CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Four teams remain in the championship bracket of the Class AAA Tennessee State Wrestling Duals and three of them come from the same part of the state.
Bradley Central, Cleveland and Ooltewah know each other quite well as the three high schools are all within 20 miles of one another in the southeast corner of Tennessee.
Independence was the fourth school to advance to today’s semifinals at Clarksville High School and the team from Thompson’s Station moved on with close wins over Houston (38-33) and Tullahoma (40-23).
The Eagles will face the No. 1 ranked Bears of Bradley Central at 1 p.m. Bradley advanced with wins over Northwest (53-23) and Antioch (57-20).
Bradley Central’s county rival, the Cleveland Blue Raiders, dominated William Blount (64-12) in the Round of 16 then held off tournament host Clarksville (39-21) in the quarterfinals.
Cleveland will face the Ooltewah Owls in its semifinal meet also at 1 p.m.
Ooltewah got by a tough Overton team (34-31) in the Round of 16 then cruised to the semis with a 56-9 win over Arlington.
The Blue Raiders and Owls faced off earlier this season on Dec. 4 at Ooltewah and Cleveland won a hard fought 35-18 meet.
RESULTS
CLASS AAA
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
ROUND OF 16
Bradley Central 53, Northwest 23
Antioch 40, Hendersonville 36
Independence 38, Houston 33
Tullahoma 40, Greeneville 39
Clarksville 42, Science Hill 30
Cleveland 64, William Blount 12
Arlington 33, Blackman 31
Ooltewah 34, Overton 31
ROUND OF 8
Bradley Central 57, Antioch 20
Independence 40, Tullahoma 23
Cleveland 39, Clarksville 21
Ooltewah 56, Arlington 9
CONSOLATION BRACKET
1st Round
Hendersonville 42, Northwest 25
Greeneville 48, Houston 30
Science Hill 61, William Blount 10
Overton 50, Blackman 17
SATURDAY’S AAA SCHEDULE
CONSOLATION BRACKET
QUARTERFINALS (small gym)
9 a.m. (All Times Central)
Hendersonville vs. Arlington
Greeneville vs. Clarksville
11 a.m.
Science Hill vs. Tullahoma
Overton vs. Antioch
SEMIFINALS (small gym)
1 p.m.
Hend/Arling winner vs. Greeneville/Clarksville winner
SciHill/Tulla winner vs. Over/Antioch winner
THIRD/FOURTH PLACE MEET (large gym)
5 p.m.
TBA vs. TBA.
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
SEMIFINALS (large gym)
1 p.m.
Bradley Central vs. Independence
Cleveland vs. Ooltewah
FINALS (large gym)
7:30 p.m.
Bradley/Ind. winner vs. Cleve/Ooltewah winner
SATURDAY’S A-AA SCHEDULE
ROUND OF 8 (large gym)
9 a.m.
Seymour vs. David Lipscomb
Harpeth vs. Notre Dame
East Literature vs. Greenback
Hixson vs. Cheatham County
SEMIFINALS (large gym)
1 p.m.
Sey/Lipscomb winner vs. Har/ND winner
EL/Greenback winner vs. Hix/Cheatham winner
FINALS (large gym)
7:30 p.m.
TBA vs. TBA
THE A-AA CONSOLATION BRACKET BEGINS AT 11 a.m. in the small gym with the third and fourth place meet beginning at 5 p.m. in the large gym.
GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT — The Girls’ tournament meets begin at 11 a.m. with Soddy-Daisy vs. South-Doyle. South-Doyle and Science Hill will face at 3 p.m. and Science Hill and Soddy will conclude the round-robin tournament at 5 p.m. All girls’ meets will be in the large gym.

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NASHVILLE — Montgomery Bell Academy spoiled Father Ryan’s senior night on Tuesday by defeating the Irish 56-44.
Ryan fell behind 12-9 after the first quarter, but rallied to tie the score at 15 in the second.
The Big Red then began to put the pressure on the Irish, going on a 9-1 run to close out the first half.
William Davis started the run with a jumper then Austin Bennett canned a 3-ball to put MBA up 20-16.
Alfonzo Knight scored the final four points of the half to give the Big Red a 24-16 advantage at the break.
Father Ryan came out firing in the third quarter as Spencer Williams and Brenden Connolly scored back-to-back baskets inside, but Holden Mobley answered with a score for MBA.
Later, Mobley struck from deep then Davis buried the Irish with another 3 to give his team a 32-20 lead.
Patrick Bontrager was able to stop the run with a layup and the teams traded buckets until the fourth quarter.
MBA had an answer for every Irish run down the stretch and the 12-point Big Red lead held up in the final eight minutes.
Davis led the way for MBA with 17 points and Mobley scored 10. The ball was distributed nicely in the Big Red’s win as nine different players scored.
The Irish was led by Williams with 12 points. Bontrager scored 11 and Connolly threw in 10.
BEARS USE FOURTH TO BEAT LADY IRISH — Harpeth Hall was clinging to a two-point lead after three quarters, but an 18-point fourth quarter helped them to a 53-38 win over Father Ryan.
Clair Cristofersen scored 12 for the Bears while Erica Boozer and Beth Binkley helped out with 11 points each.
Father Ryan was led by Rachel Reynolds and Linsie Wiesman with 12 points each.
THE STATS
BOYS
MBA 12 12 14 18 — 56
FATHER RYAN 9 7 10 18 — 44
MBA (56) — Paslick 2, Bennett 9, Wise 2, Wade 2, Holden Mobley 10, Sloan 8, Colbert 2, William Davis 17, Knight 4.
Father Ryan (44) — Patrick Bontrager 11, Saltkill 3, Spencer Williams 12, Collins 8, Brenden Connolly 10.
3-point goals: MBA 3 (Bennett, Mobley, Davis); FR 3 (Bontrager 2, Saltkill).
GIRLS
HARPETH HALL 10 14 11 18 — 53
FATHER RYAN 6 16 11 5 — 38
Harpeth Hall (53) — Downs 9, Erica Boozer 11, Beth Binkley 11, Heinze 4, Clair Christofersen 12, Carpenter 2, Follamsloee 4.
Father Ryan (38) — Rolick 4, Herron 5, Harris 2, Robertson 3, Rachel Reynolds 12, Linsie Wiesman 12.
3-point goals: Harpeth Hall 6 (Downs, Boozer, Binkley 2, Christofersen 2); FR 5 (Herron, Robertson, Reynolds, Wiesman 2).

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After watching Tuesday’s 65-46 win over Ravenwood, the Hillsboro girl’s basketball team seems to have the tools to make a run at a state title.
The win made the No. 3 ranked team in the state 20-0 and 10-0 in District 11-AAA.
So they are perfect.
Not even close according to head coach LeMore McGill.
“There is tons of things we need to work on,” McGill said with a laugh. “You saw us play. Free throws, turnovers, shooting. We couldn’t throw a bucket in the ocean in the first half.”
The team’s biggest strength would have to be its ability to move players around and create match up problems against opponents.
“We have versatility and many players that can play different positions,” McGill said. “We have girls that can play three, four or even five positions.”
Two of those players are small forward Jessica Pace and power forward Lakeisha Crouch.
One minute Crouch would be posting up, then the next she would be bringing the ball down the floor.
“We moved our power forward to point guard,” McGill said. “(Lakeisha) can play the three or anywhere she wants to. Jessica Pace plays the three, but she can also play anywhere on the floor.”
McGill like to keep his girls fresh by subbing and on Tuesday he used 10 different players.
“Our depth is a big factor because we normally play eight girls,” he said.
Depth is important for the Lady Burros considering they play an up-tempo style that pressures teams for 32 minutes.
McGill feels like defense is the way his team is going to win.
“We are not the biggest team in the world, but we are physically tough,” he said. “We get after you on defense.”
Along with Crouch, sisters DeeDee and Isabelle Harrison provide rebounding and post scoring. DeeDee is a senior and Isabelle is a freshman.
“DeeDee is a volleyball/softball player who has signed to play volleyball at the University of Tennessee,” McGill said. “Isabelle is going to be a versatile athlete, too. I think she is also pretty good in track and she plays volleyball. To be honest with you she can play anything she wants.”
And don’t forget about those Hillsboro guards. Vacie Perry is the point guard for the Lady Burros then there’s Jessica Small. Perry is a junior and Small is a senior and both provide defense and scoring for Hillsboro.
Elizabeth Smith, Donnatesa Dean, Ashley McEwen and Soncya Williams also help out the Lady Burro cause.
Although there are still some games to be played in the regular season, the Lady Burros will soon begin to set their sights on making a run at Murfreesboro.

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NASHVILLE — The No. 3 ranked Hillsboro Lady Burros remained perfect on Tuesday by knocking off the visiting Ravenwood Lady Raptors, 65-46.
Their 20th win came in large part to an 18-1 run that lasted the final five minutes of the third quarter.
Hillsboro’s pressure finally got to the Lady Raptors in the third.
“We wanted to stop fouling, but keep the pressure on them,” Hillsboro coach LeMore McGill said. “We figured we already had a seven-point lead at the half so if we kept the man-pressure on them we would be able to pull out.”
Forward Lakeisha Crouch led Hillsboro with 19 points and guards Jessica Small and Vacie Perry scored 13 and 11, respectively.
Perry and Small have both been recovering from injuries, but they didn’t miss a beat on Tuesday.
“Jessica Small picked up a nagging injury Monday in practice and we’ve been worried about that,” McGill said. “Vacie Perry came off an ACL surgery, but she’s really coming around now.”
The Lady Burros looked as if they were going to pull away early, taking an 18-9 lead into the second quarter, but the Lady Raptors kept it close thanks to the play of freshman post Madelyn Hutson.
Ravenwood outscored Hillsboro 16-14 in the second and trailed 32-25 at the break.
The Lady Raptors continued to hang with the No. 3 ranked team in the state early in the third, but then the shots started falling for McGill’s team.
Small scored eight points in a row on two 3s and a layup and in the blink of an eye, the Lady Raptors were down 44-31.
“The two 3s that Small hit were really tough for us to recover from,” Ravenwood coach Steve Williams said. “They killed us on the boards in the first half and then they started knocking down outside shots.”
Williams was proud of the way his team played against such a quality opponent.
“Our kids fought all the way until the end, but Hillsboro is so deep and so physical.”
Williams also like what he saw from his freshman post player. Hutson scored 20 points and pulled in nine boards.
“(Hutson) is going to be special,” Williams said. “She is a good player now, but she is just now coming into her own of how to work around the basket. She’s probably the No. 1 ranked volleyball player in the country in the freshman class.”
Hillsboro improved to 10-0 in District 11-AAA and Ravenwood is now 12-8 overall and 5-4 in District 11-AAA.
HILLSBORO BOYS GET EVEN — The Hillsboro boy’s team defeated Ravenwood 69-54 on Tuesday to avenge an earlier loss to the Raptors.
The game was anything but pretty as the teams combined for 56 personal fouls and 69 free throws.
“Anytime you play Ravenwood it is a very physical game,” Hillsboro coach Rondey Thweatt said. “The officials tried to do their best to keep it under control. But I’m out of breath. It seemed like we were out there for four hours.”
Arthur McMillan led Hillsboro with 16 points and senior Carlos Holder scored 14.
The Raptors (15-4, 6-3) were led by Keith Morris with 22 points. As a team Ravenwood shot 92 percent (23-for-25) from the foul line. The Burros shot 81 percent (36-for-44) from the charity stripe.
Hillsboro is now 11-9 overall and 6-3 in District 11-AAA.
THE STATS
GIRLS
Ravenwood 9 16 7 14 — 46
Hillsboro 18 14 22 11 — 65
Ravenwood (46) — Springer 7, King 4, Dickerson 3, Patton 2, Frittart 2, Madelyn Hutson 20, Tate 4, Miller 2, Smeltzer 2.
Hillsboro (65) — Smith 1, Dean 2, Jessica Small 13, Vacie Perry 11, I. Harrison 5, Williams, Lakeisha Crouch 19, D. Harrison 6, Pace 8.
3-point goals: Ravenwood 0; Hillsboro 3 (Small 2, Perry).
Records: Ravenwood 12-8, 5-4 District 11-AAA; Hillsboro 20-0, 10-0.
BOYS
Ravenwood 8 9 11 26 — 54
Hillsboro 14 10 23 22 — 69
Ravenwood (54) — Becker 8, Pease 4, Jefferies 2, Fletcher 4, Watkins 9, Jones 3, Keith Morris 22, Stone 2.
Hillsboro (69) — Carlos Holder 14, Bertrand 3, Dontez Simpson 11, Whitlow 6, Harden 3, Arthur McMillan 16, Moore 8, Miller 4, Babbs 4.
Records: Ravenwood 15-5, 6-3; Hillsboro 11-9, 6-3.
SEE VIDEOS AND PHOTOS FROM THE GAMES AT WWW.LOCALREPLAY.COM/DREWSMITH

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The coaches coach and the players play, but games like Friday night in Franklin, Tenn. make Jay Johnson and Brian Kelly want to go back to the days of when they were playing basketball.
Johnson, who directs the Franklin Rebels, defeated Kelly’s Centennial Cougars by a score of 64-57 and both coaches were impressed with the crowd at Franklin High School.
“Nights like tonight are what high school basketball is all about,” Johnson said. “I’m glad our kids get to experience these games.”
The gym was packed, the crowd was boisterous and the student sections for both schools came out in full force.
“The students were great,” the Franklin coach said. “Once we start I don’t notice. You just got this feeling when you walked in during warm-ups.”
Kelly addressed his Centennial team before the game on how special these rivalry games are.
“The atmosphere was just super,” Kelly said. “I told the guys that no matter what happens in these games, here or at our place, remember the moment.”
Some of the players in the game will continue their basketball careers in college and some will not, but every athlete involved will be able to look back years from now on Jan. 18, 2008 and say, ‘That was some crowd at Franklin.’
“Not many kids get to feel the appreciation of a couple thousand people,” Kelly said. “It’s a great thing all the way around.”

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FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Forty-six is the magic number for the Franklin boys basketball team.
At least for now.
The Rebels won their 46th District 11-AAA game in a row on Friday by defeating a talented Centennial team 64-57 at Franklin High School.
“They’re good,” Franklin coach Jay Johnson said about the Cougars. “We knew Drew (Kelly) would be back and Allante (McLemore) has been playing great lately.”
Kelly returned from a stress fracture in his foot to score 21 and grab 10 boards while McLemore had 20 points.
But this night belonged to the home team.
The Rebels were led by Kevin Kegarise with 20 points. The guard drained six 3-pointers and the biggest came with 2:55 left in the game. Centennial rallied to make the score 52-50, but Kegarise delivered the knock-out blow by sinking a 3 from the corner with two defenders in his face.
“(Kegarise) is a huge weapon to have and I’ve seen him light so many teams up,” Centennial coach Brian Kelly said. “You know it’s coming and you work on it in practice, but he still gets 3s.”
That made the score 55-50 and the Franklin defense came up big down the stretch to lock up the win.
Kelly and Kegarise both scored nine in the first quarter and the teams were knotted at 17 heading into the second.
Then after an ugly second quarter in which the schools combined for seven points, the Cougars took a 21-20 lead into the locker room.
“You look up at the board and think that you’ve only held them to two points, but then you’ve only scored three,” Johnson said. “That was disheartening because I’m thinking we could be getting away from them at that point.”
In the third, Franklin did get the lead it wanted by closing out the frame on a 14-3 run. The run was sparked by a Michael Young 3 and that put the Rebels up 34-33.
Young finished the game with 15 points and Jamaul Starnes scored 14 and pulled in eight boards.
The Rebels are now 18-4 overall and 8-0 in District 11-AAA and the Cougars are 17-4, 5-3.
AND THE STREAK GOES ON — Opposing District 11-AAA teams can try to down play Franklin’s 46 game district winning streak, but it is always there. No matter what teams do. Just ask Centennial coach Brian Kelly. “It’s a mystique and it does matter,” he said. “It’s on everybody’s mind. You can try and down play it if you want to as a coach, but to me it’s just one of those things. You have to face it and come in here and do the best you can. Most regions in the state have that team that everybody is out to beat and just can’t seem to beat.”
FRANKLIN LADIES ROLL — The Franklin girl’s basketball team warmed up the large crowd with a 61-27 over the Lady Cougars of Centennial High.
Franklin (7-14, 3-5) was led by Reiley Heaberlin with 25 points and 23 of those came in the first half.
Franklin led 47-13 at the half after outscoring Centennial (0-21, 0-8) 30-3 in the second quarter.
“This game is a confidence builder for us because we’ve lost some tough ones recently,” Franklin coach Grover Levy said. “I’ve think we’ve been playing well, but it hasn’t been showing up in the win/loss column.”
Levy said his team’s defense and rebounding helped them earn their third District 11-AAA win of the season.
“We played the way we wanted to play,” said the second year Franklin coach. “We pressured the ball, rebounded and pushed the tempo tonight.”
Emily Crowl scored 12 for the home team and sophomore Macie Parsons came off the bench and played well.
The Lady Cougars were led by Maykenya Marable with 14 points.
THE STATS
BOYS
Centennial 17 4 15 21 — 57
Franklin 17 3 25 19 — 64
Centennial (57) — Jones 6, Allante McLemore 20, Brown 2, Williams 2, Stroop 6, Means, Drew Kelly 21.
Franklin (64) — Henry 5, Glover 4, Miller-McLemore 2, Kevin Kegarise 20, Michael Young 15, Hampton 2, Jamaul Starnes 14, Brown, Worley 2.
3-point goals — Centennial 3 (McLemore 3); Franklin 8 (Henry, Kegarise 6, Young).
Records: Centennial 17-4, 5-3 District 11-AAA; Franklin 18-4, 8-0.
GIRLS
Centennial 10 3 11 3 — 27
Franklin 17 30 11 3 — 61
Centennial (27) — Paynter 2, Estes 2, Makenya Marable 14, Werner 2, Kidd 6, Carington 1.
Franklin (61) — Taylor, Emily Crowl 12, Parsons 5, Shelton 6, Solima, St. Lawrence 1, Parks 9, Reiley Heaberlin 25, Pinnell, Jones, Pewitt 3, Bartley.
3 –point goals — Centennial 0; Franklin 6 (Parsons, Shelton 2, Parks 3).
Records: Centennial 0-21, 0-8; Franklin 7-14, 3-5.

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