Magical run: Great ending for Bartlett’s seniors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett's big 3 ([player_tooltip player_id='2291122' first='Dylan' last='Jones'], [player_tooltip player_id='2194617' first='DJ' last='Okoth'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2194475' first='Braylon' last='Williams']) shouldered a lot of responsibilities this season. They were the Panthers' 3 best players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others on the roster understood that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The seniors bought into the fact that two sophomores and a junior were going to lead the way. Collectively, the seniors just needed to play their roles effectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Saturday's 69-47 win over Walker Valley to clinch this season's TSSAA Division 1 Class 4A state title, Bartlett, which won its first state title since 2001, had 10 players to score. The Panthers' 5 key seniors - [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'], [player_tooltip player_id='2307628' first='Sydney' last='Thompson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2364360' first='Jayden' last='Mitchell'], [player_tooltip player_id='2116626' first='Ethan' last='Gatewood'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2678918' first='Amaury' last='St. Ann'] - ended up in the scoring column.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perry put up a MVP performance, leading the team with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals on 6 of 9 shooting. Mitchell converted on 2 3-pointers, while Thompson went 3 for 5 from the field to finish the contest with 7 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The seniors were the backbone of this magical run. Their effort was never questioned. They found ways to contribute on both ends of the floor in key games this season. In a semifinals win over Knoxville Bearden - one of the other quality programs in Class 4A - Perry finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Against Houston in the 4A District 15 tournament title game, Thompson came up with a steal on senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2870588' first='Will' last='Ballard'] and took on the challenge of guarding the Mustangs' junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2101889' first='Justin' last='Frison']. Thompson guarded Frison in the 3 matchups this season and personally took on the challenge to guard each team's best guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first meeting between both teams, Gatewood scored 10 points in Bartlett's 78-76 overtime road win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These 5 seniors have contributed to the Panthers' run of going undefeated against solid high school teams in Tennessee, which included wins over Providence Christian Academy (back-to-back Division II Class A state champs), Chattanooga Prep (a program that has won 3 straight state titles), Knoxville Catholic, Pope John Paul II (Division II Class AA state runner-up), Southwind (4A District 16 tournament runner-up), Arlington, Houston (4A District 15 tournament runner-up), Maryville, and Whitehaven (4A District 16 tournament champs).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett (36-4) didn't lose a single game to programs in Tennessee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a clean sweep for the Panthers (No. 7 in the country on MaxPreps) as they stand <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/03/mission-complete-bartlett-stands-tall-in-class-4a/">tall</a> in Class 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>”Again, our big 3 (DJ, Braylon, and Dylan), everybody in the country knows them. Everybody I was talking to last spring were saying ‘We love the young guys. What about coming to this event in 2027?' Everything I kept saying was ‘Our 2026 class is really, really special. Our 2026 class, they really compliment 28s and 27s and really makes things go really, really smooth,'” said Real, who won his first state title as head coach.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>”I was like ‘Please give us a chance. I know we're going to be young on paper.' Our 2026 class has been really, really good. They have been great. I'm glad the first one is with them.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson County won its first-ever state title Saturday night with a 52-39 win over Humboldt. Class A Mr. Basketball winner [player_tooltip player_id='2364080' first='Will' last='McCrary'] led the Blue Devils with 18 points and 15 rebounds on 8 of 13 shooting. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2295749' first='Parker' last='Patterson'] helped swing momentum completely, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2417949' first='Alex' last='Meadows'] scored 7 of his 10 points in the second half. [player_tooltip player_id='2417875' first='Aden' last='Netherton'] also made a big 3 in the 3rd quarter that helped Jackson County go into the 4th quarter up 39-32.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We had some good looks there in the first half that I don't think went down,” Blue Devils head coach Gary Flynn said. “Aden hit one. To be honest with you, after he hit his second one, I wanted to go back to him and get him another quick shot. And we just weren't able to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>”That's when they, kind of, started to turn up the pressure a little bit. Coming to trap us a little bit after that. We just didn't get him another clean look.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Devils controlled the pace from the tip, moving the basketball to get great looks. They recorded 16 assists on 17 made field goals. Jackson County's defense also did a solid job forcing [player_tooltip player_id='2622887' first='Darion' last='Taylor'] into a lot of contested shots. He went 9 for 23 from the field to finish the night with 23 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>”We controlled the pace. That was my whole thing,” Flynn said. “My good feeling was the tempo was where it needed to be.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>All-Tournament Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1947289' first='Camden' last='Cole'] (Eagleville), James Bega (Eagleville), [player_tooltip player_id='2865808' first='Miles' last='Helton'] (Memphis Middle College), [player_tooltip player_id='3562137' first='Matthew' last='Manuel'] (Memphis Middle College), [player_tooltip player_id='2295749' first='Parker' last='Patterson'] (Jackson County), Jakevious Graves (Humboldt), [player_tooltip player_id='2417875' first='Aden' last='Netherton'] (Jackson County), [player_tooltip player_id='2622887' first='Darion' last='Taylor'] (Humboldt), [player_tooltip player_id='2364080' first='Will' last='McCrary'] (Jackson County), and [player_tooltip player_id='2417949' first='Alex' last='Meadows'] (Jackson County) were named to the Class A Boys All-Tournament Team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McCrary was crowned MVP.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->