Sophomore guard Reed Ownby (23) and the Sevier County Smoky Bears faced the Hillsboro Burros in a TSSAA Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal in Monte Hale Arena at the Murphy Center on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Hillsboro boys won 65-39. (Photo by Danny Parker)
MURFREESBORO — Ken Wright, the longtime head boys basketball coach at Sevier County High, had been playing with house money for weeks.
His Smoky Bears squad, the one with a 6-8 record heading into January and the one with freshmen littered across his starting lineup and among key reserves, had somehow found its way to the state tournament this week.
And, sure, he hated the 65-39 Class 4A quarterfinal loss to Hillsboro on Tuesday that brought an end to the prep career of his lone senior, but you could almost sense the tinge of excitement and optimism about Sevier County basketball moving forward in the wake of this experience at MTSU’s Murphy Center.
Wright said it himself, that he thought Sevier County (17-15) might win 8-10 games this season, given the sheer amount of ninth-graders he fielded on the roster. But now, the Smoky Bears head into the offseason having seen, first hand, what it takes to not only get to state but what it’ll take to win there.
“We started three freshmen and a sophomore. It just takes time to get strong. We got to get into the weight room,” said Wright. “But for what these guys accomplished this year… for them just to get here is amazing.
“But we just could not handle (Hillsboro’s) physicality.”
Hillsboro (28-4) started but one senior. But the eye test told the story, as their lineup looked significantly bigger in both height and build compared to Sevier County.
The Burros, like their opponent, didn’t have a player in their lineup who had ever played a state tournament game.
But you couldn’t tell.
They shot 55 percent from the floor, made 45 percent (9 of 20) from 3 and all but one of their 13 free-throw attempts.
They also out-rebounded Sevier, 32-20. Hillsboro will try its hot hand against Memphis Overton (31-11) in a Friday semifinal.
“That team tonight shot 45 percent from the 3-point line. That generally doesn’t happen down here in your first night in the Glass House,” Wright said, referencing the nickname for the Murphy Center. “They made the shots.
“Again, I think the physicality wore us down a lot, to be honest with you.”
Sevier County shot 31.1 percent from the floor, 14.3 percent (2 of 14) from 3 and 50 percent (9 of 18) at the foul line.
Perhaps the only player to match strengths with Hillsboro on Tuesday was senior Caleb Tarwater. He had 12 points and seven rebounds — but it was his midseason move from the point guard position down into the post that allowed Sevier County to turn its season around.
He’s no 6-10 giant. He’s 6-1.
But his ability to muscle defenders in the lane made the position switch work. Months later, Sevier County won a District 2-4A Tournament title and then upset Region 2-4A champion Karns in Knoxville in the state sectional round. That gave the Smoky Bears their first state berth since 2019.
“We knew in the beginning (of the season), it might be a little rocky, might start a little slow,” Tarwater said. “We kept working every day. Coaches put us in a great spot.
“We seized our opportunity. The moment was never too big for us.”
Tarwater’s layup late in the second quarter Tuesday night cut Hillsboro’s lead to 28-20, and Sevier County got as close as six in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Once Hillsboro went ahead 35-24 just past the midpoint of the third quarter, though, the lead never dipped into single digits again.
Reed Ownby, the leading scorer for Sevier County this season and a 6-4 sophomore, led the Smoky Bears on Tuesday with 14 points on 6-for-17 shooting.
He wasn’t teary eyed in the postgame nor overly crestfallen.
He almost seemed ready to immediately get started on preparations for a return trip.
“I think (getting here) shows what can happen if we just put the work in,” said Ownby. “The results showed the second half of the season, when we had guys pushing each other.
“I think if we keep working like that, we can get back for sure.”
5STAR PHOTOS: Sevier County Smoky Bears vs. Hillsboro Burros – 2023 Class 4A Quarterfinals