Central and Overton Girls Turning Heads In Mufreesboro

Jasmine Robinson Leads Overton With 18

Overton advanced to the semifinals of the state tournament in Mufreesboro today with a 47-42 win over Oak Ridge.  Alabama signee Jasmine Robinson led the Lady Wolverines with 18 points. They will face off against an always talented Riverdale squad tomorrow at 4:00 pm. Central also advanced with a win over Clarksville, 55-50 getting 20 and 16, yes 16 rebounds from the sophmore guard. Ballard is special, period. Central will face Morristown West at 5:30 for a trip to the finals for the second straight year. Good luck to both squads to tomorrow.

Melrose Moves Closer To The State

Melrose Looking Capable Of Winning A State Title

Was this a big game for these two teams? Apparently it was as I recieved a phone call at 4:00 telling me that a line of about 300 people was forming outside of Central. The region crown was on the line and a chance to host a substate game at home as White Station and Melrose who has been looking every bit like the team that everyone thought they were early in the season. White Station got to the championship game beating their rivals, the Ridgeway Roadrunners coming back down 4 with 35 seconds left on Tuesday. Early on, Melrose made it clear that they would be going to Rucker often as he scored on 2 consecutive trips down court for a 7-5 lead for Melrose. An uncharacteristic tech on Nino Johnson as he and a Melrose player rolled on the floor, gave Melrose two free throws and the ball back and things never got better for White Station.  With Joe Jackson struggling to find the flow and Andre Hollins not in a groove, the Spartans found themselves looking down a barrell and his name, junior Chris Jones. Jones would score on 5 straight possessions and hit two free throws to end the half as he scored the last 12 out of 14 points for the Golden Wildcats. Down 44-24 to start the second half, Melrose cooled off a bit from the hot second half but White Station could not make shot either. There was that guy, Chris Jones again, knocking down two 3 pointers before Adonis Thomas hit a 3 to put them up 32, 59-27 with 3:20 left in the game pretty much ending any idea of a comeback for the Spartans. Oh yeah, Chris Jones hit for a 40 piece as Melrose went on to win it, 83-60 and a big game to determine a trip to Mufreesboro against Jackson Northside which features Florida signee, Casey Prather.

Adonis Thomas chipped in with 14 points. Julian Burton and Joe Jackson tied for the leading scorers for White Station with 10 points a piece.

They came from Jackson Tn, Ripley Tn and of course, some of the best young players in the city showed up and showed out in a big way this past Saturday. The following are the top 10 players from the camp in no particular order.

Jaylen Barford -8th (Tigrett Middle School - Jackson Tn)

Davell Roby - 8th (Kirby Middle School)

1. Laron Black - 8th 6′5 (Cordova Middle School) If you don’t know Laron’s name, you better ask somebody. At 6′5, Black can do it all on the basketball court from rebounding and leading the break to scoring on the block at a very high rate. Look for Laron to continue to become one of the most talented players to come out of the city in a decade.

2. Dwain Whitfield - 7th 6′3  (Forrest City Arkansas) Classic post player with nice footwork in the post and very good size. This Arkansas product has big talent and could be one of the best players in Arkansas in the upcoming years.

3.Jaylen Barford - 8th 6′1 ( Tigrett Middle School - Jackson Tn) Scorer and I mean SCORER. He is another player who just has a knack for scoring the ball whether its with the 3, a pull up J in traffic or getting out on the break. He is very athletic and will be a player with big time division 1 potential by his 10-11th grade year.

4.Malik Hicks - 8th 6′3  ( Tigrett Middle School - Jackson Tn) Another post guy with the genes to become a great player. His father is former Ole Miss player, Marcus Hicks and he could have some of same skills that lead him to be a major D-1 player. He has a soft touch around the basket and he has nice touch out to the free throw line which will make him an even more effective post in the future although I can see him developing into a 3.

5.Keelon Lawson - 7th 6′2 (Craigmont Middle) Skilled 2-3 with the ability to do a little bit of everything. Good mid range shooter and a ever improving 3 pointer shooter, Lawson is  ranked as a top 15 player in the country by Hoopscooponline.com. Lawson doesn’t have a clue as to how good he could be but with work, I see high major written all over him and I mean high major.

6.Dedric Lawson - 6th 6′0 (Craigmont Middle School) The best passing big in Middle School and maybe the best passer period, Dedric is hands down the best 6th grader in the city. His ability to effect the game offensively and defensively is unmatched by his 6th grade peers but he can score as well. He is the 5th best 6th grader in the country acccording to Hoopscooponline.com. Expect a big summer from as he heads back to the Memphis Wareagles.

7.Naba Echols - 7th (Craigmont Middle School) What he lacks in size, he makes up for his toughness and savvy with the basketball . Despite his stature, Echlols can get in the lane and score with the runner and the floater and is effective with a very good stroke from the 3 or midrange.

8. Cody Hailstock - 8th 5′10 ( Bellevue Middle School) Surprised in the camp with his scoring ability. More of a faciliator in the summer, Hailstock has a strong build and uses his body to shield off defenders going to the basket and has really improved his shooting from the outside. If he can continue the way he played Saturday and carry onto his AAU team, Hailstock could have a break through summer.

9.Davell Roby - 8th 6′1 (Kirby Middle School) Considering that he has only been playing basketball for two years, Roby’s upside as a guard is as high as any guard in the city!!! A big pg, Roby handles the ball like its on a string and can give you buckets if you forget about his scoring ability. He has a bright future. Whoever gets him in high school will be getting a player that can be a varsity starter by his sophmore year if not sooner.

10.Tony Becton - 8th 5′11 ( American Way Middle) The fastest guard in his class end to end, Becton possesses everything necessary to be a successful. His jumper has also improved over the year and that will make him more dangerous because most are worried about his speed and quickness driving past them to the rack.

Cody Hailstock - 8th (Belleveu Middle School)

Dedric Lawson - 6th (Craigmont Middle School)

Check out more tomorrow as I talk about other top performers from the camp.

Thank You To All That Made  The Camp Possible

901PrepStars Middle School Camp

Melrose District Champs

Walking up to the game and seeing about 200 hundred people outside and I knew one thing, this was the biggest game of the week by far. Melrose and White Station has turned into quite the rivalry after both teams won on the others home floor with Melrose beating the Spartans by double digits two weeks ago. Early on, Melrose looked uncomfortable trying to figure out how to find holes in White Station’s 2-3 zone as they found themselves down 7-0 to start the first quarter. Jermaine Holliman hit a 3 and University of Tennessee committ Chris Jones hit a 3 as Melrose went on an 11-0 run to get them going as they ended the quarter 17-17. In the second half, a couple of foul calls went against Melrose and their frustration started to show. Andre Hollins who had 13 in the first half, scored 8 straight points as went into the second half of play up 10, 40-30. With Melrose being in a little bit of foul troube from the 1st half, things looked a little gloomy to start the 3rd quarter. Down 12, senior Nate Rucker became involved and became involved heavily the rest of the game. The 6′6 forward converted an and 1 to end the quarter 50-46 but he wasn’t nearly done. He score again to start the 4th on a short short that seemed to touch every part of the rim, got another basket plus the foul to make it a 1 point game with 6:00 minutes but then it happened!!! The dunk of the year!!!! Rucker caught it turned on the right side of the rim and exploded up and dunked it one handed with extension  for the Amare Stoudemire esque dunk on  Jordan Miles.  They went up 1 after that play but the game wasn’t over quite yet. Joe Jackson made it look easy with the baseline jumper but Jones would rebound a missed 3 by Holliman with 2:29 left in the game. Both teams traded baskets until a big turnover on a possession as White Station tried to feed the post. Jones would be fouled putting Melrose up 2 and they would not relinquish the lead from that point on. Hollins scored on a short 2 with under 30 seconds left as Melrose would have to make big free throws down the stretch to seal it. Junior Adonis Thomas who had 18 for the game would hit two big ones before another big turnover by White Station gave the Golden Wildcats a district championship for a 71-64 win.

Leading all scorers was Chris Jones with 22 points followed by  Jackson’s 20. After the 13 point 1st half, Hollins ended with 16. Region action will begin Saturday with both teams hosting game at their home gyms.

District Title Game: Girls

Central was just to much for White Station as they got a total team effort and good shooting from senior Finesse James who hit 3 3 pointers as Central won the district for the second straight year in a romp over White Station, 72-45

Below are all girl and boys district tournament teams

Girls

1. Jasmine Settles White Station

2.Jasmine Gardner Mitchell

3. Monique Mcconnell Mitchell

4.Amber Williams  White Station

5.Breanna Ridgell White Station

6.Tanesha Wright  Whitehaven

7.Nina Davis Central

8. Danielle Ballard Central

9.Nina Davis Central

10.Jalen O’Bannon Central

11.Aaliyah Whiteside Central (MVP)

Academic Award

Darianne Butler 4.8 GPA

Boys

1. John Ingram Mitchell

2.Julian Burton White Station

3. Joe Jackson White Station

4. Andre Hollins White Station

5. Tim Peete Central

6. Jarnell Stokes Central

7. Devontae Hampton Melrose

8. Adonis Thomas Melrose

9. Chris Jones Melrose

10.Nate Rucker Melrose (MVP)

Academic Awards :

Leonard Draper 3.8 Mitchell GPA

Shamar Nolen 3.8 Mitchell GPA

John Ingram 3.8 GPA

Adonis Thomas 4.4  GPA

I would like to say thank you to those who have responded to the 901PrepStars Camp being held Saturday, February 27th from 9 til 2:00 pm. The camps players list has been made and below are players that will be in attendance. I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you their. God Bless. If your name is not on the list, please call me as soon as possible as it may just be an oversight. Thank you!!

1. Tony Becton American Way

2. Cody Hailstock Bellevue

3. Laron Black Cordova Middle

4. Dalvin Foster Hamilton Middle

5. Calvin Bunting Hamilton Middle

6. Chris Hale Colonial

7.Marcus Broadnax  A Maceo Walker

8. Tomadreus Trezevant A Maceo Walker

9. Johnathan Traylor A Maceo Walker

10.Keelon Lawson Craigmont

11.Dedric Lawson Craigmont

12.Ernest Palmer Snowden

13.Chris McNeal Tigrett

14.Malik Hicks Tigrett

15.Jaylen Barford Tigrett

16.Laron Black Cordova

17.Jacob Miller Riverdale

18.Brandon Taylor Raleigh Egypt

19.Deshaun Brownlee Raleight Egypt

20.Fatodd Lewis Raleigh Egypt

21.Malik Dodson Catholic

22.Naba Echols Craigmont

23.Dillon Mitchell American Way

24. Jeremiah Martin American Way

25.M. Hymon Havenview

26.Cornelius Sturghill Sherwood

27.Sebastian Barnes Sherwood

28.Malik Newman Jackson Ms

29.Bam Jones Sherwood

30.Greg Gardner Lester

31. Zleh Randolph Lester

They Will Be There!! Are You?

Dear Parent,

Congratulations, on your son’s Middle School season and individual accolades. 901PrepScoop.com

would like to extend a invitation to the first annual 901PrepStars Invite Camp February 27th at

Ridgeway Baptist Church from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m, that will feature the best talent from

Memphis and surrounding areas. The camp will feature drills to measure skills levels, lecture and an

a camp  game at the conclusion of the event. Also be apart of a first of its kind documentary showing

 the finest young players in the region with dreams of playing high major Division 1 basketball . This

is a invite only event,* however we need you to confirm your acceptance by e-mail or by phone. You

will be contacted after your acceptance about registration and pre-camp information. There will be

only 30 players taken for the camp so act now to be apart of this great event. If you have any

questions, please call the number below. Thank you and I hope to see you at the event. Below is a

sample schedule of the camp itinerary.

Thanks,
Charles Lawson

Camp Itinerary

9:00 a.m. –9:30 Players Arrive
9:30 – 9:45 Warm ups (Stretching)
9:45 - 10:45 Skills/Stations by Positions
10:45 - 12:00 Break
12:00 - 12:30 Lecture
1:00 - 2:30 All Camp Game

* Due to Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA) rules governing participation of student athletes which prohibits us from having a free event, an administrative fee of  $ 10.00 dollars will be assessed to each camper that participates.

Cordova Wins State Crown With Bench Help

Large School Division State Champs (Cordova Middle)

State Champs

Lady Stallions Ride To The State Title!!!

2009-2010 Large Schools State Champs (Schilling Farms)

Marissa Knox 8th Grader (State MVP)