History often has a way of repeating itself, and high school athletics are no exception. In Greeneville’s first championship run in 2021, the Upperman Bees stood in their way in the semifinals. That year, the Greene Devils secured a 47-41 victory. Fast forward four years, and the same two teams met again with a state championship berth on the line. This time, Greeneville once again scored 47 points, but the Bees, led by Ty Cobb, who was named Mr. Basketball earlier in the week, put up 55 to advance to the Class 3A championship for their first time in school history. Their opponent will be the Tullahoma Wildcats, who defeated Fayette-Ware 67-58.
The opening quarter saw both teams feeling each other out, with the first points not coming until over a minute and a half into the game. Greeneville’s Jherivus Moore struck first at the 6:40 mark, followed by Isaac McGill hitting one of two free throws at 6:08 to give the Devils a 3-0 lead. However, that would be their only trip to the free-throw line for the entire game, while Upperman capitalized, finishing 15-for-18 from the stripe. The rest of the quarter belonged to Cobb and Landon Hall, who combined for the next ten points to give the Bees a 10-3 advantage.
The second quarter played out in near mirror image of the first, with Greeneville fighting back behind Trey Thompson, Dom Tweed, Cole Franklin, and Zaydyn Anderson. The Devils outscored Upperman 14-8, trimming the deficit to just one at 18-17 heading into halftime.
Greeneville looked to take control in the second half, but a missed jumper by Thompson set the tone for the remainder of the game. Upperman took advantage of every opportunity, utilizing the entire floor to pull away. The Bees outscored the Devils 20-10 in the third quarter, stretching their lead to 38-27. Cobb poured in 10 of his game-high 33 points during the period, while Brondzen Chaffin added seven.
In the final quarter, Upperman seemed poised to run away with the victory, especially after emphatic dunks by Chaffin and Cobb. However, Greeneville refused to go down without a fight. Trailing by 12 with 2:48 remaining, Cole Smith ignited a rally with a jumper, followed by three consecutive three-pointers to pull the Devils within four at 51-47. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get, as their season came to an end with a 26-12 record.
Greeneville finished the game shooting 41% from the field (19-46), including 31% from beyond the arc (8-26). Thompson led the way with 19 points, while Franklin added 10.
