Top Performers (Postseason edition)
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The postseason is here. Teams were eliminated. Teams advanced. Players stepped up. This is the best time of the year for high school basketball. Here are the top performers from the early portions of the postseason: Ty Glasper, Gatlinburg-Pittman: Glasper…
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Continue ReadingThe postseason is here. Teams were eliminated. Teams advanced. Players stepped up.
This is the best time of the year for high school basketball.
Here are the top performers from the early portions of the postseason:
Ty Glasper, Gatlinburg-Pittman: Glasper had 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in a regular season win over McMinn County. Wade Whaley added 14 points and 5 steals. Carlos Orr pitched in 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Issac Power, Page: Power had 17 points in a win over Franklin to close out the regular season. Seamus Stephenson added 12.
Gunnar Lewis, CPA: Lewis had 22 points in a win over Father Ryan in the TSSAA Division II-AA Middle Region Tournament. Jason Taylor Jr. and William Carroll both had 15.
Elijah Lussier, Collierville: Lussier had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in a win over Arlington in the play-in game of the TSSAA Division I Class 4A District 15 Tournament.
Mason Brown, Central Magnet: Brown had 16 points in a win over Giles County in the opening round of the 3A District 8 Tournament. Owen Zubkus also finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Jake Maddox added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Ta’Khyian Whitset, Antioch: Whitset and Cedric Lewis had 17 points in a first round win over Hunters Lane in the 4A District 11 Tournament. Jaiden Claybrook finished with 15. Chris Avery added 12. Maddux Bodenhamer provided 10 points, 10 assists, and 12 rebounds.
AJ Morman, Sacred Heart: Morman had 18 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal in a win over St. George’s in the first round of the DII-A West Region Tournament.
Larry Benson, Memphis Business Academy: Benson had 22 points and 7 assists in a win over Trezevant in the semifinals round of the 2A District 15 Tournament. Teryck White finished with 18. RJ White added 13.
Rocco Lamuno, Ravenwood: Lamuno had 24 points in a win over Nolensville in the quarterfinals round of the 4A District 10 Tournament.
Carson Boyle, Lausanne: Boyle had 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in a second round loss to the University School of Jackson in the DII-A West Region Tournament.
Julius Thedford: Thedford had 36 points in a win over Houston in the semifinals round of the 4A District 15 Tournament. Emerson Tenner added 14.
Justin Frison, Houston: Frison had 21 points against Cordova. Jordan Myles added 17.
Kevin Sacas, Baylor: Sacas had 19 points in a win over Knoxville Catholic in the semifinals round of the DII-AA East Region Tournament. Nyziah Whaley added 17. Zane Restelli provided 13.
Kaleb Walker, Powell: Walker reached 1,000 points in the 4A District 3 Tournament.
Tyler Tanner, Brentwood Academy: Tanner had 34 points in a win over CPA in the DII-AA Middle Region Tournament. George MacIntyre added 20.
Maguire Evans, Cleveland: Evans had 20 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a block in a loss to Rhea County in the 4A District 5 Tournament.
Jeremy Jackson Jr., Columbia Academy: Jackson had 30 points in a double overtime win over Goodpasture to finish third place in the DII-A Middle Region Tournament. Gabe Davenport added 20. Andre McClellan provided 12.
Tylan Lewis, Independence: Lewis reached 1,000 points this week.
Brady Haun, Alcoa: Haun had 27 points in a win over Eagleton in the semifinals round of the 2A District 2 Tournament. Jahvin Carter finished with 21. Jamir Dean added 11.
Daniel Cochran, Brentwood: Cochran had 11 points in a win over Franklin in the semifinals round of the 4A District 10 Tournament. Jacob Purifoy added 10.
Jackson Nichols, Eagleville: Nichols had 23 points in the team’s win over Fayetteville City to capture the 1A District 9 Tournament Championship. Grey Barker added 17.
Nichols, Barker (MVP), and Camden Cole were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Xialin Lenoir, LaVergne: Lenior had 19 points in a win over Lebanon in the semifinals round of the 4A District 7 Tournament. Daunte White added 13. Landon Bryant provided 10.
Cello Jackson, FACS: Jackson had 24 points and 11 rebounds in a win over ECS in the DII-A West Region Tournament Championship game. MJ Hayes added 17 points and 6 rebounds Jacob Walker provided 11 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Antonio McGaughey pitched in 10 points.
Jackson, Walker and Hayes (MVP) were named to the All-Region Tournament Team.
Ty Cobb, Upperman: Cobb had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in a win over White County in the semifinals round of the 3A District 7 Tournament. Bronzden Chaffin added 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Brayden Roberts provided 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Cooper Abner, Westmoreland: Abner had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals in a win over Trousdale County in the semifinals round of the 2A District 6 Tournament.
Trey Pearson, Pope John Paul II: Pearson had 20 points in a win over Brentwood Academy to help the team secure this season’s DII-AA Middle Region Championship. Fred Bailey led the team with 26. Osby Cavin provided 16 points.
Bailey (MVP), Pearson, Tyler Tanner Tyler Tanner 6'1" | PG Brentwood Academy | 2024 State #133 Nation TN (Brentwood Academy), George MacIntyre George MacIntyre 6'5" | SF Brentwood Academy (football) | 2025 TN (Brentwood Academy), Leroy Harris III (CPA), and Antonio Wilkerson were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Herron’s off the board
Hillcrest’s senior guard Xavier Herron announced his commitment to Philander Smith College on Sunday. Herron, a 6-foot-0 guard, helped the Vikings defeat City University on Saturday to capture this season’s 1A District 16 Tournament Championship.
Herron, who averaged 20.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.6 steals, and 4.3 assists per game in the regular season, was also named to the 1A District 16 First-Team. It’s his third time getting the first-team nod.
100 percent effort
Junior KJ Neville is the ideal player Bartlett head coach Dion Real looks to coach year in and year out. The 6-foot-0 point guard is a tough, hardworking, coachable, and a high-energy guy. In Friday’s semifinals win over Southwind in the TSSAA 4A District 15 Tournament, Neville’s physicality bothered sophomore guard Ronald Towns in the second half as he was held scoreless. Neville likes to use his upper body strength in man-to-man defense situations. His effort is always there. Neville is never going to short-change his teammates on effort.
He has an attribute that Real likes.
”It is so easy to coach KJ Neville KJ Neville 6'2" | PG Bartlett | 2025 State TN , and in today’s climate, it’s hard to say that,” Real said. “He’s a good basketball player. If we, kind of, took the reins off of him a little bit, he would be really, really good offensively. That’s what everyone looks at, the offensive end of it. But, it’s so easy, because I can yell at him; I can scream; I do whatever I want to do to KJ Neville KJ Neville 6'2" | PG Bartlett | 2025 State TN , he’s not changing. He’s the same kid day after day after day, no matter how hard we coach him.
”So, that’s been really, really fun to watch his development.”
Spark plug
Dion Real tweaked his backcourt Friday night, inserting sophomore guard Jayden Mitchell late in the third quarter while the Panthers were trailing by five. Mitchell, who hasn’t seen much playing time this season, provided a much-needed spark. Neville and senior forward R’Chaun King R’Chaun King 6'6" | PF Bartlett | 2024 State TN made four free throws to get Bartlett within one. Moments later, Mitchell made a corner 3 to put the Panthers up 33-31 heading into the fourth quarter. An uncontested basket underneath the rim by King put Bartlett up for good. But, Mitchell’s 3 was a spark plug, a lightning rod the Panthers needed after struggling to generate offense.
It was just one game, but Mitchell, in limited minutes, showed he’s capable of knocking down shots in a tight contest.