Jamir Dean (center) and the Alcoa Tornadoes knocked off Tullahoma 66-47 in the Class 3A state semifinals on Friday, March 20, 2026, in Murfreesboro. (Photo by Danny Parker/5Star Preps)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Alcoa athletes don’t lose championship games very often.
Take junior Alcoa standout Jamir Dean, for example.
The Power Five football prospect has played in three football championship games. Won them all.
He helped Alcoa repeat as Class 2A state basketball champions during his freshman season, back in March 2024.
But you’d better believe Dean and his Alcoa basketball teammates still feel the pangs of last year’s state-title loss in Murfreesboro.
And they’ll be out to fix that Saturday.
SmartBank is the proud sponsor of 5Star Preps postseason basketball coverage.
Dean scored 12 points with five rebounds and five assists Friday, and fellow junior Jay Kirk led Alcoa with 23 points and eight boards, as the Tornadoes erupted in the second half to trounce Tullahoma, 66-47, in the Class 3A state semifinals at MTSU’s Murphy Center.
Alcoa advanced to the state title game for a fourth consecutive season.
“We all want to make sure we come out with it,” Dean said of the championship. “We don’t want to go out like we did last year.
“We want to play for each other, the city — we just want to win. We’re going to do anything to win.”
Alcoa (23-13) forced 23 turnovers Friday and shot 51.7 percent in the second half against Tullahoma, a team that reached the 3A title game last season. Alcoa also didn’t let 6-foot-9 center Austin Tinnon completely dominate. He had just nine points to go with his 12 rebounds and four blocks.
But during a key stretch during the third quarter and into the fourth, Alcoa 71 percent of its shots to create separation from the Wildcats (28-5).
Now, the Tornadoes — in their first season in Class 3A — will face five-time state champion Fulton (26-9) at 1:30 p.m. Central time Saturday in the championship.
Fulton eliminated defending state champion Upperman in the other 3A semifinal Friday. The Falcons won back-to-back 3A titles in 2023 and 2024.
Alcoa defeated Fulton in overtime in their regular-season meeting on Jan. 8.
“It’s a testament to East Tennessee basketball. Cool to see two teams from the Knoxville area playing,” Alcoa coach Ryan Collins said. “I have the ultimate respect for Jody Wright and his program. They are a standard. I remember when I came to Alcoa, and we were in a league with them and A-E (Austin-East), I always felt like if we could just win the league, we were state title good. And that’s how I felt about Fulton; they were state-title good, regardless.
“To be battling a familiar foe is great. At the end of the day, we don’t want it to be about a competitor and beating somebody. We just want to be the best version of ourselves. We’re confident the best version of ourselves is good enough. We’re trying to unleash and unlock that one more time tomorrow. Just 32 more minutes.”
HOW ALCOA WON
AGAINST TULLAHOMA
Alcoa and Tullahoma were knotted up at 26-all midway through the third quarter, as Alcoa’s 3-point shooting had yet to click.
But then Alcoa flipped the switch and a 10-2 run ensued.
Made 3s by Kirk and Kamden Lanxter triggered the spurt. Condis Cherry, who had 12 points Friday, scored in the paint. And then Jibriel Koko got a steal and score to make it a 36-28 game.
Alcoa led just 41-37 after three.
But Cherry’s 3 to start the fourth stretched Alcoa’s momentum into the final quarter. Dean hammered home a dunk at the 7:07 mark of the fourth for a 46-37 advantage.
Koko sank a deep 3 for a 51-39 lead with 5:40 remaining.
Kirk’s transition bucket at the 5:15 mark. From his 3 at the midpoint of the third to Kirk’s layup with 5:15 to play, Alcoa made 12 of 17 field goals.
“We tried to get guys off the 3-point line and keep them from shooting a lot of 3s, but their penetration was so excellent,” Tullahoma coach Jason Welch. “(Cherry) and (Kirk) for them demand so much attention, that you have to help on those guys.
“They’re good.”