CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Isaiah Johnson lifted both hands in the air out of pure exhilaration and sought out his head coach, Jason McCowan, after Cleveland High School clinched its first boys' basketball state tournament berth since 2005.
The senior guard once again brought electricity to the court as Johnson provided two momentous slam dunks and stellar defense to help Cleveland hit blackjack Monday night with its 21st consecutive win.
As the clock struck zero, a 49-42 Class AAA sectional win over Blackman at a jam-packed Raider Arena was taken in with a powerful embrace between a pair of leaders who jumped together in joy.
"There is so much hard work we have put into this game," Johnson said. "It's an unreal feeling to know all the hard work and all the hard practices have paid off. I love our coaches to death. Finally getting to state is such an amazing feeling."
Nearly brought to tears, McCowan reflected soon after the win by remembering his late father.
"The last time we played a substate game on a Monday, my dad went in the hospital and never came out," said McCowan, who will make his first trip to the state tournament as a head coach. "Every time I am on the basketball court, I remember the last time my dad walked off the court and said he loved me. I know he would have loved watching this special group."
Cleveland (29-4) raised its fist against early-season adversity to record the most wins the program has had in one season in the 21st century. Now the Blue Raiders are going next week to Murfreesboro for the state tournament.
Johnson displayed his unique athletic ability as the 5-foot-11 guard drove left baseline to throw down a tomahawk dunk for a 31-18 lead with 5:48 left in the third quarter.
Junior JaCobi Wood's game-high 16 points to go with five assists and four steals also helped cue a historic victory. Wood scored seven points in the first quarter to help build an 11-3 lead. Blackman's only basket of the opening quarter came 20 seconds into play.
Cleveland has allowed only 45 points per game during its win streak that began Dec. 21.
"We have worked so hard to get to Murfreesboro," Wood said. "All the work we put in behind the scenes has paid off from our 3-4-hour practices. We do all the little things on defense. We fight for the ball."
Cleveland sophomore Kley McGowan made a rare four-point play to lift the crowd to its feet as Cleveland took a 20-11 lead with 4:22 left in the first half. McGowan scored all seven of his points in the second quarter.
Leading 27-14 at halftime, the Blue Raiders defense provided a cushion.
"Our defense is very solid," McCowan said. "They followed our defensive scouting report to a 'T.' We didn't give them many good looks and battled on the defensive boards. Dustin (Bunton) and Darius (Howard) did such a great job on their big man. Kley rebounded extremely well, too."
Blackman battled back but could not get Cleveland to wilt despite cutting the deficit to as little as five points in the final 40 seconds.
"The crowd was a huge factor in this win for us tonight," McCowan said. "(The players) are not the biggest, but they are scrappy and resilient. What they lack in height they make up for it with all kinds of toughness."
Fight will not be lacking as the Blue Raiders are three wins away from a gold ball.
"We can compete with anybody," Johnson said. "We have never backed down to anybody. We are coming with our strongest fight."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.