by Rusty Ellis
The February 15 edition of the UC Top 5 is here, and with it comes only one bit of movement on either list.
The UC Top 5 is revealed live every week on the UCR Basketball Coaches Show, presented by Fire & Vine.
Girls
1. Cookeville (23-3)
No changes necessary at the top spot on the girls list, as Cookeville dominated Smyrna and Stewart’s Creek to finish off another undefeated season in district play. Head coach Jamie Gillies has her team playing some of its best ball of the year heading into the district tournament, where it awaits the winner of the play-in game on Saturday in the district semifinals.
2. White County (27-2)
Sparta solidified their spot at number two with a win over Upperman last Monday, and then added wins over Livingston Academy and Signal Mountain to close out the regular season. The number one team in 3A has a chance now to really make a statement, as the district tournament begins this weekend, can Sparta run the table and bring home a district tournament championship?
3. York Institute (20-5)
The Dragonettes took a punch in the mouth to start their game against Smith County, but showed remarkable resilience in out-scoring the Lady Owls by 24 the rest of the way to win by 14. Now they take on Jackson County in the 5-2A semifinals on Thursday, as head coach Michael Green and his squad look to make another deep run to the Glass House.
4. Upperman (24-4)
The Lady Bees responded nicely to their loss against White County with back-to-back wins over a really good Cumberland County team. Upperman trailed for most of the second meeting before a big fourth quarter from Gracie Butler lifted them to victory. Now they turn their focus to the 7-3A Tournament, where as of right now, they pose the biggest threat to Sparta for the championship.
5. Pickett County (20-2)
The Lady Bobcats finished off an 8-0 run in district 7-A with a 98-point performance against Gordonsville and a 21-point win over Red Boiling Springs. Top-seeded Pickett County will now take on RBS for a third time with a spot in the district championship on the line, will RBS be able to slow down the Lady Bobcats, or will their dominant season continue?
Boys
1. Cookeville (24-3)
Many questions regarding the two-point win over Smyrna were answered in the Cavs’ follow-up win over Stewart’s Creek, where they used a barrage of three-pointers to finish off an undefeated season of their own in 7-4A play. The only question remaining is regarding Josh Heard’s health and if he’ll be ready to go for the district tournament, but the Cavaliers displayed the ability to power through being shorthanded in their regular-season finale.
2. Upperman (23-4)
The Bees closed the regular season with 12 straight wins, and are one of the hottest teams in the state, let alone the Upper Cumberland. They enter the 7-3A Tournament with the number-one seed, and have a clear path to make it to Murfreesboro for the State Tournament. First up, they await the winner of the White County-Cumberland County on Saturday in the semifinals.
3. Stone Memorial (19-8)
The Panthers were the lone team to take a game off of Upperman in the regular season, and their second meeting came down to a buzzer-beating three in Baxter. Should we get a round three between these two teams, there’s no telling what will happen in what will essentially be a coin-flip game.
4. York Institute (17-7)
York was pushed to the brink by Smith County on Friday, but the Dragons survived with their perfect district record in tact after a three-point attempt just missed at the horn. York’s won seven games in a row now, as they’ve found their stride heading into the 5-2A semifinals. With an injury likely shortening their rotations further, the road forward does get a bit challenging, but the Dragons still have more than enough at their disposal for a deep run.
5. Pickett County (18-5)
The Bobcats drop a spot, as their loss to RBS brought their nine-game winning streak to an end last Thursday. The Bobcats still have a favorable path in making it to State, but their road begins with an interesting matchup against Clay County on Friday. Beating a well-coached team three times is difficult, can the Bobcats find that execution they had a few weeks ago and hit another hot stretch?