The Upperman Bees are three wins away from a state championship.
As they prepared to take the 70-mile trip from Baxter to Murfreesboro for the 2021 TSSAA BlueCross Class AA Basketball Championship, the Bees appeared upbeat and confident.
“They’ve been locked in,” said UHS head coach Bobby McWilliams. “We’re excited and ready to play. It felt like they were ready to play a couple of days ago, but they’re ready to go.”
The Bees (25-5) won 20 of their last 22 games and earned the trip to the state tournament with a 61-50 road win over Tyner Academy in the sectional round of the postseason.
Upperman will open the tournament, which is held at the Murphy Center on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, on Wednesday night against the Pearl Cohn Firebirds (11-1). The Firebirds have a limited resume, as their season began on February 2, but they own eight double-digit wins.
“They’ve got speed, athleticism and good basketball players who have been a part of a program that has been very successful over the last several years,” said McWilliams on Pearl Cohn. “Their kids can play. We’ve got our hands full. There’s eight teams in the state so I don’t think you’re going to walk into a slouch down there.”
The trip will mark the Bees’ seventh appearance in the tournament. They earned a berth in 2020, but the tournament was ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19. The Bees will be looking for their first state title and first win in the tournament since 1997.
The Firebirds will be making their third straight appearance in the tournament, and fifth overall. They have never won a state championship.
The Murphy Center is an 11,520-seat arena. The sightlines in the gym have proven challenging to some shooters in the past. McWilliams said his team has historically shot well in large arenas but will need to adjust quickly on Wednesday.
“We’ve played in small gyms and open-ended gyms,” said McWilliams. “Traditionally Upperman has played well when we play in the district tournament at (Tennessee Tech University) every year. It’s a different environment than what you’re used to, but it’s not just for one team, it’s for everybody. Hopefully we can get acclimated quickly.”
Tipoff between the Firebirds and Bees is set for 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.