TSSAA basketball championships live updates, scores: Alcoa and Brainerd face off in 2A semifinals
MURFREESBORO – It's Tennessee high school basketball semifinal Friday.
Six semifinals are on tap for today in the TSSAA Boys Basketball State Championships at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center.
It all starts with a pair of Memphis vs. Nashville area teams in the Class 4A semifinals.
TSSAA SCOREBOARD: TSSAA basketball championships boys state bracket, scores
Memphis Overton plays Nashville Hillsboro at 10 a.m. (CT) before Memphis East takes on Independence of Thompson's Station.
Those two games will be followed by Class 1A and 2A semifinal games.
Follow along here for live updates.
Douglass advances to 2A title game with win over Giles County
Frederick Douglass advances to the Class 2A championship game with a 56-42 win over Giles County Friday.
The Red Devils will play Alcoa in Saturday's finals at 6:30.
Giles County, which trailed by double figures most of the second half, trimmed the lead to 49-42 with 5:32 remaining but could get no closer. Jaceion Coffey, who battled foul trouble the entire game and was held scoreless, fouled out with 3:34 left.
Tyler Johnson led Douglass with 15 points and nine rebounds. Jake Cardin led Giles County with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Red Devils maintain double-digit advantage
Douglass leads Giles County 48-38 at the end of the third quarter in the 2A semifinals.
Giles County has struggled with Douglass' size inside, but the Red Devils haven't been able to put the Bobcats away.
That's in large part to Giles County hitting four 3-pointers in the third quarter.
Douglass pushes lead to double figures
Douglass has taken a 32-22 lead over Giles County at halftime in the 2A semifinals.
The Red Devils went on a 13-4 run late in the second period to turn a four-point lead to 13 (32-19).
Jarmon Brittmon leads Douglass with eight points while Jake Cardin has 12 to lead Giles County.
Douglass leads Giles County 17-13 after one
Douglass jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the 2A semifinals before Giles County could get on the board, going on an 8-2 run.
The Bobcats took a 13-12 lead on a Jake Cardin 3-pointer late, but Douglass ended the half quarter on a 5-0 run, including a 3-pointer by Demario Johnson.
Cardin has eight to lead Giles County.
Alcoa advances to the Class 2A state championship, beating Brainerd
Alcoa defeated Brainerd 71-68.
The Panthers made a strong push, capitalizing off of Aloca’s late-game mistakes.
Dennis Lewsi Jr. scored 14 of his 25 points in the second half and had a crucial and-one to get Brainerd trailing 63-59 with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Javin Carter for Alcoa finished with 32 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Brainerd comes alive in the third quarter but Alcoa ends period on high note
Alcoa leads 50-44 over Brainerd after three quarters.
The Panthers achieved an 11-4 run over a four-minute span to make this Class 2A semifinal competitive.
Brainerd shot 54% from the field in the quarter and had five players score. Alcoa on the other hand shot 31% from the field in the third quarter.
The Tornadoes did end the third quarter on a high note as Elijah Cannon made a lay-up under the hoop with two seconds left and Jahvin Carter stole the inbounds and made a floater with time expiring in the quarter.
Alcoa extends lead heading into halftime against Brainerd behind star player
Aloca is ahead 37-25 at the end of the second quarter.
The Tornadoes started the second quarter on an 11-2 run in the first four minutes.
At the 6:58 mark of the second quarter, Brandon Winton Jr. finished an alley-oop lay-up that was thrown by his childhood friend Jahvin Cartert.
Winton followed that up with a contested 3-pointer from the left wing to get five points in the first two minutes of the second quarter.
Jahvin Carter scored 14 second-quarter points and is up to 18 total points. Brainerd has shot 53% from the field but has seven turnovers to Alcoa’s one.
Brainerd and Alcoa battle in the first quarter of the Class 2A state semifinals
Alcoa leads 14-13 over Brainerd after the first quarter.
One of the prominent elements of the first eight minutes is charge calls from both teams. In little over the first four minutes, four charges were called — three were taken by Alcoa.
Alcoa’s star guard Jahvin Carter, who is fresh off a 28-point performance the day prior against Pearl-Cohn, is accentuating more of his playmaking with two early assists with his four points.
The Tornadoes had some difficulties of inside the paint with the length of Brainerd’s Donivon Thomas who had a block and multiple at-rim contests. Thomas also has four points and two rebounds.
Middleton separates from USJC in fourth quarter to win and advance to title game
Running away from University School-Johnson City over the final eight minutes, Middleton sealed an 66-50 victory in Friday's Class 1A state semifinal game.
The Tigers ended the game on a 24-10 run after the Buccaneers cut their lead to two points late in the third quarter. Middleton will face Hampton Saturday at 4 p.m. in the state championship game.
Mr. Basketball winner Rodgerick "RJ" Robinson scored a game-high 32 points for the Tigers, while USJC was led by Andrew Cole's 23.
Middleton leads after third quarter but USJC hanging around
Rodgerick Robinson has 25 points after three quarters, including 18 of Middleton's last 22 points, but University School-Johnson City has stayed in the game after trailing by nine at halftime.
The Tigers lead the Buccaneers 46-40 headed into the fourth quarter. They're seeking to make it back to the state championship game for the first time since 2011.
Robinson takes over in second quarter as Middleton extends lead over University
Class 1A Mr. Basketball RJ Robinson scored 14 of his 19 first-half points in the second quarter as Middleton took a 36-27 lead over University School-Johnson City at halftime.
Robinson scored 12 of those points in a stretch of less than three minutes as the Tigers turned a one-possession game into a nine-point advantage.
Andrew Cole has 11 points for USJC.
Middleton takes early lead, but University crawls back
University School-Johnson City fended off an early burst by Middleton, rallying from an 11-2 deficit to get within 14-12 at the end of the first quarter of Friday's 1A state semifinal.
The Buccaneers, who are attempting to reach their first-ever state championship game, are led by two 3-pointers by Andrew Cole.
Cory Warren has a pair of treys for Middleton, while Mr. Basketball winner Rodgerick Robinson has five points.
Hampton eliminates Chattanooga Prep, onto 1A final
Mr. Basketball finalist Cadon Buckles dropped an efficient 29 points as Hampton beat Chattanooga Prep 53-43 in a state tournament semifinal.
Buckles hit 12 of 16 shots from the field, and was assisted by Eugene Carrico, who scored 12 points.
The Bulldogs are back in the state championship game for the first time since 1983, where they'll face the winner of Friday's second semifinal between Middleton and University School.
Independence advances to 4A state championship game
Independence kept the gas on the pedal in the fourth quarter to knock off Memphis East, 78-58, for a state tournament semifinal win. The Eagles' Jett Montgomery led the way with 24 points while Brayden Buck added 20 and Matthew Witt had 18 points.
Indy will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for the state title.
Memphis East was led by Alijah Curry's 20 points and 15 rebounds- while Luther Hackman added 18 points. But the Mustangs' 18% shooting in the second quarter doomed them. The team shot just 33.9% for the game but was 3-of-17 from the field in the second period as Independence outscored East, 22-8 in that quarter.
Indy maintains lead on Memphis East entering fourth quarter
Memphis East's 17% shooting in the second quarter cost it the lead but the Mustangs shot it better in third. However, it couldn't make up ground on Independence who holds a 54-37 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Jett Montgomery leads all scorers with 20 points as the Eagles outscored East 19-13 in the third quarter.
Second quarter burst by Independence gives Eagles a 35-24 lead at half
Independence outscored Memphis East 22-8 in the second quarter to take a commanding 11-point lead at halftime of their 4A semifinal.
Memphis East lead 20-15 with 7:36 left in the first half before Independence went on a 13-2 run, capped by a Jett Montgomery jumper with 5:19 left to give Indy a 28-22 advantage. Indy scored the final seven points of the half to go into the locker room with the lead.
Montgomery leads the Eagles with 11 points while Matthew Witt had 10 points and five rebounds. Memphis East is led by Alijah Curry's 12 points and nine rebounds. But the Mustangs went cold in the second quarter and is shooting just 30%.
Memphis East holds three-point lead after first quarter
In a fast-paced, free-flowing first quarter, Memphis East has a 16-13 advantage over Independence in the Class 4A semifinal. The Mustangs are shooting 46.7% in the opening quarter while Indy is shooting 43.8.8
Jett Montgomery leads the Eagles with seven points while Memphis East is led by Alijah Curry's 10 points.
Overton to play for first ever state title with win over Hillsboro
The Wolverines are headed to the state title game.
Led by Jordan Frison's 36 points, the Wolverines are playing for the school's first ever state championship game after defeating Hillsboro 71-61 in the Class 4A state semifinals game.
Frison and Jailen Hardaway combined for 56 of the Wolverines' 71 points in the win.
Thaddeus Johnson and Arnez Anderson combines for 38 points for the Burros in their loss, scoring 18 points and 20 points, respectively.
Overton leads Hillsboro after three quarters
Overton got a lead as large as 11 in the third quarter and take a 50-41 lead into the final eight minutes. Jordan Frison and Jailen Hardaway have carried this Overton offense and have combined for 43 of Overton's points. Frison leads all scorers with 31 points.
Arnez Anderson leads Hillsboro with 15 points and Thaddeus Johnson has 12 points for the Burros.
Frison's big quarter gives Overton halftime lead over Hillsboro
Jordan Frison scored 10 points in the second quarter, has 19 total points and has Overton up 33-28 over Hillsboro after two quarters.
It was much more efficient shooting performance from the Wolverines in the second quarter, which shot 7-for-11 from the field. The Burros didn't match their hot start to the game, shooting just 3-for-12 in the second. Along with Frison's 19, Jailen Hardaway has 10 points for Overton.
Thaddeus Johnson and Arnez Anderson lead Hillsboro scorers with 10 points apiece.
Hillsboro leads Memphis Overton after first quarter
Thaddeus Johnson and is three-point shooting has the Burros up 21-17 over Overton in the first quarter. Johnson leads all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range. The Burros as a team are shooting efficiently from deep as well, shooting 83 percent with five made 3s.
Overton's Jordan Frison has been the bright spot for the Wolverines offense, leading them with nine points through one quarter. The Wolverines have struggled from the field, shooting just 5-for-14 in the opening quarter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball championships live updates, scores from Friday semifinals
