Local teams see seasons end in state tournament quarterfinals

MURFREESBORO — Oftentimes, it's the journey that makes the trip, not just the destination. That can be true both in life and in sports. Each of the four Tri-Cities teams that arrived in Murfreesboro for the state tournament had their own unique routes to be a part of the final weekend of high school basketball in Tennessee. First were the Lady Trailblazers of Daniel Boone, who fell to eventual Class 3A state champion Dyersburg in the state quarterfinals last Wednesday. Still, 2026 was one of the strongest campaigns in the history of the program. Boone finished the season with a record of 32-4 and entered the state tournament ranked second in the TSWA/USA Today Network Poll. The Lady 'Blazers went on an 18-game winning streak en route to winning a conference, district, and regional championship as well as dominating Northview Academy to make it to state. The school also produced its first-ever Miss Basketball winner in senior Andrea Flores. She averaged 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game heading into the tournament. The Mississippi State signee scored 2,524 points in her career. Chattanooga signee Aaliyah Story, Laney Britton, and Ella Wilson all played major roles as seniors for the Lady Trailblazers, who made their fourth state tournament appearance in program history and their first since 2018. On the boys' side of things, Tennessee High returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2005, ending its season on Wednesday with a heartbreaking loss to Tullahoma. The Vikings went 29-8 for the season and won the conference championship by two games in the regular season. However, they had to overcome an upset loss in the District 1-3A tournament championship to get to "The Glass House." Tennessee High swept both Hawkins County schools en route to the region championship game, where it defeated Greeneville to host the sectional round. There, the Vikings earned a one-point home win. The trip was extra-special to Tennessee High head coach Michael McMeans. It was his first state tournament as a coach, as he led Sullivan South to a berth in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also ending a 21-year state drought were the Unaka Rangers of Class 1A. Making their first trip to the dance since a stretch of three in four years, the Rangers finished the season with a 22-8 record after falling to Humboldt on Thursday evening. Unaka placed second in the conference but pulled an upset of Hampton in the district championship game to earn a first-round bye in the region tournament. That allowed the Rangers to need just one win to earn a sectional berth, which they got in overtime. However, conference MVP John Hardin, Aiden Walsh, and Austin Lambert had to hit the road to clinch a state berth. Despite the travel, the Rangers dominated Harriman to become one of the final eight teams left. It was a moment that head coach Aaron Dugger admitted wasn't sure he would experience after 18 years at the program. "At some point, you realize that it may not happen," he said after Thursday's game. "Then, you get a special group like this that gets you here. I'm just disappointed I won't get to spend another day with them in this magnitude." The team that finished ahead of Unaka in the conference standings – Hampton – also found its way to Murfreesboro. The Bulldogs couldn't overcome Mr. Basketball Will McCrary and Jackson County in their first state tournament appearance since the 2023 championship run. Their final mark was 25-10. It was a season of transitions for Hampton. On the floor, the Bulldogs returned to Class 1A after spending the last two seasons playing in 2A. Off the floor, they came back to Van Huss-White Gymnasium midway through the season after being forced to play at Hampton Elementary following Helene. Still, seniors Tuff Robinson and Bryce Fagan, as well as freshman Colby Clark helped Hampton cruise to the conference championship and avenged the district title loss to the Rangers by downing Unaka in the region title game. They won 18 of their last 19 games coming into the state tournament to clinch the 17th appearance in the big dance.