McCallie's Jorden Starling drives to the basket ahead of Hamilton Heights' Nickeil Alexander-Walker during a Dr. Pepper Ten Classic game last month at McCallie. Coach John Shulman said playing in high-profile matchups such as that game, a 71-67 win for the Blue Tornado, were good preparation for the state tournament.No longer happy to simply reach this point of the season, McCallie's basketball team is now determined to take the next big step.
This has already been a season of firsts for the Blue Tornado, but they won't be happy unless they return home with the gold ball - signifying the program's first state championship.
McCallie (26-7) takes on Nashville's Montgomery Bell Academy (18-10) in today's Division II-AA state tournament semifinals at 3:45 p.m. Eastern at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena. It's the second straight year the Blue Tornado have made it this far, falling in last year's semis to eventual champ Brentwood Academy.
"We went up there last year so excited to just be there," McCallie coach John Shulman said. "None of our guys had been there before, so it was such a big deal. But I can tell this team is different. We're not going up there all giddy about the trip. We've got a plan in mind. We're going ready to play.
"We're excited for the opportunity, but we've prepared and we've got things in perspective now. I believe you only celebrate one time in a tournament, and that's when the last game is over."
The other semifinal has top-ranked Brentwood Academy (28-2) playing Ensworth (18-9) at 12:30 p.m. today. The title game is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Lipscomb.
Despite losing four of six games prior to a quarterfinal win over Pope John Paul II, the Blue Tornado have a program-best 26 victories and already own two regular-season wins over MBA by identical 62-41 scores. McCallie hasn't played for a state title since 2011.
MBA has lost six of its past 11 games and is making its first trip back to the state tournament in four years. However, the program has six state championships - most recently in 2010 - and 30 state tournament wins, making it one of the most successful boys' basketball programs in Tennessee history.
A pair of juniors lead the Big Red: 6-foot-5 wing Thomas Carr averages 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and guard Drew Weikert adds 12.2 points per game.
It will be a test of wills when the game tips off, with MBA - which averages 56 points per game - trying to maintain a deliberate pace as McCallie, which averages 69 points per game, aims to speed things up. The Blue Tornado also have a considerable depth advantage.
"There's no shot clock, so we know they'll want to slow things down, but we have to dictate the tempo," Shulman said. "We want to make things uncomfortable for them offensively - press and trap and let our depth wear on them and hopefully have a cumulative effect by the fourth quarter.
"The only thing we've proven with those two wins over them earlier is that we're capable of beating them. This is why we played in the Arby's Classic and the Dr Pepper Classic and scheduled so many tough teams. We've played in big arenas and in front of big crowds, so we should not be in awe of the surroundings. We're ready to take the next step."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.