MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – For the first 31 minutes of Tuesday’s TSSAA Class 2A boys’ state tournament quarterfinal game, Tyner Academy calmly built a comfortable lead. The Rams spent the final minute frantically trying to prevent a complete collapse before finally escaping with a 66-59 win over stubborn Bolivar Central at MTSU’s Murphy Center.
“That last minute was frustrating but at this point of the season a win is a win and we’re moving on,” said Tyner coach E’Jay Ward.
The Rams (24-10) advance to Thursday’s semifinal round, where they will face Milan (24-7), which held off York Institute 62-55 in overtime Tuesday. Tyner’s win marked the first time since 2019 that a Chattanooga-area team advanced past the first round of the state tournament.
It didn’t, however, happen without some shaky moments down the stretch as the Rams saw their 11-point lead with just over two minutes remaining dwindle to four with 36 seconds left and Bolivar missed two shots that would have cut the deficit to two in the closing seconds.
Tyner was its own worst enemy in the final 45 seconds, committing four turnovers and making just one of 10 free throws during that time to allow the Tigers (21-10) to rally.