TSWA announces prep basketball polls - Jan. 27

January 27, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced rankings for boys and girls basketball for the 2024-25 season on Monday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the four Division I classifications and Top 5 in two Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.

GIRLS
Class 1A
1. Pickett County (17-3) – 59 (5)
2. Wayne County (18-3) – 54 (1)
3. Moore County (17-3) – 49
4. Richland (18-2) – 42
5. Dresden (15-4) – 35
6. Clarkrange (16-6) – 23
7. McEwen (16-3) –20
t8. North Greene (18-3) – 13
t8. Van Buren County (14-3) – 13
10. Coalfield (17-5) – 8
Others receiving votes: East Robertson 6, Greenfield 5, Union City 3

Class 2A
1. Westview (19-1) – 58 (4)
2. McMinn Central (22-1) – 56 (2)
3. East Nashville (17-0) – 47
4. York Institute (14-5) – 42
5. Loretto (14-7) – 28
6. Gibson County (18-6) – 27
7. Summertown (17-2) – 26
8. Alcoa (17-5) – 21
9. Gatlinburg-Pittman (15-6) – 15
10. Cheatham County (17-4) – 4
Others receiving votes: Huntingdon 2, Hampton 1, Liberty Creek 1, Cannon County 1, Smith County 1

Class 3A
1. Heritage (21-1) – 56 (4)
2. White County (21-2) – 55 (2)
3. Upperman (20-4) – 47
4. Jackson South Side (17-2) – 37
5. Dyersburg (17-4) – 36
6. Northview Academy (19-2) – 32
7. South Gibson (18-5) – 20
8. David Crockett (19-3) – 18
9. Cocke County (17-6) – 15
10. Crockett County (16-4) – 11
Others receiving votes: McNairy Central 2, Lexington 1

Class 4A
1. Bradley Central (20-1) – 60 (6)
2. Coffee County (22-0) – 54
3. Bearden (21-3) – 47
t4. Blackman (16-2) – 38
t4. Cookeville (15-3) – 38
6. Clarksville (16-0) –24
7. Sevier County (18-3) – 22
t8. Cleveland (14-4) – 13
t8. Oak Ridge (17-3) – 13
10. Collierville (19-4) – 6
Others receiving votes: Morristown East 5, Page 4, Nolensville 3, Bartlett 2, Lincoln County 1

Division II-A
1. University School of Jackson (18-3) – 25 (5)
2. Providence Christian (15-3) – 20
3. Ezell-Harding (17-3) – 12
4. The King’s Academy (20-5) – 8
5. Christian Academy of Knoxville (16-6) – 4
Others receiving votes: Northpoint Christian 3, Nashville Christian 1, Goodpasture Christian 1, Webb School-Bell Buckle 1

Division II-AA
1. Knox Webb (19-3) – 25 (5)
2. Lipscomb Academy (18-3) – 19
3. Chattanooga Christian (13-4) – 14
4. Christ Presbyterian Academy (2-5) – 6
5. Ensworth School (11-6) – 4
Others receiving votes: Father Ryan 3, Hutchison School 3, Harpeth Hall 1

BOYS
Class 1A
1. Eagleville (17-2) – 59 (5)
2. Pickett County (15-5) – 50
3. Sante Fe (16-2) – 44
4. Chattanooga Prep (15-7) – 41 (1)
5. Humboldt (17-5) – 40
6. North Greene (17-4) – 24
7. MASE (12-2) – 20
8. Clay County (12-4) – 15
t9. University High-Johnson City (13-4) – 12
t9. Bradford (16-6) – 12
Others receiving votes: Richland 4, Wayne County 4, Sunbright 4, Jo Byrns 1

Class 2A
t1. Loretto (20-0) – 57 (3)
t1. Alcoa (18-4) – 57 (3)
3. Tyner Academy (14-6) – 44
4. Jackson County (15-2) – 41
5. Fairley (14-5) – 32
6. White House Heritage (17-3) – 26
7. Gatlinburg-Pittman (16-5) – 19
t8. Peabody (16-5) – 18
t8. Tellico Plains (18-1) – 18
10. Kingston (17-2) – 7
Others receiving votes: Liberty Creek 4, Cannon County 3, Ripley 2, Hampton 1, Grundy County 1

Class 3A
1. Upperman (18-2) – 60 (6)
2. Hume-Fogg (16-3) – 53
3. Jackson South Side (14-1) – 46
4. Fayette Ware (15-5) – 37
5. Jackson North Side (19-3) – 35
6. Tennessee High (17-4) – 28
7. Stone Memorial (16-6) – 26
8. Tullahoma (19-3) – 12
9. David Crockett (14-5) – 9
10. Greeneville (12-9) – 8
Others receiving votes: Red Bank 6, Heritage 5, Station Camp 3, Marshall County 2

Class 4A
1. Hillsboro (19-4) – 54 (2)
2. Whitehaven (15-3) – 53 (3)
3. Bartlett (10-7) – 50 (1)
4. Bearden (20-3) – 47
5. Germantown Houston (17-5) – 33
6. Walker Valley (19-2) – 30
7. Franklin (15-4) – 24
8. Oak Ridge (16-3) – 14
9. Brentwood (15-5) – 6
10. Blackman (14-4) – 4
Others receiving votes: Memphis Central 3, Warren County 3, Southwind 3, Henry County 2, Science Hill 2, Maryville 1, Knox West 1

Division II-A
1. Goodpasture Christian (20-1) – 29 (5)
2. Providence Christian (15-2) – 20 (1)
3. Christian Academy of Knoxville (20-2) – 10
t4. Trinity Christian (14-6) – 6
t4. Ezell Harding (9-3) – 6
Others receiving votes: Friendship Christian 5, Jackson Christian 5, Providence Academy 4, Harding Academy 3, University School of Jackson 2

Division II-AA
1. Knox Webb (19-2) – 30 (6)
2. Pope Prep (21-3) – 22
3. Montgomery Bell Academy (17-3) – 18
4. Briarcrest Christian (16-4) – 11
5. Ensworth School (15-6) – 4
Others receiving votes: Brentwood Academy 2, Knox Catholic 2, Lipscomb Academy 1

College players of the week announced - Jan. 21

January 22, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lipscomb senior forward Jacob Ognacevic continued to put up big numbers as the Sheboygan, Wisc., native was named the TSWA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Ognacevic averaged a double-double as the Bisons went 2-0 with the senior averaging 24.0 points and 14.0 rebounds while shooting 19-for-24 from the field and 10-for-11 at the free-throw line.

He scored 17 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in the Bisons’ 87-53 victory over Bellarmine. Ognacevic followed it up with a 31-point effort against Austin Peay, collecting 12 rebounds. Against the Governors, Ognacevic was 11-for-12 from the field and 9-for-9 at the line.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: On the women’s side, Bethel freshman guard Micah Hart was named the TSWA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week as she scored 88 points across three contests, averaging 29.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.0 blocks.

Hart scored 23 points with five boards, two steals, an assist and a block in a 67-50 victory over Fisk. She followed that up with 37 points – including six 3-pointers – as she also collected five rebounds, six steals, one assist and a block in a 97-78 loss to Georgetown College. She closed out the week with 28 points, four rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block in a loss to the University of the Cumberlands.

Boys, girls basketball polls presented by CoachT.com - Jan. 20

January 20, 2025 Forrest Freeman

GIRLS
Class 1A
1. Pickett County (15-3) – 47 (4)
2. Wayne County (16-3) – 44 (1)
3. Moore County (15-3) – 42
4. Richland (15-2) – 37
5. Clarkrange (15-5) – 27
6. Coalfield (14-4) – 15
7. Dresden (14-4) – 13
8. Greenfield (15-4) – 11
9. McEwen (14-3) – 9
10. North Greene (16-3) – 8
Others receiving votes: East Robertson 7, Van Buren County 7, MASE 5, Union City 2, University High-Memphis 1

Class 2A
1. Westview (17-1) – 60 (6)
2. McMinn Central (19-1) – 52
3. York Institute (13-5) – 40
t4. Gibson County (17-5) – 34
t4. East Nashville (16-0) – 34
6. Alcoa (16-4) – 32
7. Summertown (14-1) – 30
8. Loretto (13-7) – 16
9. Gatlinburg-Pittman (13-5) – 13
10. Cheatham County (16-3) – 8
Others receiving votes: Watertown 5, Trousdale County 2, Huntingdon 1, Liberty Creek 1, Cannon County 1, Smith County 1

Class 3A
1. Upperman (19-3) – 46 (3)
2. Heritage (18-1) – 44 (2)
3. White County (19-2) – 42
4. Jackson South Side (15-2) – 32
5. Dyersburg (14-4) – 30
6. Northview Academy (17-2) – 27
t7. South Gibson (17-4) – 15
t7. Cocke County (16-6) – 15
t7. David Crockett (18-3) – 15
10. Crockett County (14-4) – 6
Others receiving votes: McNairy Central 2, Livingston Academy 1

Class 4A
1. Bradley Central (19-1) – 50 (5)
2. Coffee County (20-0) – 45
3. Bearden (20-3) – 38
4. Cookeville (11-3) – 33
5. Blackman (13-2) – 29
6. Sevier County (15-3) – 22
7. Morristown East (16-4) – 14
t8. Clarksville (12-0) – 8
t8. Oak Ridge (14-3) – 8
10. Cleveland (13-4) – 6
Others receiving votes: Nolensville 6, Lincoln County 5, Brentwood 3, Lebanon 3, Collierville 2, Bartlett 2, Page 1

Division II-A
1. University School of Jackson (15-3) – 22 (4)
2. Providence Christian (12-3) – 18
3. The King’s Academy (19-4) – 11 (1)
4. Ezell-Harding (15-3) – 9
5. Goodpasture Christian (11-4) – 7
Others receiving votes: Webb School-Bell Buckle 4, Christian Academy of Knoxville 2, Evangelical Christian 1

Division II-AA
1. Knox Webb (17-3) – 25 (5)
2. Lipscomb Academy (16-3) – 19
3. Father Ryan (15-2) – 12
4. Ensworth School (10-6) – 6
5. Chattanooga Christian (13-4) – 4
Others receiving votes: Hutchison School 4, Christ Presbyterian Academy 4, Harpeth Hall 1

BOYS
Class 1A
1. Chattanooga Prep (14-5) – 49 (4)
2. Eagleville (16-2) – 46 (1)
3. Pickett County (13-5) – 36
t4. Humboldt (15-5) – 31
t4. Sante Fe (15-2) – 31
6. MASE (10-2) – 22
7. North Greene (15-4) – 21
8. Clay County (11-3) – 9
9. University High-Johnson City (12-4) – 9
10. Wayne County (12-6) – 7
Others receiving votes: Richland 5, Middle College 4, Bradford 2, Hillcrest 1, McKenzie 1, Jo Byrns 1

Class 2A
1. Loretto (19-0) – 59 (5)
2. Alcoa (15-4) – 54 (1)
3. Gatlinburg-Pittman (16-3) – 45
4. Tellico Plains (16-1) – 34
5. Tyner Academy (12-6) – 29
t6. Fairley (12-4) – 27
t6. Jackson County (13-2) – 27
8. Peabody (15-4) – 16
9. White House Heritage (15-3) – 14
10. Kingston (15-2) – 13
Others receiving votes: Summertown 4, Ripley 3, Eagleton Academy 2, Liberty Creek 2, Memphis Business 1

Class 3A
1. Upperman (16-2) – 58 (5)
2. Hume-Fogg (14-3) – 54
t3. Fayette Ware (13-5) – 44
t3. Jackson South Side (12-1) – 44
5. Stone Memorial (14-5) – 32
6. Jackson North Side (17-3) – 29
7. Tennessee High (15-4) – 25
8. Tullahoma (18-2) – 18
9. David Crockett (13-4) – 10
10. Northview Academy (12-7) – 7
Others receiving votes: Red Bank 4, Elizabethton 3, Greeneville 1, Station Camp 1

Class 4A
t1. Hillsboro (18-4) – 54 (2)
t1. Bartlett (10-7) – 54 (3)
3. Bearden (19-3) – 48
4. Whitehaven (9-3) – 39 (1)
5. Germantown Houston (13-5) – 36
6. Walker Valley (17-2) – 32
7. Franklin (13-4) – 14
8. Maryville (14-7) – 12
9. Dobyns-Bennett (15-6) – 8
10. Sevier County (14-5) – 7
Others receiving votes: Southwind 6, Blackman 5, Kirkwood 4, Warren County 3, West 3, Oak Ridge 3, Brentwood 1, Nolensville 1

Division II-A
1. Providence Christian (14-1) – 25 (5)
2. Goodpasture Christian (17-1) – 20
3. Christian Academy of Knoxville (18-2) – 10
4. Ezell Harding (18-2) – 10
5. Trinity Christian (13-5) – 5
Others receiving votes: Jackson Christian 5, University School of Jackson 2

Division II-AA
1. Pope Prep (20-2) – 27 (3)
2. Knox Webb (19-2) – 26 (3)
3. Briarcrest Christian (13-3) – 17
4. Ensworth School (15-4) – 12
5. Montgomery Bell Academy (13-3) – 8
Others receiving votes: None

Freeman, Boldyreva garner TSWA Player of the Week honors

January 15, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial freshman forward Elyjah Freeman had a tremendous week for the Railsplitters, earning this week’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.

Named the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Division II National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, Freeman averaged 35.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 66 percent from the field as the No. 11-ranked LMU team claimed a pair of victories last week.

The Palm Beach, Fla., native scored a game-high 36 points with 11 rebounds and four assists in a victory over Carson-Newman, then scored 35 points and pulled down 12 rebounds against Coker. For the week, he shot .659 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-pointers and 13-for-19 from the 3-point line.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Middle Tennessee’s Anastasiia Boldyreva led the Blue Raiders to a pair of Conference USA victories as she collected 47 points, 21 rebounds and nine blocks as they defeated Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State.

Against the Owls, Boldyreva collected a season-high 26 points with eight rebounds, three blocks and an assist. She was 12-for-17 from the field and was 2-for-3 at the line. She followed that up against the Gamecocks with a team-best 21 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for her fifth double-double of the season as she was 8-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 at the line.

TSWA announces boys, girls basketball polls presented by CoachT.com - Jan. 14

January 14, 2025 Forrest Freeman

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Sports Writers Association announced initial rankings for boys and girls basketball for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, with the poll presented by CoachT.com. Top 10 teams in each of the four Division I classifications and Top 5 in two Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote. Weekly polls will continue until the end of the regular season.

GIRLS
Class 1A
1. Pickett County (13-3) – 67 (6)
2. Wayne County (13-2) – 64 (1)
3. Moore County (13-3) – 54
4. Richland (12-2) – 35
5. Greenfield (13-3) – 32
6. Clarkrange (13-4) – 27
7. Coalfield (14-4) – 21
8. North Greene (14-3) – 20
t9. McEwen (13-3) – 15
t9. MASE (11-2) – 15
Others receiving votes: Union City 9, East Robertson 7, Clarksburg 6, Van Buren County 6, Unaka 3, Dresden 3, University High-Memphis 1

Class 2A
1. Westview (15-1) – 66 (5)
2. McMinn Central (17-1) – 56 (2)
3. Gibson County (16-4) – 50
4. East Nashville (14-0) – 40
5. Summertown (14-1) – 39
6. York Institute (11-5) – 33
7. Alcoa (14-4) – 32
8. Gatlinburg-Pittman (13-5) – 27
9. Smith County (14-4) – 17
10. Cheatham County (14-3) – 9
Others receiving votes: Loretto 8, Stewart County 4, Cannon County 2, Watertown 1, Trousdale County 1

Class 3A
1. Upperman (17-3) – 63 (3)
2. Heritage (17-1) – 55 (2)
3. White County (17-2) – 54 (1)
4. Dyersburg (13-3) – 53 (1)
5. Northview Academy (16-1) – 46
6. Jackson South Side (13-2) – 33
7. Cocke County (15-5) – 28
8. David Crockett (17-3) – 20
9. South Gibson (15-4) – 18
10. Crockett County (13-3) – 10
Others receiving votes: Livingston Academy 2, Scott 2, Sycamore 1

Class 4A
1. Bradley Central (17-0) – 70 (7)
2. Coffee County (18-0) – 63
3. Bearden (18-3) – 54
4. Nolensville (15-1) – 36
5. Blackman (13-2) – 34
6. Cookeville (11-3) – 29
7. Sevier County (15-3) – 26
8. Clarksville (12-0) – 16
9. Collierville (16-3) – 12
10. Morristown East (16-4) – 10
Others receiving votes: Brentwood 9, Cleveland 8, Oak Ridge 6, Lincoln County 5, Lebanon 3, Bartlett 3, Farragut 1

Division II-A
1. University School of Jackson (13-3) – 34 (6)
2.The King’s Academy (15-4) – 21 (1)
3. Ezell-Harding (14-2) – 14
4. Providence Christian (10-3) – 10
5. Evangelical Christian (13-1) – 6
Others receiving votes: Christian Academy of Knoxville 4, Webb School-Bell Buckle 4, Franklin Road Academy 3, Northpoint Christian 3, Goodpasture Christian 3, Nashville Christian 2, Notre Dame 1

Division II-AA
1. Knox Webb (15-3) – 35 (7)
2. Father Ryan (13-1) – 15
3. Ensworth School (9-5) – 14
t4. Lipscomb Academy (13-3) – 10
t4. Christ Presbyterian Academy (11-3) – 10
Others receiving votes: Chattanooga Christian 8, Harpeth Hall 5, Hutchison School 4

BOYS
Class 1A
1. Chattanooga Prep (14-4) – 70 (7)
2. Eagleville (14-2) – 59
3. Sante Fe (13-2) – 46
4. Pickett County (11-5) – 45
5. Humboldt (12-5) – 30
6. North Greene (13-4) – 26
7. MASE (10-2) – 24
8. Richland (9-4) – 19
t9. University High-Johnson City (10-3) – 17
t9. Wayne County (11-5) – 17
Others receiving votes: Clay County 15, Bradford 7, Unaka 5, Gordonsville 3, McKenzie 1, Oakhaven 1

Class 2A
1. Loretto (17-0) – 59 (5)
2. Alcoa (14-4) – 55 (1)
3. Gatlinburg-Pittman (15-3) – 39
4. Jackson County (11-2) – 37
5. Tellico Plains (15-1) – 26
t6. Peabody (14-3) – 21
t6. Fairley (11-4) – 21
8. Tyner Academy (10-6) – 18
t9. White House Heritage (13-3) – 13
t9. Kingston (13)
Others receiving votes: Mt. Pleasant 8, Westview 7, Summertown 6, Eagleton Academy 4, Liberty Creek 1, Memphis Business Academy 1, Cannon County 1

Class 3A
1. Upperman (14-2) – 69 (6)
2. Hume-Fogg (11-3) – 59
3. Fayette Ware (11-5) – 44
4. Jackson North Side (16-2) – 43
5. Jackson South Side (10-1) – 39
6. Stone Memorial (12-5) – 33
7. Tennessee High (13-4) – 29
8. Tullahoma (15-2) – 17
9. Elizabethon (14-4) – 13
10. David Crockett (12-4) – 8
Others receiving votes: Red Bank 8, Station Camp 6, Greeneville 5, Carter 5, Fulton 2, Heritage 2, Marshall County 2, Sycamore 1

Class 4A
1. Bartlett (10-7) – 64 (5)
2. Hillsboro (14-4) – 63 (2)
3. Bearden (17-3) – 51
4. Germantown Houston (13-5) – 49
5. Whitehaven (9-3) – 36
6. Franklin (12-3) – 32
7. Walker Valley (15-2) – 20
8. Sevier County (13-4) – 16
9. Maryville (12-6) – 14
10. Blackman (11-4) – 12
Others receiving votes: Dobyns-Bennett 10, Memphis Central 6, Brentwood 5, Kirkwood 3, West 2, Henry County 1, Beech 1

Division II-A
1. Providence Christian (12-1) – 23 (4)
2. Goodpasture Christian (15-1) – 21
3. Ezell Harding (18-0) – 21 (1)
4. Christian Academy of Knoxville (16-2) – 5
5. Providence Academy (12-5) – 5 (1)
Others receiving votes: Jackson Christian 5, Trinity Christian 4, Harding Academy 2, Boyd Buchanan 2, Friendship Christian 1, Webb School-Bell Buckle 1

Division II-AA
1. Pope Prep (16-2) – 31 (3)
2. Knox Webb (18-2) – 28 (4)
3. Briarcrest Christian (14-3) – 20
4. Ensworth School (13-4) – 16
5. Lipscomb Academy (13-3) – 5
Others receiving votes: Montgomery Bell Academy 4, Knox Catholic 1