In 2019, McKenzie captured a 65-49 victory over University School of Johnson City in Murfreesboro and advanced the the state semifinals.
Last Wednesday, USJC earned a measure of revenge. The Buccaneers shot well in exacting a 66-53 victory over the Rebels in the Class A quarterfinals.
The loss ended the Rebels run at 21-6. USJC suffered a 66-50 loss to eventual state runner up Middleton in the semifinals.
The Rebels didn’t shoot particularly well in the Glass House, as their 3-16 clip from the perimeter would attest. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers connected on their first three triples to take a 9-2 lead in the first quarter. It was apparent that the Rebels were in for a long afternoon. USJC was 10-22 from the three-point line and never trailed in the game.
But it was a streaky game. The Rebels began a 9-2 run to tie the game at 11 late in the first, and deadlocked the game at 13 seconds later.
The Bucs’ Andrew Cole converted an old-fashioned three-point play, then bombed two triples, the last one at the horn, to put his team in front by 10, 25-15, going into the second frame.
As the second frame began, the Rebels cut into the lead, thanks to a triple from Tate Surber, then a drive to the rack by Marquez Taylor. The Rebels trailed 27-22. Back came the Bucs from the outside. Mason Croley flushed a three, then Andrew Finney scored to put USJC up by 10 again, 32-22.
Late in the half, Stafford Roditis buried a three, followed by a free throw from Taylor and the Rebels trailed 37-30 at the break.
With 4:56 to play in the third, Zay Webber drained a triple to cut the lead to three, 44-41. With 2:11 to play, Taylor convered a three-point play to cut the lead to two, 46-44. That’s about the time things started to unravel for the Rebels. Straddling the third and fourth frames, USJC went on a 9-2 run for a 55-46 lead with 6:31 to play in regulation.
Surber converted a three-point play, then scored another deuce to cut the lead to four, 55-51 with 5:42 to play. From there, the Bucs shut the door on the Rebels with 11 unanswered points. Roditis scored a cosmetic bucket, but for all intent and purpose, the spree was too much for the Rebels to overcome.
Cole led the Bucs with 24 points. He was 4-6 from the three-point line. He also had 10 boards. A.J. Murphy scored 16.
Taylor led the Rebels with 22 points. Surber had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Bryson Steele added 10. Roditis scored five and Webber pitched in three.
The Rebels bid farewell to four seniors, Zach Aird, Marquez Taylor, Zay Webber and Bryson Steele.
