MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Things didn’t start the way East Hamilton’s Hurricanes would have liked in their first appearance in a TSSAA boys’ basketball state tournament. Things didn’t end the way they would have liked, either.
Memphis East, last year’s champion, was able to neutralize East Hamilton’s speed while also using an overwhelming size advantage Wednesday in a Class AAA quarterfinal, and the Mustangs move on to a semifinal versus Oak Ridge today after defeating the ‘Canes 76-56 at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center.
East Hamilton coach Rodney English knew his players needed things to go their way early and that they must shoot the ball well – as they did in the sectional victory over Blackman – to be competitive with the Mustangs (34-3). Neither happened.
The Mustangs led 22-6 at the end of the first quarter and 44-20 at halftime. At halftime, East Hamilton was 5-of-29 from the field, including 1-of-11 from 3-point range. The ‘Canes, who made 22 of 27 free throws in the sectional, were 9-of-18 from the foul line at the break.
“I just think they’re so athletic and cover so much ground that it made us rush a little bit with our shots,” English said of his team’s shooting woes from the floor. “I think that was the difference. But I like the way our kids competed the entire time. They didn’t shy away from any shots. We just didn’t make enough of them to keep it close.”
What helped the Mustangs cover so much ground was their overall length. They started 6-foot-9 Chandler Lawson and 6-8 Malcolm Dandridge and brought 6-7 Antavion Collum off the bench.
The Mustangs outrebounded the ‘Canes, but only 46-42. East Hamilton was led in rebounding by 6-4 junior DeVae Hughley with 11, and he also scored 11 points and had three steals.
“It was kind of tough,” Hughley said, “but nothing I couldn’t handle. I was being pretty physical. They were being pretty physical. It was just a battle between both teams.”
The Mustangs’ largest lead was 58-22, after the last of three consecutive dunks by Dandridge, although he was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim and Cam Montgomery immediately got those two points back at the free-throw line.
The Mustangs had things well in hand at 72-37 early in the fourth quarter, but East Hamilton finished strong, scoring 19 of the final 23 points. That wasn’t lost on English, who said afterward he wasn’t going to let the final game define a ‘Canes’ season that also included the program’s first region championship in eight years of existence.
“I thought my kids showed outstanding character all season,” he said.
Lawson led the Mustangs with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and he and Dandridge, who scored 12, each had three blocks. Two-time state Mr. Basketball award winner Alex Lomax totaled 11 points, four assists and three steals.
Montgomery, a sophomore, was 9-for-11 on free throws and scored 15 points for East Hamilton (25-11), which graduates Noah Fager and Matthew Wingard.
“We reached a step,” Montgomery said. “This was our goal all year. We got a taste of it. Now we want to come back and win it.”
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.