Upperman Bees Defeat Lawson 65-42 In Season Opener For Coach Bobby McWilliams’ 600th-Career Win

By Michael Lindsay

 

The Upperman Bees tipped off their 2024-’25 season in style Monday night as they picked up a 65-42 victory over James Lawson High School in boys-only action.

“There’s a lot of good to take out of the game, but there’s things we have to work on for sure,” said Upperman head coach Bobby McWilliams. “The kids that had been with us were where they needed to be, and I was really pleased with our football guys. A strength of our team will be our depth.”

Monday’s victory was the 600th-career win for McWilliams.

“I’ve been very fortunate since I’ve been here to have some really good players and teams,” said McWilliams. “I’ve been fortunate and proud of what we’ve done. That’s the only way you can get to any kind of wins milestone. Hopefully we can add a few more to that this season.”

The Bees were led by 24 points, 5 assists and 4 steals by sophomore point guard Ty Cobbs and 14 points from forward Bronzden Chaffin.

“Ty came out locked in and ready to play,” said McWilliams. “He had 18 in the first half and put it in cruise control to get everybody involved in the second half, and that’s who he is.”

Cobb got to work early as he scored 14 first-quarter points including an and-one with 38 seconds left in the frame to give the Bees a 25-13 lead. Following a Charger basket, Jack Torrence hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner to give Upperman a 28-15 advantage entering the second quarter.

The Bees stayed on the attack in the second period as fast-break dunks by Chaffin and Cobb helped pace the Bees to a 35-22 halftime lead.

“Any time you can turn defense into offense, it’s icing on the cake,” said McWilliams. “With the size and length we have, as the season wears on hopefully that’s something we can improve on.”

Upperman maintained their lead in the second half as they led 49-30 after three quarters before closing out to win by a 65-42 final margin. The 1-0 Bees are scheduled to face Mount Juliet on Saturday.