Getting there is no longer enough. The excitement of simply advancing to the girls’ state basketball tournament has worn thin for both Cleveland and McMinn Central as players and coaches on both teams see today’s first round as a business trip.
McMinn Central, the top-ranked team in Class AA, will make its third state-tournament appearance in the last five years with today’s noon (Eastern) quarterfinal game against defending champion Austin-East. Later this evening Cleveland will make its fourth consecutive appearance in the AAA tournament when it tips off against Smyrna at 6:30 p.m. at Middle Tennessee State University.
Neither team has won a state championship. McMinn Central was runner-up in 2004, and Cleveland has yet to advance past the semifinals.
“The girls have said they don’t want any attention before we leave, no send-offs or any big deal made about it,” Cleveland coach Rachel Moore said. “I can not explain how focused this group is. It’s very evident in their behavior that its not about getting there this year.
“They’re all business.”
Third-ranked Cleveland (31-2) faces a Smyrna squad that has already beaten No. 4 Hillsboro, No. 5 Mt. Juliet and No. 6 Wilson Central in the postseason. The ninth-ranked Lady Bulldogs (28-4) are led by juniors Dymon Raynor and Alex Adams, whose point and rebound totals are nearly identical. Both players average 14.8 points, with Raynor getting an average of 6.3 rebounds and Adams 6 per game.
The Lady Blue Raiders, who had just one previous state-tournament appearance in program history before beginning their current four-year run, have averaged 29 wins over the last four seasons and lost to the eventual state champion twice in their three previous tournament appearances.
Seniors Cacy Burtnett, Michelle Davis and Rachel Isom, all Division I signees, have the experience of four state-tournament games to lean on against a Smyrna program that hasn’t been to the state tournament in more than 20 years.
“I definitely think experience is a big help when you get this far,” Moore said. “It’s a different atmosphere in a bigger arena, and even though we have several sophomores that will play, the players we need to be comfortable over there will be.”
Unlike Cleveland, McMinn Central has no seniors on its roster and faces an opponent with greater experience playing in MTSU’s Murphy Center. Austin-East (20-12) is making its fourth straight appearance and sixth in the last seven seasons. The Lady Roadrunners, who were runners-up in 2005, forced 26 turnovers in their sectional win over South Greene.
“They’re definitely up-tempo,” Chargerettes coach Johnny Morgan said. “But that’s fine. I like to run and shoot it real quick so we can play defense.
“The thing about this group is they don’t take the floor hoping they can win. They believe they’re going to win every time out.”
The top-ranked Chargerettes (31-2) have won 20 consecutive games, only one by fewer than 11 points and neither of their losses came to a Class AA opponent.
Stephen has covered high school sports in the tri-state area since the early 1990s, starting at the News-Free Press as a 19-year-old reporter. He has been with the Times Free Press since its inception and has been an assistant sports editor for more than seven years. Stephen is among the most decorated writers in the TFP’s newsroom, winning numerous state and regional awards for his writing on high school athletics. He has two children, Riley ...
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