Dawgs earn their coach his 15th State Sectional appearance

CHATTANOOGA-Following a two-year hiatus, the 2024-25 Bulldog Basketball team made it back where they belong.

Led by a senior trio made up of Nate Adams, Lance Burchett, and Hayden Adams, the Dawgs competed for championships and finished as one of the last 16 teams standing with a 20-9 record following a State Sectional loss at defending Class A State Champion Chattanooga Prep last week.

“After an absence there in the region and district championship games, they got us back there,” 25-year veteran Bulldog head coach Rob Edwards said of his seniors.  “They are competitors—they compete, and with nine losses, seven of those coming to teams that are playing in Murfreesboro this week, and finishing in the final 16, I’m proud of them and credit to those guys.

“Those three, they all have different qualities about them that make them special and we are going to miss them all.”

Edwards described Nate Adams as “a prolific scorer” and “a very talented guy,” who could score from anywhere on the floor.

“Some nights he would just take over and carry us,” the coach said of the team’s scoring (17.1 ppg.) and rebounding (5.8 rpg.) leader, before lauding both Burchett and Hayden Adams’ contributions.

“Lance could get hot, was really hard to stay in front of, and was also a good defender,” Edwards said of Burchett, who was the team’s second-leading scorer (13 ppg.).  “We really relied on him on both ends of the floor.

“And Hayden just sets the example by doing all the stuff nobody else will do,” he continued.  “Nobody outworks Hayden Adams, and he’s one of those guys that will forever by one of my favorite guys just because of how hard he worked at it.”

Besides the individual praise, Edwards also commended the group as a whole.

“I saw a lot of maturation from those guys throughout the season, and I told them at the end of the year I was really proud of them,” he said.  “What I was most proud of is that they became mentally tougher—the little things didn’t bother us at the end of the year like they did at the start of the season.

“So I feel like that is one of their greatest accomplishments, outside of winning 20 games and playing in the district and region championships.”

Edwards’ prior teams set the standard for his three seniors to follow by winning 14 district crowns, nine region titles, nine sectionals, and the 2021 State Championship.

This year’s team let the ones to come know competing for championships is still possible.

Edwards’ most recent senior class, with the help of a talented junior-class threesome of Nolan Adams, Cole Eads, and Warner Melton, earned their coach his 15th Sweet-16 berth and were just a win away from his 10th State Tournament appearance.

“I felt like we could make a run down the stretch,” Edwards said of the expectations he had for this year’s team entering the season.  “All along I knew in the back of my mind we probably needed to win the region to get to the State Tournament by avoiding going to Chattanooga Prep.”

And his team almost did.

“Just an incredible effort by those guys,” he said of Clay County’s one-point overtime loss to Pickett County in the Region 4-A final, which sent the Dawgs south in the sectional round.  “I was proud of them after the game and I told them that.

“Again, overall, finishing in the final 16, and I think if you take (Chattanooga) Prep out of the picture, and (among) those 14 other teams that were left in the state in Tennessee, I think we were as good as any of them.”

After winning the region title, Pickett County (25-7) hosted and won their sectional by a score of 64-39 over Van Buren County (20-13) to advance to face Hillcrest (26-3) in Wednesday’s Class A State Tournament Quarterfinals, while Chattanooga Prep (21-7) beat the Dawgs 71-45 and will play Sante Fe (28-3) this week in Murfreesboro.

“I do think it will be those two teams playing in the final,” Edwards said of the Sentinels and Bobcats, who are on opposite sides of the bracket.  “I’ve said many times I think this year’s team is the best Pickett team I’ve coached against and we just don’t see teams like (Chattanooga Prep).”

Prep personnel

proves too much

Behind a lineup featuring personnel possibly never seen before at the Class A level, Chattanooga Prep took another step towards their second-straight State Title when they fended off a determined Bulldog team here last Monday night.

“We went in with the mentality to win the game,” Edwards said.  “The two things I thought that they did best—live-ball turnovers and offensive rebounds—I felt like we did a good job with both of those.

“Their defensive pressure in the half court, they really got after us, and when you have a six-foot-eight wingspan guy standing in the paint protecting the rim, you can do that,” he continued.  “Good game plan by them.

“We just needed a little bit more horsepower to get the job done.”

Clay County did all they could, including Nate Adams producing a game-high 25 points in his final game, but they couldn’t overcome the speed, athleticism, and length of the Sentinels.

The Dawgs got off to a good start and led 6-4 early, before Chattanooga Prep scored 10 unanswered to quickly go ahead 14-6.

In response, Nolan Adams and Eads both made three-pointers, and Clay County pulled within 13-19 of the Sentinels at the end of the first quarter.

Chattanooga Prep then outscored the Dawgs 19-12 in the second stanza to lead 38-25 at the break, but they only added four points to their advantage in the third quarter, as Clay County kept coming the entire game.

The Sentinels finally got their margin to 20 points midway through the final frame, before they finished off the Dawgs down the stretch.

“You do what you can in practice to try to simulate their length and speed,” Edwards said, outlining the use of tennis rackets and playing five on seven to try to prepare.  “It ended up proving a little too much for us to handle, but I’m proud of my guys.”

Bulldog leaders

Nate Adams finished as the Dawgs’ top scorer (17.1 ppg.) and rebounder (5.8 rpg.) this season, to go along with 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  He also totaled over 1,200 points in his career.

Burchett was the second leading scorer (13 ppg.) and added 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest, while Nolan Adams led the team in those categories with 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game to go along with his 12.3-point scoring average.

Eads also averaged double-figure scoring (10 ppg.) and 5.2 rebounds per contest, while Melton (5.2 ppg.) and Hayden Adams (3.2 ppg), who was the team’s best offensive rebounder (2.4 orpg.), also chipped in timely points.

BOX SCORE

March 10th

Sectional

Bulldogs:

13, 12, 12, 8—45

Chatt Prep:

19, 19, 16, 17—71

DAWGS (45)-Nate Adams 25, Cole Eads 7, Lance Burchett 5, Nolan Adams 3, Warner Melton 3, Hayden Adams 2.