State’s No. 1 goes down; Webb smells Cookeville
The rubber match, for an Division II-AA East Region title and Sectional home game that could pave the way for a Final Four state tourney berth in Cookeville, was nip-and-tuck for most of the game’s first 20 minutes.
Then came consecutive technical fouls against Baylor, which had just completed a three-point play to pull within 29-27 at the 4:19 mark of the third quarter.
Webb turned the technical into a five-point possession, held the state’s No. 1 Division II-AA team to just one field goal during the game’s next 10 minutes, and won going away 52-35 in Lee Athletic Center Saturday afternoon, Feb. 17.
“I can’t explain how proud I am,” Webb head coach Ricky Norris said. “I think Baylor’s as good a team as there is in the state of Tennessee. They’re really well-coached, they’re physical, they’ve got good guards.
“I’m a little lost for words. I didn’t think we had that in us, to be honest, because I have that much respect for Baylor,” added the Spartans head coach, whose team improved to 24-4 while Baylor fell to 21-5. “I think they’re that good and I think I’m just really proud. Defensively, I thought we locked into what they do and took it to our advantage. They had played the last two nights and they didn’t have the prep time that we did.
“I was really proud of our guys for our defensive preparation and taking away what they like to do. I thought we were pretty tough most of the night and gritty in the paint and on the glass. and I thought that was the difference.”
Junior point guard Jaylen Pompey led Webb in points with 14, while sophomore wing Owen Lentz — who provided a big first-quarter spark with eight early points — scored 12, as did sophomore forward Cam Swearengen. Drake Ingram, senior wing, added 10 points for the Spartans.
“I think our team, we just really gelled together well tonight,” Swearengen said. “All the time we spend together off the court really prepares us for these moments because we know how to interact with each other and we know how to go through adversity together.”
Webb will host the winner of No. 3 Middle seed Christ Presbyterian Academy,which plays at No. 3 East seed Knoxville Catholic tonight (Wednesday, Feb. 21). A trip to Cookeville awaits the winner Saturday in Lee Athletic Center.
Baylor perspective
Making it clear he was “not going to talk about the officiating,” Baylor head coach Mark Price said, “It’s a really simple game. We turned the ball over a lot more than we have been, didn’t make shots. Webb took care of the ball. They made shots. ... They played well. We did not.”
A team with lots of size, Baylor was led by forward Zane Restelli’s 15 points. But Restelli, who was the Red Raiders’ main scorer on penetration to the basket, picked up his fourth foul midway into the third quarter and scored just three points thereafter.
Despite this loss, the Red Raiders are just one road win, at No. 1 Middle seed Pope John Paul II Saturday, Feb. 24, from making the Final Four in Cookeville.
“We’ve had a great season,” Price said. “... Our team is good enough when we play like we’re capable of, of winning the state championship.”
