Austin-East huddles during the Region 2-AA championship against Fulton on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
Marcus Stanton recalled where he was the last time the Austin-East boys’ basketball team made it to a TSSAA state tournament.
He was a second-year assistant coach for the Roadrunners in 2008 under then-head coach Charles Mitchell.
Stanton, now the A-E head coach, won’t have to think as far back anymore.
Austin-East won a hard-fought, 66-61 Class AA state sectional at Greeneville on Monday night to get the Roadrunners back to Murfreesboro for the first time in 11 years.
“We were finally able to hold them from hitting 3s,” Stanton said of the win Monday night. “They went on a hot streak in the fourth quarter when they were knocking down some shots.
“They had a kid — No. 5 (freshman Reid Satterfield). He was hitting shots from everywhere.”
Satterfield finished with 16 for Greeneville (22-11). Jaevon Gillespie added 17.
But Austin-East (24-5) made its free throws in the final minutes and got big play all night, Stanton said, from Dereke Upton.
“He carried us the whole game,” said Stanton. “He led us in scoring and rebounding.”
The Class AA state quarterfinals will be played Wednesday, March 13, at MTSU’s Murphy Center. Austin-East will find out its opponent Tuesday night during the TSSAA’s state-tournament draw.
Joining them in the field will be: Fulton, Brainerd, Howard, Pearl-Cohn, East Nashville, Mitchell and Wooddale.
“We talked about tomorrow everybody has to be ready to go,” Stanton said about the team’s preparation. “It’s a whole new season.”
COSBY RETURNS BACK TO CLASS A FIELD
Cosby (24-8) led by nine early in the fourth quarter at Oneida on Monday night but had to come up with some clutch scores late to hold on, 50-46, and clinch the Eagles’ first state-tournament berth since 2006. It will be the program’s eighth appearance overall at state.
It finished runner-up in 1999 and 2000.
Oneida (23-10) pulled off the upset of Harriman in the Region 2-A finale to be able to host this Class A state sectional. Chance Botts scored 15 points Monday to help keep Oneida in it, but the Indians were denied their fifth state appearance and first since 1998.
Cosby will play in the Class A state quarterfinals on Thursday, March 13, at MTSU.
Joining the Eagles in the Class A field are: University High, Fayetteville, Eagleville, Columbia Academy, McKenzie, Humboldt and Manassas.
University High eliminated Harriman on Monday, 45-33.