Eli Gaines had been dreaming of what it would be like to play in the TSSAA state basketball tournament.
The sophomore point guard will soon find out as Gaines was instrumental in helping Chattanooga Prep make history with Monday’s 57-48 Class 1A sectional overtime victory at home over Pickett County. The win locked up a trip to Murfreesboro next week for the TSSAA BlueCross Basketball Championships.
“This moment feels exactly like what I dreamed it would be,” said Gaines, who finished with 15 points and a game-high six assists. “This is so amazing and means everything to our team. We have been working hard for this great moment. I can’t help but thank my coaches and all of my teammates for this. To do what we are doing is unbelievable.”
Unbelievable is the perfect word to summarize what the Sentinels are doing in their second season of existence and without a junior or senior class at their school located on Tennessee Temple’s old campus.
Freshman 6-foot-4 center Joel Bullis provided the biggest block of his young career with under a minute left in overtime, which sprung sophomore Ta’Suade Williams for a fastbreak layup to take a commanding 55-48 lead.