Senior guard Jackson Garner (3) and the Clinton Dragons faced the Jackson South Side Hawks in a TSSAA Class 3A state tournament quarterfinal at Murphy Center on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Jackson South Side boys won 52-48. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO – The heart-felt ovation that members of the Clinton High School boys basketball team received from their fan base late Wednesday morning inside MTSU’s Murphy Center was both merited and warranted.
Not only had the Dragons given them a season’s worth of indelible memories, but they’d also gone on a historic run that the city hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years.
So when Clinton walked off the floor following a 52-48 loss to state-tournament veteran Jackson South Side, the cheers poured down from the stands.
Jackson Garner scored 16 points, Lane Harrison 14 and Rishon Bright 12 for Clinton (28-5), but 2021 state runner-up South Side made the clutch plays down the stretch in the Class 3A state quarterfinal. The Hawks (24-3) advanced to face the Fulton in a semifinal at 11:15 a.m. Central time Friday at the Murphy Center.
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Clinton nearly pulled the upset thanks to Jackson South Side going 9-for-22 at the foul line. But offensive rebounds by South Side off free-throw misses in the final minute kept the Dragons’ rally hopes at bay.
The Dragons were looking for their first state semifinal berth since 1956.
“Obviously, they have a lot of returners. A lot of their main guys played last year, and the other kids got to experience it,” Clinton coach Chris Lockard said about South Side. “None of my guys have been here. They were born in 2004, the last time I made it down here.
“I think that was a concern: you’re coming in against someone who’s been there and done that. And these boys, I’ve taken them through the most difficult schedule I’ve had since ’04. And they handled it.”
Clinton trailed by as many as eight in the second half but just 41-39 entering the fourth quarter. Bright’s breakdown of his defender and slash-and-score into the lane put the Dragons ahead 43-42 with 6 minutes, 21 seconds, to play.
“He was really locked in tonight,” said Lockart about Bright, who was 6-for-10 shooting. “He was getting to the rim any time he wanted.”
Two transition scores gave South Side back its lead, 46-43, midway through the fourth.
And Clinton continued to slow the pace in the half court, methodically looking for scores while keeping the ball out of South Side’s hands. The plan was to try and get the lead and then use strong guard play and handles to zap the clock.
Bright score again in the paint to cut South Side’s lead to 46-45 with 3:39 left to play. But Clinton could just never get the lead it so desired.
South Side pulled ahead 50-45 on a Rico Sain score with 1:24 left. Sain, a Mr. Basketball finalist, finished with 20 points.
The Hawks made just two of six shots at the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds.
Clinton couldn’t corral the timely rebounds nor make the necessary 3s to close the gap.
The Dragons finished an uncharacteristic 4-for-18 from the perimeter.
“Our 3-point shooting wasn’t what it typically is. But I think you have to credit South Side. They close out pretty quick on you. They get a hand up,” said Lockard.
“In the back of my mind, I felt like we were going to have to hit 12 or 14 3s,” added Lockard. “And we hit four. We were four of 18. This team, I would have bet you $100 we’d never go 4-for-18, especially with the guys we had taking the 3s.”
Though they were making their first state tournament appearance since 2004 and trailed early 10-5, the Dragons didn’t externally seem fazed or rattled by the bigger stage or more seasoned opponent.
Garner hit his first 3 at the 3:32 mark of the first quarter, triggering an 11-2 Clinton run that also featured 3s by Harrison and Jeremiah Blauvelt.
Clinton made six of 11 from the floor in the first quarter. But South Side went 8-for-14 shooting and knotted the score at 16-all heading into the second quarter.
“The first four minutes was a concern,” said Lockard. “But after the first four minutes, I was like, ‘We got a shot.'”
Neither team could find separation room in the second quarter — save for the final minute — as Clinton and South Side traded transition scores and free-throw makes. The quarter featured four ties and was all even (24-24) with 3:35 remaining in the half.
South Side surged ahead by seven (31-24) by the break, though, scoring twice in the final minute of the second quarter to post its biggest lead of the half. Jaylan Cole hit a 17-foot, straight-on jumper with 48 seconds remaining, and Sain scored on a slash to the bucket with 5 seconds to go for the halftime margin.
Garner, who had 11 points in the first half on 5-for-11 shooting, near sank a running half-court shot at the buzzer, but South Side held onto the momentum.
And every time Clinton tried to slice into that lead in the third quarter, Sain responded.
Harrison got a transition dunk in the opening seconds of the third quarter, but Sain countered with a corner jumper to preserve the halftime margin.
Garner’s 30-footer at the 5-minute mark cut South Side’s lead to 35-31. Sain answered with a 3 from the left wing for a 39-31 advantage with 3:36 left in the third.
Clinton’s 6-0 run late in the third, which was punctuated by a Harrison dunk off the baseline from an assist from Trace Thackerson, cut South Side’s lead to 39-37. Meanwhile, South Side made three of eight foul shots in the third to allow Clinton to remain within striking distance.
The Dragons trailed just 41-39 with a quarter to play.
But that Clinton magic that captured the town’s attention, that led to the buzzer-beater over rival Oak Ridge and that produced district- and region-tournament championships, it just didn’t resurface when it was needed most.
“I was little nervous on the bus ride here. But once I got here I wasn’t,” said Garner. “Seeing the whole town and community show up … it means everything for the city. That just makes it so much more fun to play.”
5STAR PHOTOS: Clinton Dragons vs. Jackson South Side – Wednesday, March 16, 2022