The Week Ahead in District 5-3A

Andrew Force January 6, 2025 @ 10:10 AM

Months into the season District 5-3A is full of surprises. Lenoir City is down, and Heritage High sits in the driver's seat with an early 2-0 record. In all, the district teams play eight total games; they get a home and away matchup against each opponent. It is an ideal district schedule that provides balance. A true winner will emerge.

Who is your pick to win D5-3A?

[Did not include Seqouyah due to poll limitations]

— Prep Hoops Tennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) January 5, 2025

District 5-3A

District 5

Heritage
Lenoir City
Loudon
Sequoyah
South-Doyle

Boys' Basketball Division I Class 3A District 5 Standings

Rank	Team	District
1	Heritage	2-0	--
T2	South Doyle	1-1	1
T2	Loudon	1-1	1
T4	Lenoir City	0-1	1.5
T4	Sequoyah	0-1	1.5

District 5-3A

2024-25 District Schedule

Heritage 11-4 (2-0)
Mon Dec. 9 #17 Loudon +45 W 82-37
Tue Jan. 28 at #17 Loudon
Fri Dec. 13 at South Doyle +7 W 75-68
Fri Jan. 31 South Doyle

South Doyle 4-11 (1-1)
Fri Dec. 13 #5 Heritage -7 L 68-75
Fri Jan. 31 at #5 Heritage
Tue Dec. 10 at Lenoir City +6 W 50-44
Tue Jan. 28 Lenoir City
Tue Jan. 14 #17 Loudon
Fri Feb. 7 at #17 Loudon
Tue Jan. 21 at Sequoyah
Fri Feb. 14 Sequoyah

Loudon 9-5 (1-1)
Mon Dec. 9 at #5 Heritage -45 L 37-82
Tue Jan. 28 #5 Heritage
Fri Jan. 24 Lenoir City
Fri Feb. 14 at Lenoir City
Fri Dec. 13 at Sequoyah +23 W 58-35
Fri Jan. 31 Sequoyah
Tue Jan. 14 at South Doyle
Fri Feb. 7 South Doyle

Lenoir City 2-10 (0-1)
Fri Jan. 24 at #17 Loudon
Fri Feb. 14 #17 Loudon
Tue Dec. 10 South Doyle -6 L 44-50
Tue Jan. 28 at South Doyle

Sequoyah 1-10 (0-1)
Fri Dec. 13 #17 Loudon -23 L 35-58
Fri Jan. 31 at #17 Loudon
Tue Jan. 21 South Doyle
Fri Feb. 14 at South Doyle

Loudon

Starters
Isaac Kelch Isaac Kelch 5'10" | PG Loudon | 2027 State TN
Jayden Capshaw Jayden Capshaw 6'0" | PG Loudon | 2025 State TN
Dayton Palmer
Noah Eller
Isaiah Pierce

"I think Loudon is a team that we already have a victory against, but they have played really well at times this year," observed Heritage Head Coach Bradley Flatford. "They have a really good player in Jayden Capshaw Jayden Capshaw 6'0" | PG Loudon | 2025 State TN . He can score off the dribble and get into the lane on the pull-up...They had a really good JV team last year."

Heritage

"We play a really good team tomorrow night in Maryville," said Heritage Head Coach Bradley Flatford Monday morning via phone. "We have played Sevier County and Fulton. We are 11-4, but the most important number is 2-0 in the league.

Who are your best players?
Eli Williams Eli Williams 6'5" | SG Heritage | 2026 State TN , junior guard. Averages about 17.5 a game and shoots about 39% from 3 and 78% from the free throw line. Leads our team in rebounding. Already scored over 1200 points in his career. He was District MVP as a sophomore last year. He started from Day 1 (as a freshman)...His dad played here and at Marshall in West Viriginia. Dad played about 6'2".

"[Eli is a] really good shooter. Shoots the ball well for us."

" Gaven French Gaven French 6'2" | PF Heritage (baseball) | 2027 State TN ," shared Coach Flatford. "Sophomore point guard for us. He is averaging 11.5 per game and leads our team in assists. He was one of our guys who was injured. A third guy, Jeremiah Lee Jeremiah Lee 5'11" | PG/SG Heritage | 2025 State TN , averages over 10 ppg and leads our team in steals. He missed the first 4-5 games from a football injury. He got cleared our 4th or 5th game and has been cleared since. All three of those are guards. They are our leading scorers."

"Jeremiah is the only senior of the three. He might play basketball [in college]."

On Maryville
"We are playing them once. In the last 6-7 years it has been a very one-sided rivalry. They have won every game that we played, We dropped down to 3A, but we still play them because we are in the same county."

Lenoir City

"Their record right now isn't the best, but they have played a really tough schedule," said Coach Flatford. "They have a good group of returning younger players that are capable of playing some really good basketball. They love to shoot the 3. There are a couple of games already that they made 13-14 three's."

#1 Matthew Deacon*
#10 Hunter Click* (2026)
#12 Will Harper* (2027)
#22 Benjamin Barr Benjamin Barr 6'4" | PF Lenoir City | 2027 State TN * (2027)
#24 Peter Shepard*

Sophomore Will Harper is a very patient guard and he is a better than average varsity on-ball defender.

Lenoir City like to press fullcourt, but the team quickness is not quite quick enough to be debilitating.

South-Doyle

"They have a really good post player in Nate Thompson Nate Thompson 6'3" | SG South-Doyle | 2025 State TN ." said Heritage Head Coach Flatford. "He is hard to handle inside. Just by having him they give people in our district fits. A lot of players around Thompson got better [in the last year]. His surrounding cast is improving and playing pretty good, as well. That could cause some problems."

Starters
#0 Zander Wilkerson*
#1 Holden Lowe*
#2 Carlos Niyongabo* (2026)
#3 Nate Thompson Nate Thompson 6'3" | SG South-Doyle | 2025 State TN *
#11 Vito Henderson* (2026)