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MURFREESBORO — All season, Whitehaven boys basketball had been able to flip a switch late when it needed to, turning comebacks to routs during its 24-game winning streak.
In Friday night's TSSAA Class 4A state semifinal vs. Oak Ridge, the Tigers flipped a switch, too — bouncing back from a nine-point deficit with 2:44 left in the third to take a 52-51 lead with 2:36 left in the game. From there, the light flickered and burned out, as Whitehaven fell 59-53, the team's first loss since Jan. 4.
Oak Ridge (31-3) advances to face Hillsboro in Saturday night's final.
"We fought back. The guys dug deep, but we just came up short at the end," coach Willie Kemp said. "We've been down in games a lot, but we always fight back to win. Tonight, we ran out of gas at the end. They fought tonight, that loss is not on them."
Whitehaven (32-4) didn't allow a single field goal in the fourth quarter, but Cameron Brown's layup to briefly take the lead was the Tigers' only field goal, as they shot 1-for-14 in the fourth quarter and just 32.7% from the field for the game.
"The ball just wasn't falling for us," Kemp said. "Going 2-for-18 from three, that hadn't happened all season. We didn't make shots tonight. They killed us on the glass. They're a great team, well-coached."
The biggest engine of Whitehaven's comeback was their press, but the second-year coach Kemp said he could've managed energy levels better, as fatigue showed in the form of short jumpers down the stretch.
"Managing my timeouts, getting my guys rest, we were pressing a lot," Kemp noted as areas to improve. "That's something I need to work on. This loss is not on my guys, especially my seniors. They fought their tails off tonight."
Friday marks the end of the careers for six Whitehaven seniors. Senior forward Bob Dickson led the team with 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Brown was behind him with 14 points and Mr. Basketball winner Taquez Butler had eight points.
"They're all like my sons," Kemp said of the group. "It's bigger than basketball. I'm still gonna be there for them whenever they leave Whitehaven."
"It was a great season," said Butler, who finished his lone season at Whitehaven after transferring from Douglass. "I love the guys, they helped me accomplish a lot. I wish we were able to run it again if we had another year together."
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Whitehaven win streak snapped
Continue reading...
In Friday night's TSSAA Class 4A state semifinal vs. Oak Ridge, the Tigers flipped a switch, too — bouncing back from a nine-point deficit with 2:44 left in the third to take a 52-51 lead with 2:36 left in the game. From there, the light flickered and burned out, as Whitehaven fell 59-53, the team's first loss since Jan. 4.
Oak Ridge (31-3) advances to face Hillsboro in Saturday night's final.
"We fought back. The guys dug deep, but we just came up short at the end," coach Willie Kemp said. "We've been down in games a lot, but we always fight back to win. Tonight, we ran out of gas at the end. They fought tonight, that loss is not on them."
Whitehaven (32-4) didn't allow a single field goal in the fourth quarter, but Cameron Brown's layup to briefly take the lead was the Tigers' only field goal, as they shot 1-for-14 in the fourth quarter and just 32.7% from the field for the game.
"The ball just wasn't falling for us," Kemp said. "Going 2-for-18 from three, that hadn't happened all season. We didn't make shots tonight. They killed us on the glass. They're a great team, well-coached."
The biggest engine of Whitehaven's comeback was their press, but the second-year coach Kemp said he could've managed energy levels better, as fatigue showed in the form of short jumpers down the stretch.
"Managing my timeouts, getting my guys rest, we were pressing a lot," Kemp noted as areas to improve. "That's something I need to work on. This loss is not on my guys, especially my seniors. They fought their tails off tonight."
Friday marks the end of the careers for six Whitehaven seniors. Senior forward Bob Dickson led the team with 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Brown was behind him with 14 points and Mr. Basketball winner Taquez Butler had eight points.
"They're all like my sons," Kemp said of the group. "It's bigger than basketball. I'm still gonna be there for them whenever they leave Whitehaven."
"It was a great season," said Butler, who finished his lone season at Whitehaven after transferring from Douglass. "I love the guys, they helped me accomplish a lot. I wish we were able to run it again if we had another year together."
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at [email protected] or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: TSSAA boys basketball state tournament 2025: Whitehaven win streak snapped
Continue reading...
