Thanks to the peace the team has discovered through yoga, Tyner's boys' basketball team was able to add another piece of hardware.
Om shanti.
The Rams, who began using yoga several weeks ago to help players focus during the nerve-racking final minutes of close games, held off hard-charging Howard 69-62 to retain their District 6-AA tournament championship Tuesday night at Signal Mountain.
Red Bank's girls were a bit more traditional in the way they handled rival Signal Mountain, jumping out to an early lead and methodically pulling away for a 45-34 win that snapped the Lady Eagles' run of five straight district tournament titles.
The Lady Lions will host Polk County in Friday's Region 3-AA first round, while Signal Mountain will host Sweetwater. Tyner's boys will host Polk County in Saturday's region tournament, and Howard will host McMinn Central.
"A few Sundays ago the coaches called a practice, but when we walked into the gym there was a yoga instructor waiting on us instead," said Rams senior post Kobe Smith, who led all scorers with 22 points, including six of eight free throws in the fourth quarter, and earned the MVP honor. "It's helped us loosen up our muscles, and learning to just focus on breathing really does help calm you down during stressful times.
"We may have to give credit for this one to our yoga teacher."
Much as they did in the semifinals, Tyner (22-3) fell behind early before settling in to take control. After trailing by double figures in the opening quarter, the Rams closed the first half on an 11-0 run to take a lead they would not give up.
But after extending the advantage to 11 in the fourth, Tyner faced a bit of a challenge in putting away the Hustlin' Tigers, who closed to within six and had possession with a chance to cut further into the deficit.
However, Smith calmly connected on his free throws to help the Rams hold on for their third narrow win over Howard (21-7) in as many games this season.
"That run we had late in the second quarter and into the third was really big for us," Rams coach E'Jay Ward said. "That got the momentum going, and we needed it because we knew Howard was going to battle us.
"We got the idea of using yoga to help the kids with being able to stay calm because we knew this time of year so many games come down to the end and it's all about who can focus and make the plays down the stretch."
Red Bank's defense was dominant for much of the girls' final, holding Signal Mountain's all-state post Olivia Koontz to two points, which came on two free throws in the fourth quarter. The Lady Lions were especially strong on defense to open the game and to start the second half, limiting the Lady Eagles to seven total points in the first and third quarters.
Even with star point guard Savannah Washington sitting out the entire second half after bruising her knee just before halftime, the Lady Lions were able to extend a four-point lead at intermission.
Raijeria Bell, who was named tournament MVP, led all scorers with 24 points, including nine in the fourth quarter to keep Signal Mountain in the review mirror by at least seven points throughout the second half.
"We knew we wanted to pack our defense in tight, make it tough on Olivia and force them to make shots from the outside," Red Bank coach Bailey McGinnis said. "I was nervous when Savannah went down because she runs things for us, but we had some kids who really stepped up and we got it done as a team."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.