McCallie moves on with 69-50 win in state playoffs

McCallie School basketball coach John Shulman has been in more than his share of high-pressure situations in his career.

So with his Blue Tornado leading by only one point heading to halftime Tuesday night, Shulman knew it wasn't time to hit the panic button.

McCallie responded by dominating the second half on the way to a 69-50 home victory over Lipscomb Academy in the first round of the Division II-AA state tournament.

"When things aren't going right, you can't panic," Shulman said. "This was a do-or-die game, but I liked that it was a fast-paced game. We just had to keep doing it, but we had to do it a little better. It wasn't panic; it can't be panic."

McCallie (24-7) looked like the dominant team early, starting the game with a 15-7 run that included a dunk by Jorden Starling that got the crowd excited. Lipscomb fought back, but the Blue Tornado led 20-14 after one quarter.

After the Blue Tornado scored the first four points of the second quarter, the Mustangs went on a 10-0 run over the next minute and a half, sparked by a five-point possession when Lipscomb guard John Allen Keith drained a 3-pointer while a foul was called on McCallie underneath the basket. Lipscomb scored again on the ensuing inbounds play.

Going back-and-forth for the next four minutes, the Blue Tornado's early lead had shrunk to just 32-31 at halftime. Lipscomb finished the first half 5-of-9 from the 3-point line.

"Everyone was worried at halftime about what we needed to do offensively," Shulman said. "We just scored 32 points. How about getting a stop on occasion?"

Jr. Clay, a senior, led the charge in the second half, and the Blue Tornado continued to turn up the pressure defensively, leading to easy baskets and a 14-4 run to extend the lead to 46-35 midway through the third quarter.

"I just told everyone we needed to up the intensity on defense," Clay said. "Coach told me to take over the game however I needed to. I decided that was on the defensive end, so that's what I did tonight."

Clay led McCallie with 15 points, and the Blue Tornado were 4-of-6 on 3s in the second half after going just 2-of-9 in the first.

McCallie had balanced scoring with four players in double figures. Starling and Jay Gibson each scored 14 points, while Trip Butler had 10. Eric Rivers added nine.

The Mustangs' Jack Terry led all scorers with 21 points, including five 3s.

The win was also a milestone for Clay - his 100th as a player.

"That's a pretty good four-year career," Shulman said with a laugh. "Now we just need 101."

McCallie will visit Memphis University School on Saturday night for a spot in the semifinals.

Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.

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