account. They then trailed, 14-2.
Garrison’s step-back corner three-point elevated his team, if momentarily. Still, LHS led 23-5 with 2:06 left in the first half. Early in the third quarter Eady hit another tough three-pointer, which made the game 31-20. Blackman kept plugging away.
Eady delivered a sharp 30′ outlet chest pass to a slashing Christian Johnson Christian Johnson 6'6" | PF Blackman | 2025 State TN . His ensuing and-1 made the game 31-25 LaVergne, a wild swing from the early blowout.
Throughout the game, whether close or trailing mightily, Blackman wing Trey McGaffee was active and important.
Late in the third, Eady hit the LaVergne frontline with an up-and-under move, resulting in a needed layup. Seconds later he floated a 20′ outlet pass to a streaking teammate.
LaVergne narrowly clung to a 36-32 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Xialin Lenoir Xialin Lenoir 5'11" | PG Lavergne | 2024 State TN (LaVergne) slipped a pass between flailing arms to Daunte White Daunte White 6'6" | PF LaVergne | 2024 State TN midway through the fourth. With the two, LHS hopped up to 43-35.
Maybe the most impressive defensive moment of the game occurred with just under 3 left. Blackman tried to trap LHS in the corner following an extended 4-corners session. LaVergne attempted to swing the ball away from the trouble, found themselves in the corner, and then passed it back to the top of arc, but Garrison Eady Garrison Eady 6'2" | PG Blackman | 2025 State TN jumped the pass like a cornerback and locked up the intended recipient. Jumpball to LaVergne.
Landon Bryant Landon Bryant 6'4" | SG LaVergne | 2025 State TN stood his ground and accepted a charge from a mammoth of a man, Christian Johnson Christian Johnson 6'6" | PF Blackman | 2025 State TN , as LHS led 45-39. Johnson was bounding to the lane after retrieving his own three-pointer miss.
What do we make of the complete first half offensive no-show by Blackman? This is a team that defeated decent to good teams already this year: Stewarts Creek, Brentwood, Centennial, TN Heat. Perhaps LaVergne really just is that good?
Two weeks ago I picked LaVergne to just miss out on winning their district to Cookeville. This performance, though imperfect, suggests that intuition was good. LaVergne is very good. They play a connected unit. Landon Bryant Landon Bryant 6'4" | SG LaVergne | 2025 State TN is an elite high school scorer. If Daunte White Daunte White 6'6" | PF LaVergne | 2024 State TN can score more and Xialin Lenoir Xialin Lenoir 5'11" | PG Lavergne | 2024 State TN keeps hold of the ball, then they are an extremely difficult opponent.
Adjacent Coverage
Blackman Starters*
#0
Braden Flowers
Braden
Flowers
5'11" | PG
Blackman | 2026
TN
* (2026)
#3 Trey Saffold*
#4
Garrison Eady
Garrison
Eady
6'2" | PG
Blackman | 2025
State
TN
*
#12 Quintin Bass*
#33
Christian Johnson
Christian
Johnson
6'6" | PF
Blackman | 2025
State
TN
* (2025)
#2 Trey McGaffee (2025)
#5
Dyson Elam
Dyson
Elam
6'3" | SG
Blackman | 2025
State
TN
(2025)
#13 Brayden Sanford
LaVergne Starters
LaVergne
#1
Landon Bryant
Landon
Bryant
6'4" | SG
LaVergne | 2025
State
TN
* (2025)
#12
Xialin Lenoir
Xialin
Lenoir
5'11" | PG
Lavergne | 2024
State
TN
*
#20
#24 Jason Amill* (2025)
#25
Daunte White
Daunte
White
6'6" | PF
LaVergne | 2024
State
TN
*