Stars Abound in D II-A Middle Region Tournament
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PICTURED: Griffin Cooper Griffin Cooper 6'8" | PF Columbia Academy | 2024 State TN (Columbia Academy) DII-A Middle is composed of District 3 and District 4. #1 Columbia Academy (23-4)#4 Clarksville Academy (21-7) Clarksville Academy, a strong #4 seed, played…
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Continue ReadingPICTURED: Griffin Cooper Griffin Cooper 6'8" | PF Columbia Academy | 2024 State TN (Columbia Academy)
DII-A Middle is composed of District 3 and District 4.
#1 Columbia Academy (23-4)
#4 Clarksville Academy (21-7)
Clarksville Academy, a strong #4 seed, played poorly last week, dropping consecutive games to Friendship Christian (72-57) and Ezell-Harding (64-61). Facing Columbia Academy first-round is an unenviable task, though the Middle Region is filled with opponents to dread. Beating Ezell-Harding would have secured the Wildcats of Clarksville Academy a date with Providence Christian Academy. Uh, no thank you.
In Clarksville Academy’s favor is a 9-3 road record. Hosts Columbia Academy are regionally famous for their boisterous crowd.
The Wildcats are coached by former Brentwood Academy Assistant Coach Matt Hoppe and supercharged by junior point guard Trae Rideau Trae Rideau 6'1" | PG Clarksville Academy | 2025 State TN .
#2 Friendship Christian (18-8)
#3 Webb-Bell Buckle (17-11) 6p
Carrying the Bell Buckle flag proudly over his head towards the frontlines is Taveon Comage Taveon Comage 6'2" | PG Webb-Bell Buckle | 2024 State TN (16.5 ppg). Comage has been a “Foot” longer than Head Coach Micah Williams, who was hired in April 2021. He knows what it takes to win big basketball games. Comage started last year in the State Semifinals against Notre Dame.
Under Coach Williams, Webb is 14-6 in the postseason (70% wins).
Friendship Christian won 11 of their 13 home games this year. They are playing very solid, team-oriented basketball right now. Webb won 5 of their 9 true road games.
#1 Goodpasture (24-4)
#4 Battle Ground Academy (23-6)
BGA was the greatest offensive juggernaut in District 3, scoring an incredible 1904 points for the season. Rhett Broussard Rhett Broussard 6'2" | PG Goodpasture Christian School | 2025 State TN (Goodpasture) is a former @PrepHoopsTN Combine All-Star, dating back to October 2023. Our next combine is the last Sunday in June…tell your friends. Like Arnett Hayes Arnett Hayes 6'2" | PG Battle Ground Academy | 2025 State TN (Battle Ground Academy), Rhett is playing his first season for his current team. Both are having enormous seasons. While neither is particularly surprising, Arnett’s was easily prophesized. He starred for Webb-Bell Buckle last winter before transferring. Even if Battle Ground was a team of sixth-graders, Arnett would be thriving. Goodpasture does not get the luxury of facing this hypothetical team of Arnett and Children. They will face a man-child though… Kavien Jones Kavien Jones 6'6" | PF Battle Ground Academy | 2024 State TN (Battle Ground Academy). Signed to Tennessee State University, Kavien is “The Incredible Hulk of 615”. Double-doubles are routine for the kind, yet brutish forward.
Jayden Jones Jayden Jones 6'4" | SF Goodpasture | 2025 State #389 Nation TN (Goodpasture) is a two-time State Champion (2021, 2023), former @PrepHoopsTN #1 in the class (currently #5), that is averaging over 20-10.
“We lost eight seniors from last year’s team,” said Goodpasture Head Coach Dustin Patton via phone call Monday night. “We returned very few pieces around Jayden that had any experience, so I am very pleased.”
Starting next to Jayden are the aforementioned Broussard and then seniors Marques Whitmon, Breckman Oakley Breckman Oakley 6'2" | SF Goodpasture | 2024 TN , and freshman Joshua Huggins Joshua Huggins 6'5" | PF TN .
“Marques is our point guard,” said Coach Patton. “He gets very little credit outside of our team. Really high IQ player. Understands what we are trying to do each time down the floor.”
While dealing with some injuries this year, Breckman “shoots the three really well,” per Coach Patton. Finally, Huggins (PrepHoopsTN Watch List) “is nearly averaging a double-double on the year. Really works hard. Kind of a quiet kid, but unbelievable kid that loves ball and play hard.”
Goodpasture is 116-13 since fall 2020.
#2 PCA (22-4)
#3 Ezell-Harding (20-9)
The best defense in District 3 was and is played by the Lions of Providence Christian Academy. They allowed a district-low 1,281 points overall, just 630 points in district games. District teams averaged 45.0 points against them!
MJ Gibbs MJ Gibbs 6'4" | SG Ezell Harding | 2025 State TN (12.3 ppg) and Blake Dean Blake Dean 6'1" | PG Ezell Harding Christian School | 2024 State TN (20.2 ppg) lead the Ezell-Harding Christian Eagles into battle. Gibbs can score on all three levels and particularly loves to hit the three-pointer. A strong dude, Gibbs can hold his own in rebounding battles and keep taller players away from their spots when defending them. Dean is a 20.2 ppg scorer for the Eagles. He will be tasked with putting up 20+ against a team that barely gets scored upon in PCA. A quick, skilled 6-foot-1 guard, he will definitely be able to beat the first line of defense only to find some shot-blockers arriving to help weakside. Getting the ball up and over those broomstick-arms will be the true challenge.
Judson Bjornstad Judson Bjornstad 6'7" | SG Providence Christian Academy | 2024 State TN (PCA) and 6-foot-8 Preston Wade Preston Wade 6'8" | PF Providence Christian Academy | 2025 State TN (PCA) are owners of those broomsticks. Senior Judson signed to play for Union University. Wade will also play college basketball after he graduates in the 2025 spring.
Players to Watch
Griffin Cooper
Griffin
Cooper
6'8" | PF
Columbia Academy | 2024
State
TN
(Columbia Academy)
Jeremy Jackson Jr.
Jeremy
Jackson Jr.
6'3" | SG
Columbia Academy | 2025
State
TN
(Columbia Academy)
Gabe Davenport
Gabe
Davenport
6'0" | PG
Columbia Academy | 2025
State
TN
(Columbia Academy)
Trae Rideau
Trae
Rideau
6'1" | PG
Clarksville Academy | 2025
State
TN
(Clarksville Academy)
Taveon Comage
Taveon
Comage
6'2" | PG
Webb-Bell Buckle | 2024
State
TN
(Webb-Bell Buckle)
Eli Brown
Eli
Brown
6'2" | CG
The Webb School | 2028
TN
(Webb-Bell Buckle)
Jax Howard
Jax
Howard
6'0" | PG
Webb-Bell Buckle | 2025
State
TN
(Webb-Bell Buckle)
Aiden Bolden
Aiden
Bolden
6'5" | SF
Providence Christian Academy | 2026
TN
(PCA)
Preston Wade
Preston
Wade
6'8" | PF
Providence Christian Academy | 2025
State
TN
(PCA)
Judson Bjornstad
Judson
Bjornstad
6'7" | SG
Providence Christian Academy | 2024
State
TN
(PCA)
Tryce Grensing
Tryce
Grensing
6'0" | PG
Providence Christian Academy | 2025
State
TN
(PCA)
Davis Joyner
Davis
Joyner
6'4" | SG
Providence Christian Academy | 2025
TN
(PCA)
Arnett Hayes
Arnett
Hayes
6'2" | PG
Battle Ground Academy | 2025
State
TN
(Battle Ground)
Kavien Jones
Kavien
Jones
6'6" | PF
Battle Ground Academy | 2024
State
TN
(Battle Ground)
Blake Dean
Blake
Dean
6'1" | PG
Ezell Harding Christian School | 2024
State
TN
(Ezell-Harding)
MJ Gibbs
MJ
Gibbs
6'4" | SG
Ezell Harding | 2025
State
TN
(Ezell-Harding)
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