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Postseason basketball play is in full-swing in the Volunteer State.
District titles were won and region tournaments began for many teams in the state last week. However, Division II programs were aiming much higher as they looked to lock in their spots for the Final Four in DII-AA and DII-A.
Based on last week’s results, our staff took some time to rank this week’s top five large and small class programs. The rankings are based on an average of where our staff ranked the teams.
Large Class teams include 4A, 3A, and Division II-AA. Small Class teams include 2A, 1A, and Division II-A.
Here’s a look at the top boys teams in our area entering the fourth week of February.
Large Class
1. Pope John Paul II (24-7): A win over McCallie is all that stood in the way of the Knights from making it to the DII-AA semifinals. There would be no letdown this year as Osby Cavin went off to the tune of 33 points in a 71-48 win over the Blue Tornado.
2. Beech (29-2): The Bucs pulled away late to beat Lebanon 67-48 and win their first district championship in four years. They then opened up the region tournament with a dominant 57-35 win over Antioch.
3. Brentwood (27-3): Davis Cochran scored 21 points and the Bruins rolled to a 68-38 win over Columbia to open up their region tournament run.
4. MBA (19-8): How about the Big Red? After surviving against MUS, MBA shocked they state by knocking off nationally-ranked Knox Webb 56-52 to advance to the DII-AA semifinals.
5. Blackman (24-4): After opening the week with a 20-point win over Stewarts Creek, the Blaze got a scare in the district title game as they had to hold off Siegel 52-51.
Who just missed out: Lipscomb Academy (27-5), Franklin (19-9)
Small Class
1. PCA (26-6): The Lions only played once during the week and had no issues punching their ticket back to the DII-A semifinals. They crushed Lakeway Christian 71-38.
2. Eagleville (27-0): As expected, the Eagles rolled through their district tournament much like they did during the regular season. They first dispatched Santa Fe 77-47 and then had no issues with Moore County winning 75-32.
3. BGA (30-7): The Wildcats had to win a pair of games to advance to Clarksville but that prove to be too much of a challenge. They beat Silverdale Academy 64-50 and then had no issues with Harding Academy winning 60-47.
4. East Nashville (20-4): In a rematch with Pearl-Cohn with the district title on the line, the Eagles came up big holding on for a 62-57 win. They continued that momentum into their region tournament bout with East Robertson winning 95-51.
5. White House Heritage (25-5): Avery Coles and the Patriots haven’t had too tough of a time so far in postseason play. They beat Whites Creek 60-46 for the district title and opened region tournament play with a 64-32 win over LEAD Academy.
Who just missed out: Smith County (20-11), Cannon County (22-9)
