With basketball season in full swing and district play ramping up, UCR’s Rusty Ellis and Michael Lindsay have graded each team’s performance to this point. Grades were decided upon using multiple factors including win-loss records, quality of wins and preseason expectations for each school.
Lady Panthers: B
Overall Record: 7-11
Key Wins: Clarkrange, Morristown West, Meigs County
Reasoning: A young Stone Memorial team has shown both sides so far: how capable they can be and how young they still are. Their key wins are no slouches as they have a combined record of 33-15. On the flip side, Stone’s had a few performances this year that leave a lot to be desired. The Lady Panthers play a gauntlet schedule that helps prepare them for postseason play and the future but hurts their record short-term.
How to Improve: Be consistently tough. Be the team that won at Clarkrange after going down 13; the team didn’t blink in the toughest environment in the Upper Cumberland. There’s plenty of young talent at Stone, but mental toughness is the next step. We’re not asking SMHS to win out, but we know Stone is more than capable of pushing some top 7AAA teams if they show up mentally tough.
Panthers: A
Overall Record: 13-2
Key Wins: Cookeville, Webb, Maryville
Reasoning: A final-four appearance last season set the bar high in Crossville, and so far the Panthers have delivered. Stone Memorial is 13-2 against a tough schedule that only gets harder from here on out. Living up to expectations to this point warrants an A.
How to Improve: Stone is the closest “A” team to an A+ on our report. When you’re a team as capable as Stone, we hold you to the highest standard. There are plenty of teams that would be more than happy with Stone’s current resume, but we can guess coach Neil Capps wants even more out of the Panthers. Both of Stone’s losses (Cookeville, at Maryville) were within two possessions and Stone had a chance to win each. Stone’s path to A+ feels simple: win District 7AAA.