Community Pride Hits Fever Pitch Around Local Teams

With five high school basketball teams vying for state championships over the next two weeks, community pride around the Upper Cumberland is in a full court press.

The first of five teams takes to the court Wednesday afternoon as the Pickett County girls faces Greenfield in the state quarterfinals.

“If you look around town, there’s black and gold ribbons, black and gold balloons,” Pickett County Executive Richard Daniels said. “Everybody’s got their hopes and wishes going they are successful. It’s pretty well community-wide.”

The Upperman girls will take to the court Thursday in Murfreesboro. Championship games will be played Saturday at MTSU.

Next week, the Monterey Boys, the Clay County boys and the Livingston Academy boys will vie for a championship.

“I think anytime you can put a shining light on your community is always a positive for your community,” Livingston Mayor Curtis Hayes said. “Only eight teams are left in AA division. It’s a gotcha moment, it’s a wow. It’s unbelievable.”

Hayes said he saw people at the sub-state win Monday night he had not seen in years.

White County captured the first girls’ championship for the region in 1929 defeating Jacksboro. According to TSSAA records, that makes the first of 28 state championships in girls basketball for the region. Clarkrange leads the region with eight titles including three straight from 1983-1985. Jackson County won seven titles, the first in 1973. Pickett County’s five titles includes four straight from 1977-1980. Livingston Academy has won four. White County, Clay County, Warren County and Upperman, last year’s champion, each hold one.

The Upper Cumberland did not win a boys title until 1990, years after the championships split into small and large divisions. Pickett County won in 1990 and 1995, while White County captured boys state titles in 1998 and 1999.

Coaches from the five schools have talked openly about pulling for the other region teams. But Daniels said the communities do have some bragging rights on the line.

“We’re very competitive here with the other counties,” Daniels said. “Pickett County would have bragging rights.”