How 5-star Chris Washington Jr. powered PCA into TSSAA basketball state championship in DII-A
Washington kept celebrating until he was out of breath Thursday.
He finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in PCA's 76-70 victory over Goodpasture in the TSSAA basketball Division II-A state semifinals, pushing the Lions into the state final for the second consecutive year.
'Man, it just felt good,' Washington said. 'Now that we're here, we're here to win it all.'
PCA (29-2) will play the winner of BGA and St. George's at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Tennessee Tech.
Washington is ranked as the No. 22 player nationally overall in the Class of 2026 and the No. 1 player in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He transferred to PCA in the offseason from The Villages Charter School (Florida) and has racked up offers from Auburn, Alabama, Michigan and others.
More: TSSAA basketball state tournament roundup: King's Academy girls, PCA boys advance to DII-A championships
Washington's presence was huge against Goodpasture (31-3), which trimmed PCA's lead from 17 to three with under three minutes in the fourth quarter. Washington slammed the final of his three dunks once PCA finally pulled away.
Afterward, Washington's mind flashed back to earlier in the season. PCA coach Kerry Hammonds needed Washington and PCA's talented returning nucleus to mesh quickly.
More: TSSAA basketball state tournament: Tennessee high school sectional bracket
Hammonds coached Washington hard during practice, especially early in the season.
'Boy, it was hard. I can't even lie. It was tough,' Washington said. 'But I just thank him. There's a lot he has taught me through the season.'
It was nothing personal. Hammonds mostly wanted Washington to pay better attention to details.
'Just having a professional mindset of, being on time, working on your craft, stretching before, being ready by the time you get to the floor and ready to practice,' Hammonds said. 'He's taken coaching. Some days it's tougher than others. But he's an honest young man and wants to be coached. He has fit right in with the others.'
PCA is one win from claiming the state championship that eluded it last year. The Lions suffered a bitter 57-55 loss to First Assembly Christian on a last second-shot.
Washington may not have been on that team, but he'll still bring plenty of emotions into Saturday. His mom, Tiffany Lashay Pritchett, died when he was 14. Tiffany's birthday was March 4.
'I know what it's like to lose. Last year we lost on my mom's birthday. That plays a big part into why I want to win,' Washington said. 'The things me and my mom went through growing up, I just want to do it for her.'
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball tournament: Chris Washington Jr. leads PCA past Goodpasture
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