Season rewind: Tipton-Rosemark Academy’s Cinderella run shouldn’t be forgotten
When Andrew Anderson walked to the bench after picking up his fourth and fifth fouls back-to-back in the third quarter, he quickly hugged his head coach Cedric Anderson. Because he knew his high school basketball career had come to an end,…
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Continue ReadingWhen Andrew Anderson walked to the bench after picking up his fourth and fifth fouls back-to-back in the third quarter, he quickly hugged his head coach Cedric Anderson.
Because he knew his high school basketball career had come to an end, just not the way he had hoped for.
The senior point guard and his coach stayed attached to one another for at least three minutes, taking a moment to embrace one another for the magical run that had started at the end of the regular season.
Saturday night inside Lipscomb University-Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, the Tipton-Rosemark Academy Rebels (23-9) saw their seven-game winning streak end by the hands of Knoxville Webb (30-6) in the Division II-A Boys State Tournament Championship game.
Not only did Saturday mark the end of Anderson’s high school basketball career, but Tysen Banks, Kameron Collier, Jaylin Mansfield, Ryan Knight, and Nathan Bradley also saw their high school basketball careers end in defeat.
But let’s go back towards the end of the regular season when TRA lost three of its final five games. Things weren’t looking good for the Rebels as people overlooked them heading into their second round matchup against Lausanne Collegiate School in the DII-A West Region Tournament.
TRA shocked a lot of outsiders by defeating the Lynx, who hosted the tournament. Then, the Rebels took down First Assembly Christian School, which was led by senior point guard Koby Jeffries, who was held to just nine points. Northpoint Christian was the next team to be taken down by TRA for the DII-A West Region Tournament Championship.
For a spot in the final four of the state tournament, the Rebels took down Goodpasture Christian, which came in that game ranked No. 1 in the Tennessee Class II-A Basketball standings. To make it to Saturday night, TRA took down a Keon Johnson-led Webb School team by the final score of 67-62.
During the Rebels’ seven-game winning streak, they defeated five schools that were ranked in the top 15 of the Tennessee Class II-A standings.
“These guys have really grown together as a team and as a family,” Coach Anderson said. “They love each other. They interact off the court, in the classroom, in the hallway, and in the hotels when we had to travel to up here. This is a special moment. I mean, it’s tough right now, but this is a very special moment for them.”
After the game, Anderson talked about his senior class as a whole, using the word “grit” to describe them, referencing the “Grit-and-Grind” slogan the Memphis Grizzlies use.
“To the rest of the roster, we have to make sure that we appreciate the effort these guys put out to say ‘I’m going to give maximum effort, so this team has the opportunity to win.’ To this point, we beat five teams that are in the top 12 of the rankings, so that’s amazing.
“So, we didn’t back in, we came through the front door.”
Sophomore forward Alex Anderson will be back next season for TRA. At 6-foot-6, Anderson proved he can be a leader and carry a team on his back offensively, if needed. He finished Saturday’s championship game with 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting.
Tons of support
Fans and parents of TRA traveled to Nashville to support the school and congratulated the team on its state runner-up finish as the Rebels came out of the locker room after the game.