CELINA, Tenn. – Marion County saw firsthand what has made Clay County’s Tyreke Key a Mr. Basketball finalist.
Key, a 6-foot-2 junior point guard, put on a show Monday night, pouring in a career-high 46 points despite missing much of the second quarter with foul trouble as the Bulldogs beat the visiting Warriors 87-76 in a Class A boys’ sectional game.
“I think he had 22 in the fourth quarter,” Clay County coach Rob Edwards said. “That’s just Tyreke Key. That’s what you get with him. He’s a great kid, a great teammate, and I wish we had five or six of him.”
The loss ended an outstanding season for the Warriors (19-9), who made their deepest playoff run since 1987. The Bulldogs (31-2) advance to next week’s Class A state tournament.
“The boys are upset because we lost this game,” Marion County coach Chuck Keef said. “I told them, ‘I’m glad to see that.’ That means that it meant something to them. Just to be able to be here and be a part of it, it’s been 29 years since we’ve played in a substate or sectional game.