Upperman will begin its quest for their first ever state championship appearance Thursday morning against Hume-Fogg.
The Bees defeated Hume-Fogg last year in the state quarterfinals before losing in the state semifinals. Upperman Coach Bobby McWilliams said his team understands the tournament lifestyle after going on the road to secure a Murfreesboro berth.
“I feel like we were physically and mentally locked into that game and just a really, really good team effort. I’m just super proud of them for being focused and locked in on the task at hand and getting themselves an opportunity to get to go to the state tournament.” McWilliams said.
The Bees lost to Tullahoma by eight in the regional championship. The loss forced Upperman to travel to Heritage, a game they won last week 51-33.
McWilliams said the sectional game against Heritage was a typical game for the Bees.
“They had great length at the guard spots.” McWilliams said. “I think [seeing] that should help us going forward as we get into this state tournament here.”
Upperman will travel to Murfreesboro for a 9:30 am tip-off Thursday morning. Upperman’s last two state appearances have resulted in semifinal exits. McWilliams said the last four days have been spent preparing for the early game.
“We played an early morning game in Florida and played pretty well.” McWilliams said. “It’s early for the other team as well but it is a change of routine, change of schedule.”
Hume-Fogg enters with an 18 game win streak. They have not lost since December 28, when they dropped back-to-back games in their Christmas tournament.
“Their length is tremendous, their athleticism is tremendous.” McWilliams said. “They’re playing at a much different pace than they were last year so, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen to this point.”
Hume-Fogg enters with a 28-3 record. This season marks the 100th season since Hume-Fogg won a state championship. This season marks the fourth time the Blue Knights have appeared in the state tournament since their last title.
“They’re definitely a very capable team who we think is very good and it’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but we’re looking forward to it.” McWilliams said.
