Tullahoma falls short in TSSAA tournament championship after historic season

Written by Willie Phaler

Tullahoma Boys Basketball just finished up one of the best seasons in program history, with a 32-5 season and a second-place finish at the TSSAA 3A state championship. 

The Wildcats fell short in the quest for a state championship to the Upperman Bees, 65-55, in the Murphy Center on campus of Middle Tennessee State University.  

Tullahoma’s run at the state championship began with a dominating win over Jackson South Side, topping the Hawks 68-48. 

Senior Xavier Ferrell led the way with 31 points in 28 minutes, on an efficient 14 of 22 from the field, good for a 64% field goal percentage. Ferrell added six rebounds on the night, also a team high. 

The semi-finals were a battle between Wildcats as Tullahoma matched up with Fayette-Ware. The Wildcat offense kept up almost the same production, as they collected 67 points on the way to victory over Fayette-Ware. 

Ferrell dropped 21 against the Wildcats to pair with 23 points from fellow senior Khani Johnson for 44 total points in the semis. 

This led to a 67-58 victory, sending Tullahoma to the state championship, where they had a rematch with Upperman after first meeting in the Region 4 championship. Tullahoma won the previous matchup, 59-51. 

The Bees' defense stifled what had been a high-powered offense for the Wildcats, holding them to 55 points as Upperman collected the coveted white BlueCross State Championship hats. 

The duo of Ferrell and Johnson got theirs once again, with 19 and 21, respectively. Upperman shut down every other player for Tullahoma, as the rest of the team combined for 15 points. 

The run for Tullahoma marked their first appearance in the state championship, and the second time making it to the state tournament.