4A Region 8 Tournament: Whitehaven didn’t fold

[player_tooltip player_id='2111745' first='Cameron' last='Brown'] couldn't buy a basket in the first half. The senior wing couldn't get one sweet jumper to fall. And to make matters worse, those shots were wide open.   But in the third quarter with his team trailing by double digits, the 6-foot-5 Brown stepped into a 3 from the right wing - held his pose - and saw the basketball hit the bottom of the net. It was a good-feel moment for Brown, who couldn't muster any type of rhythm in a do-or-die contest. After the made basket, Brown let out a macho cheer before his teammates came towards him slanging high-fives.   It was the start of a momentum swing in Whitehaven's 64-58 overtime win over Bartlett in the semifinals round of the 4A Region 8 Tournament.   The Tigers needed a spark after the Panthers jumped out to a 33-15 lead in the second quarter in front of their home crowd. The raucous crowd featured a student body that stood, clapped, cheered and booed for the entire game.   Whitehaven needed something to get its juices flowing. Brown provided that.   ”Cam is one of our best knockdown shooters, if not the best knockdown shooter on our team,” Whitehaven head coach Willie Kemp said. “Cam came in and made big shots. He made a big shot today. He made a big shot, and we needed it.”   For the entirety of the 2024 season, Brown has made wide open shots from 3-point range. He's made shots from 17-feet out. Those shots have been counted as soon as they went up in the air. But on a night with so much at stake, those same shots refused to fall. It wasn't rust. It wasn't nerves because Brown has played in enough marquee games throughout his high school basketball career to be scared of the moment.   He actually lives for a moment where he can be a difference maker.   “It was a big feeling. We needed that the most,” said Brown, who finished with 9 points. “They were counting on me to make it. My teammates kept telling me to keep shooting all game. I was getting in my head. I was missing way too many. I was wide open. I couldn't hit. I made it. It felt good.   ”It was like a reaf of joy. My guys were locked in. We came back with the dub.”   Brown's 3 had Whitehaven down 46-39 early in the fourth quarter. From there, the Tigers chipped away at their deficit. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1852774' first='Jarmon' last='Brittman'] got a steal and a layup. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1852698' first='Taquez' last='Butler'] made two free throws that had Whitehaven down 50-48 following a chippy incident between both teams that resulted in a technical foul on Bartlett for players leaving the bench.   Freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams'] made two free throws to keep his team out front by 3. On the Tigers' next possession, senior forward Bob Dickson set a screen at the top of the key for Butler, who got free and drained a deep 3 to tie the game at 52-all. Dickson led the team with 14 points. Butler finished with 13.   At that point, the Panthers no longer had momentum. Missed free throws by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2307628' first='Sydney' last='Thompson'] and freshman forward DJ Okoth played a part in the contest going into overtime.   But, one thing is for certain: Whitehaven has heart. It didn't fold after trailing by 18 points in the first half. The Tigers didn't throw in the towel. They just kept fighting.   Whitehaven took its first lead of the night off a short jumper by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1599938' first='Rashad' last='Bryant']. Junior guard Jaden Thomas came through in overtime with a 3 from the right corner to put the Tigers up 57-52. He made two free throws at the end to seal the win. Brittman delivered the exclamation point with a monster slam in the waning seconds that punctured the lungs of the Bartlett faithful.   This was a game Brown and his teammates wanted since they were eliminated in the semifinals round of the 4A Region 8 Tournament a season ago by Cordova. This roster features 6 key seniors (Kenton Smith Jr., Butler, Dickson, Brittman, Bryant, and Brown), and neither one of them were ready to go home.   Brown couldn't fathom ending the 2024 season before the 4A state tournament.   ”It's a good feeling, because last year we lost in this exact game at our home. I just didn't like going out like that again. I couldn't do it. I was texting them “I'm locked in.” I just needed the win. Now that they're out of the way, I feel like we can win it all and bring it back to the Haven.   ”If we bring it back to the Haven, I promise you it's going to be a parade in the Haven.”

Cameron Brown Cameron Brown 6'5" | SG Whitehaven | 2025 State TN couldn't buy a basket in the first half. The senior wing couldn't get one sweet jumper to fall. And to make matters worse, those shots were wide open.