State tournament coverage presented by Risher Roofing
Story by Noah McKay
MURFREESBORO – The Upperman Bees’ dream of a back-to-back state championship fell one game short as Fulton won the Class 3A semifinal matchup 54-51 on Friday at the Murphy Center.
The Bees committed 18 turnovers to Fulton’s nine as the Falcons eliminated UHS for the second time in three seasons.
“It was a battle,” said UHS head coach Bobby McWilliams. “They had some kids step up that maybe hadn’t done as much in the tournaments. I don’t think we’ve ever had as much problem securing rebounds as we had in that game. And then the turnover issue. We had a lot more turnovers than we’ve really ever had.”
The Falcons set the tone early with an 11-0 run in the middle of the first quarter to take a 14-4 lead. The Bees answered with four straight by Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball Ty Cobb to cut the deficit to 14-8 after one.
The teams traded buckets early in the second before Mr. Basketball finalist Nick Steen left the game with foul trouble. The Bees capitalized with a 16-5 run, erasing a 10-point deficit to take a 32-30 lead into halftime.
The Falcons then outscored the Bees 15-9 in the third quarter to take a 45-41 lead.
Trailing by three in the final minute, Cobb had two looks from long range to tie the game but two misses sent Fulton back into the state championship game.
“We had a season high (in turnovers),” said McWilliams. “We spent a lot of energy trying to get back in that game, Then we end up with the lead at half. Then in the second half it just came down to making a few plays. I was proud of our guys.”
The Bees were led by Cobb’s game-high 33 points with six rebounds. Colton Johnson scored eight points with six rebounds. Joseph Maynard scored four points and eight rebounds while Jack Torrence and Collier Bush each scored three.
It was the final game for UHS seniors Torrence, Bush and Carmine Phillips. Bush and Torrence each started throughout the season, while Phillips joined the team and provided a boost off the bench.
“We trust them,” said McWilliams on his seniors. “They know that we trust them. They’ve had a huge impact on our program and going forward they’ve set good examples to these guys in the locker room and on the floor. Their legacy is going to carry on. We’re really proud of them.”
The Bees (31-6) reached the 3A semifinals for the third straight season. They were the District 7-3A regular season and tournament champions, the Region 4-3A tournament champions and made the state tournament for the 10th time in program history.
“Right now, it’s disappointing,” said McWilliams. “But in a month or two down the road they’re going to look and see that this is not easy to do. Just really proud of them and I hope they know that while we’re all disappointed, having been through it a couple of times here, I know what they’re going to think a month or two down the road.”
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