MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Chattanooga Prep continues to stand taller and much longer than its competition on the court.
Now the Sentinels stand one win away from a third straight TSSAA state championship gold ball trophy.
Their extraordinary length and relentless effort on the defensive end led the way to a 67-44 blowout of 2025 Class 2A state champion Loretto in a semifinal Friday at the BlueCross Basketball Championships.
The Sentinels blocked nine shots, including four by Class 2A Mr. Basketball winner Derrick Roberson, and they punctuated their latest performance at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center with six slams, including a windmill dunk by Roberson in the fourth quarter on a perfect lob by junior Kentrell Watkins. Joel Bulis helped lead a suffocating full-court trap, and the Chatt Prep senior’s game-high 15 rebounds came two days after he had 16 in an 83-66 victory against Peabody in the quarterfinals.
“I tell these guys to stretch their arms out a lot,” third-year Sentinels head coach Christian Collins said. “They have wingspans for a reason. D.J. (Roberson) has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Bo Bo (Joel Bulis) has a 7-foot wingspan, and Reid (Conley) has a 6-foot-11 wingspan. I tell these guys all the time to use your length, not just your athleticism. I think that does scare a lot of teams when they get on the court and they see their length.”