Greeneville’s Jakobi Gillespie slams home two of his game-high 22 points in a 71-37 win over Jackson North Side on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at MTSU’s Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker).
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO – No matter how emphatic the “de-fense” chants that emanated from Jackson North Side’s bench were Tuesday afternoon, no amount of encouragement was going to stop Jakobi Gillespie.
After going for 18 in the first half of the Class 3A state quarterfinal at MTSU’s Murphy Center, Gillespie scored the first four points of the second half — breaking down his defender to slash to the rim and then also hammering down a fast-break dunk.
And he did it all while Jackson North Side’s bench tried to spur on some type of rally.
Wasn’t happening.
“I always play the same all the time,” said Gillespie. “I play hard.”
Gillespie, a Belmont signee and newly minted Mr. Basketball, scored a game-high 22 points on 10-for-20 shooting while wowing the crowed with a handful of above-the-rim finishes in Greeneville’s 71-37 win.
Gillespie checked out of the game with 1 minute, 7 seconds left in the third and never returned.
The game was that much in hand.
Adjatay Dabbs and Reid Satterfield finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively, as Greeneville began its official title defense with a major statement on Tuesday; the Greene Devils look determined to add a 3A title to the 2A title they brought home last season.
Greeneville (29-6) ran its win streak to 15 games and will face Stone Memorial (21-10) in the 3A state semifinals at 10 a.m. Central time on Friday. North Side’s season ended at 20-8, the Indians having made the program’s first appearance since 2005.
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Last year, Greeneville won its three state tournament games by a combined 10 points. On Tuesday, it showed its experience and maturity over North Side from the onset.
“We’ve been here before. So we know how the environment is and how to take this environment,” said Dabbs. “It’s sort of like a home court to us at this point.”
Both teams waited an extra 10-15 minutes to get its slated 4:30 p.m. Central tip-off going, as the game being played before the Greene Devils’ went into double overtime.
The delay didn’t deter Greeneville, which went 7-for-15 shooting from the floor in the first quarter. Gillespie had two dunks in the first quarter, and Dabbs went 3-for-4 from the field for a team-high seven in the first. His mid-range jumper with 13 seconds left gave Greeneville a 15-4 lead.
Satterfield opened the second quarter with two 3s in the first 45 seconds for a 21-6 advantage.
“I mean, they were just leaving me open,” said Satterfield. “I was just trying to knock them down.”
Dabbs added his second 3 of the half with 6:42 remaining in the second for a 24-6 score — North Side called timeout.
Greeneville didn’t care.
The Greene Devils shot 67 percent in the second quarter, including a 5-for-8 clip from the 3-point line in that timeframe.
Gillespie hit a 3 from the right wing at the 5:42 mark, and the Greene Devils led by 21.
Satterfield’s trey from the left wing at the 1:38 mark made it 36-11, Greeneville.
North Side didn’t make a field goal the final 5 minutes of the half, turned the ball over 12 times and trailed by 28 at the break. They shot 19 percent in the first half to Greeneville’s 56.7 percent.
Greeneville led by as many as 34 points in the second half.
North Side’s top two scorers, guards D.J. Genesy and DeMahri Wallace, had a combined three points at halftime. Genesy averages 20.8 points per game but finished with seven points on 3-for-10 shooting. Wallace was 0-for-8 and didn’t record a point — 14.8 below his average.
“The guys really set the tone defensively, and I thought that was the biggest factor,” said Greeneville coach Brad Woolsey. “It made the shots that (North Side) took tough. They rebounded the basketball.
“They showed tremendous effort on the defensive end, and that turned into some offense.”
5STAR PHOTOS: Greeneville Greene Devils vs. Jackson North Side – March 15, 2022