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Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Tylan Lewis led Independence back into TSSAA boys basketball state tournament
THOMPSON'S STATION – Tylan Lewis only had one thought as he received the ball on the three-point line with nothing but hardwood separating him and the rim. Lewis took two quick dribbles before rising into the air and slamming the ball with both hands, letting out a celebratory roar as he extended Independence's lead to four points late in the fourth quarter of a TSSAA boys basketball Class 4A sectional against Beech. Independence (23-12) trailed by nine entering the final eight minutes, but a late fourth quarter comeback spearheaded by Lewis and Dawsyn Miller secured the Eagles a 43-36 win and a trip to the TSSAA boys basketball state tournament for the third straight season. Miller led the Eagles with 18 points while Lewis added 13. Independence will play Whitehaven (31-3) in the first round of the TSSAA boys basketball state tournament at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 20 at MTSU's Murphy Center. MORE: TSSAA girls basketball state tournament brackets, schedule, scores for 2025 championships 'It feels the same as the last two years, just amazing,' Miller said. 'This one maybe means a little bit more to me being a bigger player on this team, but it's an amazing feeling. Always is.' There were hints of deja vu for many of Independence's seniors, after knocking out Beech in the sectional round of last season's TSSAA basketball playoffs en route to the Class 4A state title. While many key pieces from last season's run returned this year, the team has an entirely new identity. Last season the Eagles could go bucket-for-bucket with any team in the state, but this season defense has been Independence's calling card, as the Eagles have held opponents to an average of 31.3 points since the start of the region tournament. VOTE: TSSAA Mr. Basketball nominees battling for Ponce Law Nashville area boys athlete of week award "We're going to hold teams under 50, we know that," Miller said. "If you're not going to score more than that on us, you're not going to beat us, and that's been our identity, defense." With the joy of a state championship victory still fresh entering the season, the team needed no added motivation to secure a third straight trip to Murfreesboro. But many Eagles found additional fuel from their doubters. "People in our district would doubt us a lot, just kind of look at us as an easy game, but we came into practice with a chip on our shoulder, knowing that we had to beat some tough teams this year to get back," Lewis said. "I think that really helped us to be honest." There'll be few doubters left after Monday's win as the defending 4A champs seek a third straight appearance in the state championship game. Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at hcampbell@ and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp. This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Independence returns to TSSAA boys basketball state tournament
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Here are our 15 snubs for the 2025 Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalists list
The 2024-25 TSSAA Mr. Basketball finalists were announced this week, with three players being selected from each Tennessee high school classification. The Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards winners will be announced at MTSU's Tucker Theater on March 18. Of course, not every top player could make the final group. Here's our list of players that should have been heavily considered for Mr. Basketball honors. Colin Brown, Tennessee: Class 3A basically had two spots already locked in with Upperman's Ty Cobb and Stone Memorial's Cade Capps having insane seasons. Brown could have made it in a normal year with his numbers. He's averaging 25 points, 2.2 rebounds, three assists and 3.1 steals. More: Meet the Tennessee Mr. and Miss Basketball finalists for 2025 TSSAA basketball award Cayman Camfield, Wayne County: Camfield has been a crucial part of Wayne County's resurgence in the past two years in Class 1A. He's averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. Carson Chandler, Christian Brothers: The senior was on the outside looking in for DII-AA. He's averaging 21.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 41% from 3-point range. Jack Cupples, Riverside: The Class 2A list was a tough one to make. Cupples is averaging 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Panthers as a sophomore. Tacarien Freeman, Fayette Ware: The 6-foot guard has led Fayette Ware to a 20-win season in 3A and is averaging 16 points, 5.2 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Birman Jenkins, Jackson Christian: The 6-foot-5 forward didn't make the list in DII-A but has helped Jackson Christian to a 20-win season while averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds with seven double-doubles this season. Aaron Layne, Kingston: Layne was surprisingly left off the 2A finalist list, averaging 24.3 points and eight rebounds for the Yellowjackets. Will McCrary, Jackson County: Another player left out of a stacked Class 2A list, McCrary has led Jackson County to a No. 5 spot in the 2A statewide rankings. He is shooting 56% from the field and averaging 21.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. More: TSSAA basketball brackets: District tournament schedule, scores for Nashville area More: Tennessee high school basketball boys statewide rankings: Which are latest top TSSAA teams in Week 12? Collin O'Neal, MBA: It's not often a Division I signee gets left out, but O'Neal didn't make the DII-AA list. He's a Furman signee averaging 20 points, six rebounds and three assists while shooting 53% from the field and 41% from three for the 21-5 Big Red. Cutter Sisk, Beech: Sisk has been a dominant post player for the Bucs, but it wasn't enough to make the Class 4A list. He's averaging 22.3 points while shooting 75% from the field. He also averages 10.6 rebounds and two blocks. Nick Steen, Knoxville Fulton: Steen is in the same boat as others in Class 3A. He didn't make the list despite being dominant in the post for Jody Wright's team, averaging 20.6 points and 10.6 rebounds. Tate Surber, McKenzie: The 6-3 forward is shooing close to 60% from the field while averaging 24.8 points and 8.2 rebounds for the 1A Rebels. Trey Vann, Jellico: Class 1A had a deep group, but Vann is averaging 21.6 points, six rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals. Chris Washington, Providence Christian: You don't often see a four-star forward ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state in the 2026 class miss these kinds of lists. The 6-foot-7 Washington is averaging 15 points and eight rebounds, and has 21 steals and 20 blocks this season. His PCA teammate Preston Wade had better numbers and made the list — but should there have been room for both of them in DII-A? Greyson Williams, BGA: He had to have been on the cusp of making the DII-A list. Williams is averaging 25 points on 52% shooting from the field and 38% from three. He also averages five rebounds and four assists. Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball: Mr. Basketball snubs for 2025 Tennessee high school season
