Contributed photo / Brainerd High School's Harris Walker during the Panthers' game versus Cleveland for the 1997 TSSAA Class AAA boys' basketball state title.It was a season that became the barometer by which all others are gauged in the Chattanooga area.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, none have come close to measuring up.
The crowning achievement for area high school basketball came on an unseasonably warm mid-March Saturday night in Murfreesboro. That's when all other teams in the state, including traditional powers from Memphis - long recognized as the mecca of high school basketball in Tennessee - were forced to take a seat and watch as two talent-laden Chattanooga-area boys' programs met in the championship game of the state's largest classification.
When Brainerd and Cleveland faced off in the 1997 Class AAA final, it marked the first time since Riverside beat Howard in 1972 that two Chattanooga-area teams met for a title. The game was highlighted by 13 players who would go on to sign college scholarships - including three who would become teammates at Tennessee - and the No. 1-rated prep player in the nation.
It was the pinnacle for Chattanooga-area basketball. But the Blue Raiders, who held off stubborn Brainerd for an 87-79 win, remain the most recent area team to win a title in one of the state's two largest classifications. In the 24 years that have followed, while 10 local teams have played for a title in the state's smallest class, only two area programs (Bradley Central in 2000 and 2003 in AAA and Brainerd in 2016 in AA) have even reached a state title game in the larger classes.
Now Cleveland, which is making its third straight trip to the state tournament, has another chance to add a second championship banner. The Blue Raiders (22-6) take on Collierville (21-11) in Thursday's AAA quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. Eastern at Middle Tennessee State University. Howard (19-5) is the only other area boys' basketball team to reach a TSSAA state tournament this year and will face Jackson Southside (24-1) in Thursday's AA quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. Eastern at MTSU.
Because of the coronavirus, Memphis schools were not allowed to compete this season, which means this could be the best chance for the Chattanooga area to contend in the state's two largest classes since Cleveland's title win more than two decades ago.
"For me, the memories from that season always go back to the relationships," said Cleveland's Vincent Yarbrough, a junior on that title team who went on to become the consensus No. 1 prep prospect in the nation before signing with the University of Tennessee, where he joined his brother, Del Baker, who was a senior on the Blue Raiders' championship team.
"Getting to share that moment with my brother, who's my best friend, and all my teammates and coaches is the first thing I think of when someone mentions that game," Yarbrough continued. "Our coaches had helped build us into a very confident team. We never even had a scouting report for a single opponent because the focus was always on us and what we did to be ready to play. Brainerd was one of the only teams we knew could compete with us."
Staff file photo / Vincent Yarbrough, a high school All-American in basketball during his time at Cleveland, helped the Blue Raiders beat Brainerd to win the TSSAA Class AAA state title in 1997.SETTING UP A SHOWDOWN
Newspaper headlines from 1997 included Bill Clinton being sworn in for a second presidential term, the movie "Titanic" premiering, and the funeral for Princess Diana - who was killed in a car crash - being watched by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide.
Cleveland High School had dominated the local sports headlines in the mid-1990s with 13 state championships in boys' sports from 1992-95, including its football program earning consecutive state titles from 1993-95 and winning 54 straight games at one point.
The Blue Raiders' basketball rivalry with Brainerd had actually gained steam the season before their championship crescendo. When the two teams met in a region final at East Ridge in 1996, Cleveland was nursing a slim lead when Brainerd's 6-foot-9 senior post C.J. Black - who would go on to set a program record at Tennessee for blocked shots - shattered the backboard on a dunk.
While the game was delayed to determine what to do, dozens of fans ran onto the court to scoop up tiny chunks of broken plexiglass. When the game resumed the following night, the Panthers seemed to ride the emotional wave from Black's intimidating play, rallying for a win that catapulted them to the state tournament.
The teams would meet again one year later in the region finals, and this time Cumberland County High School's gym overflowed with more than 2,200 basketball junkies until the local fire marshal showed up and began turning away hundreds of late-arriving fans hoping to find a spot to stand and watch.
In that matchup, which included 14 3-pointers and nine dunks, a 3-point attempt by Brainerd's Johnny Goodman - who had already made four shots outside the arc - narrowly missed at the buzzer, allowing Cleveland to hold on for a two-point win.
"We had seen some pretty good teams already that season, but when we played Brainerd in the region, we knew after that night that there was a good chance we'd have to play them again," Yarbrough said.
The region victory meant the Blue Raiders would host a sub-state game, while Brainerd had to travel to Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, where Harris Walker raced the length of the court in the final four seconds, getting fouled as he attempted a buzzer-beating jumper, and then sank the first free throw to lift the Panthers to a one-point win that advanced them to state for a third straight year.
"Harris was the best competitor I ever coached," said Robert High, the former Brainerd coach who retired with more than 1,000 career wins and three state titles and was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame. "It would be hard for me to name a better all-around player, but for sure nobody wanted to win more than him. That kid just had a different drive about him."
More late-game magic was needed to set up the rematch in the state title game as both teams survived semifinal scares.
Cleveland held off top-ranked Bartlett only after a steal by Shaneta Brown in the closing seconds protected a one-point lead, and Brainerd rallied from a five-point deficit in the final four minutes to pull away with a 10-0 run to knock off Pearl Cohn, which was led by future NFL defensive lineman John Henderson.
Contributed photo / Brainerd's Harris Walker drives for a layup as Cleveland's Vincent Yarbrough, left, and others look on."HOW YOU KNOW YOU'RE SOMETHING SPECIAL"
In his first season as Cleveland's coach, the ultra superstitious Ray Grant had made sure his team followed the same pregame routine that helped them reach the state tournament for the first time in eight years. That meant there was an audible buzz that circulated the 11,500-seat Murphy Center at MTSU as many of the fans' attention left the AA title game being played to watch Cleveland's players walking single file - always shortest to tallest - in their white warmups from the concourse to the gym floor, where they would turn left and disappear down the tunnel leading to the locker rooms.
Riding a 30-game winning streak, the Blue Raiders carried themselves with an air of supreme confidence.
Former TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter, seated along press row, leaned in close to a Chattanooga reporter and noted: "Did you notice how many heads turned just to watch Cleveland walk down the steps? That's how you know you're something special."
Brainerd's players did not enter the arena with their usual swagger, however. Earlier in the day, longtime scorekeeper and unofficial team mom Mary Sparn had a stroke at the team hotel, and the Panthers were still in shock emotionally.
"Mary was everything to everybody," said Harris Walker, the all-state junior point guard on that team. "Seeing her get taken away in an ambulance, that hurt us. We were kind of in a daze after that, and even though we tried to use that emotion to give us another reason to play our best, I think we wore down emotionally a lot faster than we would have."
Staff file photo / Former Brainerd High School boys' basketball coach Robert High is a member of the TSSAA Hall of Fame.GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY CAME TO SEE
Unknowingly, days prior to the start of the state tournament, both coaches had reserved rooms for their teams at the same Murfreesboro Shoney's Inn. That meant before they stepped onto the court to decide which program was the state's best in Class AAA, players from both had already gathered in each other's rooms to play spades and deal a few back-and-forth verbal jabs.
"Some of us had played on the same AAU teams, so we had traveled together and knew each other pretty well," Walker said. "We had a good rivalry, and even though we weren't enemies or anything, we were real competitive and wanted to beat each other. We were just kids having fun, hanging out and talking about the game we had just played and what we were going to do if we got a chance to play each other again.
"It didn't matter if it was Cleveland or whoever, though, my mindset was always to destroy whoever we played. I couldn't sleep at all the night before the championship game. It was just real special to be one of the kids that so many people around the state came to watch that week."
Panthers alum Jay Price had paid to charter two buses for fans to ride to the game, and by the time the teams jogged onto the court for pregame warmups, even the Murphy Center's upper deck was full.
"We walked in the arena, and I remember looking around and thinking 'Whoa!' The place was damn near packed with Chattanooga and Cleveland people, and there was so much excitement because of the talent and the fact that we were from the same area.
"Honestly, that had to be one of the most anticipated games ever played up there."
Besides the future Division I duo of brothers Yarbrough and Baker, Cleveland's starters included junior wing Russell Ware - an all-state receiver in football who was also being recruited by Memphis in basketball - as well as point guard Stepfon Woods, who had won the state's Mr. Football award the previous fall.
"Before we left the locker room, Coach Grant told us 'Let's give all those people what they came to see,'" Yarbrough said. "We felt like we were the best show around because everywhere we had gone the house was packed. We knew Brainerd would come out and try to push the pace, but we weren't going to spend all of our energy early.
"You needed at least three great players to beat us. Brainerd had two and some really good players around them, but that wasn't going to be enough. The style and pace we played with, we knew our job was to take the other team's soul."
Contributed photo / Brainerd's Harris Walker, center, driving for a layup, and Cleveland's Vincent Yarbrough (22) leap off the court.THE GAME THAT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT
The electric pace was set early as Baker connected on a 3 for the game's first points and Walker countered by beating his defender with a lightning-quick first step before slamming a two-handed dunk that brought the fans to their feet.
Walker scored Brainerd's first nine points and finished with a game-high 34 to go with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"There was only one player we knew we didn't have an answer for, and that was Harris," Yarbrough said. "He was fearless and so quick that we didn't have defender who could stop him from getting to the basket. We had to find a way to make him a jump shooter, because otherwise he was unstoppable.
"We felt like we were as good or better at every other position and knew we could score around 80 on them. We just had to keep Harris from going off for 60 to beat us."
Brainerd jumped out to an 11-4 advantage, but by the end of the first quarter, Cleveland had settled down and rallied for a three-point lead it never gave up.
Baker - who had scored nine combined points in the two previous games while limited by a sprained ankle - accounted for 14 first-half points. His 3-pointer with 2:30 to go before halftime caused Brainerd's High to take the white towel draped over his shoulder and slam it against the floor in frustration.
High's teams traditionally extended a zone defense that forced opponents to prove they could connect on outside shots if they were going to have success. Cleveland connected, making 53% of its field-goal attempts and building a 12-point lead before Dedrick Smith's long 3-pointer at the buzzer cut the Blue Raiders' advantage to 43-36 at halftime.
"Ain't no doubt about it, Baker and Yarbrough weren't just good, they were great," High said. "You knew they would get theirs, but Russell Ware worried me because he was their X factor. He could defend and do all the dirty work, plus he was a good outside shooter. You need dogs to win a championship, and that kid was a dog."
After Brainerd closed the gap to five on a Willie Chestnut three-point play early in the third quarter, Cleveland answered with a 6-0 run that included two dunks and forced the Panthers to call a timeout. During the break, as Brainerd players looked to their coaches hoping for a defensive answer to Cleveland's offensive surge, fans from both sides stood and danced as one-hit wonder Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" blared over the arena speakers.
Walker twice pulled the Panthers back to within five with short jumpers, but when Baker connected on a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound by his brother, the lead grew to an insurmountable margin.
"We had to come back to the city without getting another trophy for our school and Coach High, and that's always bothered me," Walker said. "We put it all out there. Whenever we played Cleveland, it was all about who got the scoring spurts at the right time, and in that game they got the momentum and we never could recover."
Baker finished with 23 points - including four 3-pointers - and eight rebounds, playing all 32 minutes despite the injured right ankle. Yarbrough was named the tournament's MVP after scoring 27 points (hitting nine of 11 field goals and nine of 10 free throws) and grabbing 16 rebounds.
Cleveland, which finished 33-2 overall, rose to No. 22 in USA Today's final national poll that season. Brainerd finished 31-6 after shooting just 38% in the second half, missing all five 3-point attempts. Goodman, who had scored 39 points in the first two tournament games and was the program's first four-year starter, managed just eight points and five rebounds under the constant defensive harassment by Baker.
After the on-court awards ceremony, players from both sides exchanged handshakes and hugs and headed toward their locker rooms in opposite directions. Leaving the floor, Brainerd's Chestnut put his arm over Walker's shoulder, while at the other end Cleveland's players pumped their fists toward their fans and raised the gold ball trophy high in the air.
"When people argue about the best games, they usually talk about Brainerd versus Howard or the old Howard versus Riverside rivalry," High said. "But that Brainerd-Cleveland game is the one that needs to be talked about. Talent-wise, those two teams were the best.
"It was something really rare and special that the two best teams in the entire state were from our area. I never would have dreamed our city and our area would have gone through such a long drought like this. That game really showcased two great programs, but to think we really haven't come close to having another local team win it since then is just mind boggling."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.