Shelby County championships: What we learned

From the Commercial Appeal

 The SCIAA hosted its annual county championships Saturday at White Station, with boys and girls titles decided in Class AAA, Class AA and Class A divisions.

Here are some of the talking points from all the games.

East is still a beast 

With district tournaments starting this week, there's no reason to think that East won't be back in Murfreesboro to attempt to win a third straight Class AAA state title. The Mustangs' first postseason game was a success as they pulled away in the second half to defeat Ridgeway 80-55.

James Wiseman led a balanced attack with 14 points and seven rebounds as East improved to 22-3. Ryan Boyce added 12, Chandler Lawson 11 and Alex Lomax chipped in eight points and 10 assists.

"It's like a boxing match with us," East coach Penny Hardaway said. "We might come out and try to knock you out early sometimes. And sometimes we might try to see where you are, and if you adjust, we'll try something else.

"I'd be crazy to say I'm not (pleased with where the team is heading into the playoffs). We've been playing really good basketball."

East also got a big lift from 6-foot-9 junior Malcolm Dandridge, who celebrated his return to the starting lineup with 10 points and seven rebounds.

"It really doesn't matter," Dandridge said. "I just want to go out and win. But I am more comfortable starting. I'm just trying to get my confidence up, get my groove (back)."

Can't keep Central down 

You might not have recognized Central's girls team; coach Rashad Haynes said he was down seven players because of flu. But the result was typical Central as it won the Class AAA title 47-34 over Bolton.

"We got the end result," Haynes said. "To make it through with some kids stepping in and stepping up, I think this is going to help us."

Another thing that will help is that the Lady Warriors — last year's state runners-up — played at a pace that favored the opposition but still won without too much trouble. Johne' Stewart led the way with 16.

"Going into tournament play, we're going to face a lot of teams that are going to play us half-court," Haynes said. "And we have to learn to be effective in the half-court set anyway. ... We just have to learn to be patient. We can always take 3-pointers, but when we're not making them, they turn into long rebounds."

Hamilton looking legit 

For the first time in awhile, it looks like Memphis will have a legitimate state title contender in Class AA. And that is the new-age Hamilton Wildcats, who parlayed an offseason of yoga and Pilates into a 67-58 victory over Mitchell.

"At first they laughed, but now they believe," said Wildcats coach Will Smith, himself a former standout at the school. "Very few injuries and we're able to last longer. You look at the end of the third quarter, the fourth quarter is where we (excel)."

The Wildcats finished 10-12 in Smith's first season, losing to Central in the first round of the District 16-AAA tournament. But an infusion of talent — most notably transfers Jordan Johnson and James DeJesus — and a step down after TSSAA reclassification have the Wildcats at 23-2 and on an 11-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.

"James DeJesus, Pop (Johnson) ... Martrell Brooks, Kevon McMahon my point guard ... I laugh with them all the time," Smith said. "I tell them, 'You never know what's behind door No. 2 or door No. 3. But the only team that can beat us is us."

UT Martin getting an ace in Hudson 

During a late timeout in the Class AA girls game, Mitchell coach Derek Hunter scolded his team.

"They've got one doggone girl doing all the shooting," he said.

The "doggone girl" in question was UT Martin signee Sade Hudson, who finished with 35 points and 12 rebounds to lead Trezevant (17-4) past the Tigers 57-47. The Bears trailed 39-31 late in the third quarter.

"We've been doubted throughout the year," said Hudson, who averaged 22.6 points per game during the regular season. "I've been pushing my teammates all year, and we just worked hard for it. This feels great."

More impressive, Hudson missed most of the first quarter after picking up a pair of early fouls.

"You know what she told me," Bears coach Brandon Hill said. "She said, 'Coach, I've got it. I'm going to stay with it and not lose my composure. I'm going to compete every minute I'm on the floor.' And that's what she did."

Kearra Tucker added 17 rebounds for Trezevant, while Quinterria Foster had nine points and 10 steals.

Douglass is for real 

Douglass has been flying under the radar all season, which is just the way coach Greg Williams likes it.

The secret might be out now, though, after the Red Devils' impressive 105-79 victory over W.E.B. DuBois in Class A boys. Douglass will enter the district tournament with a 23-1 record and 21 straight victories following a loss to Cordova on Dec. 1.

Antavious Buford scored 31 to lead the Red Devils, who managed just four points in the first four minutes of the game before scoring 101 over the remaining 28. Devin Payne added 22.

"Our play derives from our defense," said Williams, whose team won the SCIAA title in AA last year before dropping down. "(Saturday) we didn't have to run many sets because our defense was just on and clicking. My guys come in and play hard. They play extremely hard.

"And we're so deep at every position ... I can sub and not lose a beat."

Jok Nebk chipped in 11 for Douglass while Jamari Crawford added 10. Jamey Sanders scored 30 to lead DuBois, connecting on 19 of 30 free-throw attempts.

Persistence pays for Lady Warriors 

Booker T. Washington coach Steven McKinney ran down his frustrating recent history in girls Class A.

"We were here last year," he said. "Lost to Mitchell. The year before that? Lost to Mitchell. The year before that? Lost to Mitchell. And in my first year we lost to Oakhaven."

The fifth time was the charm for McKinney and his Lady Warriors as they took control in the fourth quarter and defeated Oakhaven 61-52. Derrineshia Jackson scored 20 and Carneesia Griggs added 12 to lead BTW, which plays at a fast tempo and looks for the 3-pointer at every opportunity.

"I like the fact that we played to the end and kept playing our style of basketball," McKinney said. "The problem was we kept playing our style of basketball. Even at the end when we were up, that's an adjustment we need to learn to make."