Tyner head coach Katrich Williams instructs her team between quarters. The Notre Dame Lady Irish faced the Tyner Academy Rams in the first round of the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps Tournament hosted by Chattanooga State Community College.Area region tourney schedules
Quarterfinals at higher seeds; games start at 7 p.m. local timeGirls’ games todayClass AWhitwell at Boyd-BuchananWartburg at Meigs CountyMarion County at Grace AcademyArts & Sciences at Van Buren CountySilverdale Baptist at Richard HardyClass AASmith County at Signal MountainSweetwater at TynerDeKalb County at Sequatchie CountyBledsoe County at Livingston AcademyNotre Dame at UppermanEast Ridge at McMinn CentralHixson at SequoyahLoudon at Red BankClass AAAStone Memorial at Bradley CentralWhite County at McMinn CountyEast Hamilton at CookevilleWalker Valley at Cumberland CountyDivision II-AA state quarterfinalFather Ryan at Baylor———Boys’ games SaturdayClass AJellico at Meigs CountySale Creek at Boyd-BuchananCopper Basin at Marion CountyRichard Hardy at Arts & SciencesGrace Academy at Van Buren CountyClass AALoudon at BrainerdRed Bank at McMinn CentralSweetwater at CentralYork at Notre DameSmith County at Chatt. ChristianSequatchie County at Macon CountySignal Mountain at UppermanTyner at SequoyahClass AAACumberland County at Walker ValleyWarren County at Bradley CentralCleveland at CookevilleMcMinn County at White CountyDivision II-AA state quarterfinalsBaylor at Christian BrothersMcCallie at MUS
With the District 6-AA championship in hand, the Tyner girls’ basketball team has turned its attention to the next step – advancing in the region tournament.
As the region phase of postseason play begins this weekend for Tennessee prep programs, the Lady Rams hope to continue their hot streak and advance past this round for the first time in five years.
The girls’ region quarterfinals will be played tonight and the boys’ region quarterfinals tip off Saturday, with higher seeds hosting this round. Each region tourney will move to a neutral site for next week’s final two rounds – girls’ semifinals Monday and boys’ semifinals Tuesday, followed by championship games the following two days.
After losing six of their first nine games of the season, Tyner’s girls enter tonight’s home game against Sweetwater having won five straight and nine of their past 10, holding seven opponents to 39 or fewer points in each game during that stretch.
“We’re a defensive team,” Lady Rams coach Katrich Williams said. “I think the kids have listened to me and are finally understanding that now. It took a while, but I like the way we’re playing right now. Everything we do on offense is a product of our defense. We feed off that.”
Tyner (14-10), which lost five games to teams in a higher classification and won all but one of its 12 district games in the regular season, never trailed in a 10-point win over Red Bank in Tuesday night’s district tournament title game. The Lady Rams were led by a balanced offense – Marquiesha Conyers, Samantha Maffett and Kaysha Rogers all scored in double digits – that fed off turnovers and gave up just four points in the second quarter.
On the boys’ side, Meigs County goes into Saturday’s home quarterfinal against Jellico having won 17 of its past 18, with all but one of those victories by double figures. The Tigers avenged their only loss to a Class A team this season with Wednesday’s three-point win over Knoxville Grace Christian in the District 3-A title game, and they are one victory from a second 30-win season in the past three years.
Brainerd and Central are both looking to return to the state tournament after making the Class AA field last season. The Panthers are coming off their first district title in four years after ending a four-game losing streak to Central.
“Winning the district means a ton to us,” Brainerd coach Levar Brown said. “But there’s not a lot of time to celebrate it. Now we have to be ready to go again and hopefully keep playing with the same energy.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.