Class 3A Sectionals Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: Tullahoma High</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peruse 8 <em>Class 3A postseason picks</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 1: Carter (26-10) @<strong> </strong>Greeneville (23-9)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carter Head Coach Tyler Cate runs out a formidable frontline. The matchup is wide-open. Though Greeneville lacks Carter's depth, the Carter High Hornets have nobody as talented as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1959160' first='Trey' last='Thompson']</strong>. Stopping Trey is impossible. Slowing Thompson will be a priority and forcing him to defend all game sounds wise on paper.<br><strong>The pick: Greeneville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 2: Unicoi County (21-13) @ Fulton (17-15)</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reigning Champions x2 Fulton get a ton of scoring from sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2495403' first='Nick' last='Steen']</strong>. Hardly the steamroller of last year Fulton can be beaten. Is Unicoi County the team to do it? <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574449' first='Jackson' last='Simmons']</strong> takes approximately 31% of the Blue Devils' shots, so the focus is on him. Both Jackson and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2684568' first='Kaden' last='Cutlip']</strong> bury three-pointers. Nobody else is a true threat from beyond the arc. Fulton runs out athletic players. Their stickiness to Simmons and awareness of Cutlip will determine the ease of victory. Both Simmons and Kaden have the potential to run up 20 points. As a team UCHS makes eight free throws per game.<br><strong>The pick: Fulton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 3: Upperman (27-3) @ Heritage (26-7)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heritage maneuvered 8-0 through district play and the Mountaineers lost just four times since November ended.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1720043' first='Jeremiah' last='Lee']</strong> is a top defender and a gritty point guard on attack. Both he and<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1497432' first='Eli' last='Williams']</strong> score in volume. Upperman's sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2133810' first='Ty' last='Cobb'] </strong>ranks in the <a href="https://prephoops.com/tennessee/rankings/2027-rankings/">Top 5 statewide</a> as a college prospect. Upperman's Bees are the strongest road team in 3A.<br><strong>The pick: Heritage</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 4: Lenoir City (12-19) @ Tullahoma (29-4)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tullahoma's Wildcats efficiently dispose of opponents and their last two wins certainly impress (vs. Stone Memorial, vs. Upperman). Shooting 46%, as the Wildcats do, puts so much pressure on the other team to keep pace. Lenoir City's best offensive players were <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2781005' first='Benjamin' last='Barr']</strong>, <strong>Matthew Jagger</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2721480' first='Will' last='Harper']</strong>. Needing foot surgery, Will's season ended early. <strong>Xavier Farrell</strong> (23.3 ppg) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2817312' first='Khani' last='Johnson']</strong> (12.7 ppg) lead THS.<br><strong>The pick: Tullahoma</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 5: Lexington (18-15) @ Hume-Fogg (27-3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexington's inability to beat Jackson South Side (lost 3 times) was not rare, but it kept them from hosting a Sectional come Monday. Still, Lexington's Tigers continue to play their best basketball of the season. They defeated two #1 seeds (Creek Wood, Jackson North Side) to get to that Region 6 Championship Game. North Side lost to Lexington in the District Tournament, bumping them to South Side's side of the Regional Tournament. That game proved key as the Tigers avoided South Side in a potential regional semifinal. Hume-Fogg is the best team in 3A. While Heritage and Fayette Ware come close, the Region 5 Champion Blue Knights are the deepest and most athletic squad. Star forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259398' first='Michael' last='Nwoye'] </strong>earned Regional Tournament MVP.<br><strong>The pick: Hume-Fogg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Regional 5-3A All-Tournament Team</span><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2798006' first='Seth' last='Bailey'] (Station Camp)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1798074' first='Louis' last='Taylor'] (White House)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1400906' first='Avery' last='Townsend'] (MLK)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637449' first='Eden' last='Nandzo'] (MLK)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2373251' first='Isiah' last='Ring'] (Hume-Fogg)<br>Alonzo Rhodes Jr. (Hume-Fogg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1259398' first='Michael' last='Nwoye'] (Hume-Fogg) MVP</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Lexington High Starters likely</span><br>#1 Jakob Davis<br>#3 Daniel Villatoro*<br>#4 Cameron Gorden* (2026)<br>#5 Donovan Belew* 6'6"<br>#15 Grant Patterson*<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 6: MLK (16-12) @ Jackson South Side (23-2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Side is back, as detailed a bit during this previous <a href="https://prephoops.com/2025/02/south-side-is-back-the-big-interview-chris-mitchell/">@PrepHoopsTN<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1347852' first='Chris' last='Mitchell'] </strong>interview</a>. With their depth the hosting Hawks can win without 1-2 starters playing well. Most teams cannot at the 3A level. For example, Mitchell will play college basketball next fall and did not even start Thursday night in South Side's blowout win over Lexington. MLK is a talented team with veterans:<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1400904' first='MJ' last='Floyd']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1400906' first='Avery' last='Townsend']</strong>. Hume-Fogg was a buzzsaw, but MLK knocked off Station Camp earlier in the Regional Tournament. Unlike most teams, MLK can match South Side's athleticism at most positions. The Royals of MLK are not as efficient and do not defend as a unit like South Side though. This will be a challenge, but the Hawks advance.<br><strong>The pick: South Side</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 7: Kirby @ Fayette-Ware (26-5) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Transition basketball oozes from Fayette-Ware's locker room. Wildcat senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1321569' first='Tacarien' last='Freeman']</strong> is just one of the experts at pushing the pace. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1572498' first='Quaylan' last='Hampton']</strong> is good for 1-2 steals and an immediate layup each night<br><strong>The pick: Fayette-Ware</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional 8: Dyersburg <strong>(16-13)</strong> @ Munford (20-10) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Munford senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1971524' first='JaDyn' last='Lee']</strong> does everything: rebounds, scores, defends, passes, works. Lee is the consummate leader and winner. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2315787' first='Courtney' last='Chaffin']</strong> defends the lane. Even without graduate Murray Norman the squad is still better thanks to Chaffin's defensive presence. Overall, they challenge more shots and make scoring difficult. Munford suffered a six-game losing streak from December 7th to January 3rd. Dyersburg's bench is deeper than Munford and yet Lee rarely endures foul trouble. When JaDyn is on the floor Munford truly causes defenses to crumble. Dyersburg's greatest advantage is the gigantic, powerful center <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2274856' first='Breyden' last='Turnage']</strong> (Mississippi State OL football signee). Turnage can overpower or simply play above almost any high school player. Chaffin will be challenged. Dyersburg and Munford last played December 20th, 2022, with DHS winning 56-47.<br><strong>The pick: Munford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->