CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Grant Hurst never hesitated. Either time.
When one clutch 3-pointer wasn't enough the Cleveland High School senior stepped up to connect on another - both in the game's final minute - to help lift his team to a 46-43 win over visiting Blackman in Monday night's TSSAA Class AAA sectional at Raider Arena.
"I've seen that kid make a lot of those type shots," Blue Raiders coach Reggie Tucker said. "I wasn't surprised one bit when he made them. He's a confident kid who wasn't going to let us lose."
One year after Cleveland - which was ranked No. 1 in the state at the time - was denied a chance to compete for a championship when the state tournament was canceled by COVID-19, the team has fought its way back.
Cleveland (22-6) will face Collierville (12-10) in Murfreesboro when the boys' state tournament tips off on March 18.
"Last year was last year. We can't get that back but I'm just proud of what these guys have fought through to get here," said Tucker, whose program advanced to the state tournament for a third consecutive season. "We've been through a lot to get back to the state tournament and I couldn't be more proud of a group of kids. I've learned a lot from watching them.
"We've got some young kids out there, but we've got some dogs, man."
After Cleveland's shooters had struggled against Blackman's 2-3 zone defense for much of the game, Hurst's first clutch 3-pointer came with 59 seconds remaining. After a pump-fake to get his defender in the air, he reset his feet before launching the shot that put his team ahead for the first time since midway through the second quarter.
Blackman had taken the lead thanks to an 8-0 run to close out the first half and maintained as much as a six-point cushion late in the third.
With a chance to tie or take the lead late in the fourth, Cleveland had come up empty on three straight possessions before Hurst's first trey. After Dontae Stringer dropped in a short shot in the paint to put Blackman back ahead, Hurst stepped up once again, drilling a three from the left wing with 11 seconds to go.
The Blue Raiders defense then forced a turnover and after running the clock down to under a second, Hurst capped his heroics by making a free throw for the final margin.
"I was just trying my best to get a good look," said Hurst, who scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter. Klay McGowan added 16, including four 3-pointers. "The magic just kind of happened on its own. The ball came to my hands and I took the shot.
"They outplayed us until the last two minutes. The purpose of the zone is to make the other team a shooting team. When you don't shoot it well it's tough, but the shots fell when it mattered."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.