Kingston, TN –
By Justin Braden
On Tuesday night, the Harriman Blue Devils won the 1A-District 4 championship, defeating the Midway Green Wave 62-42.
Harriman (24-2, 9-0 in 1A-District 4) showcased their athleticism and speed early on, opening the game against Midway (11-16, 3-7 in 1A-District 4) with a 12-0 run where senior Jordan McCullum threw down hard after driving the lane.
McCullum, a Murray State commit and TSSAA Mr. Basketball finalist showed why he is a division-1 caliber athlete. His performance transcends individuality, and his talent makes those around him even more dangerous offensively.
“We knew what we were going up against - one of the top teams in the state. They’ve been one of the top teams all year long,” Midway head coach Ron Treadway said of the Blue Devils dominant performance.
Midway’s offense struggled early, but junior Dalton Cowell was not afraid to continue to drive to the basket, and he scored the Green Wave’s first points of the game, running down the lane and hitting a shot, drawing a foul, and hitting the free throw also.
Cowell had 19 points on the night, and he scored Midway’s first 6 points, including a shot off an excellent backdoor screen where he caught a pass from junior point guard Brennan Reed as they attempted to get the Green Wave’s offense rolling.
Midway cut Harriman's first-quarter lead to 4, but it would be the closest that they would come to the lead in this game, as McCullum again drove the lane, this time drawing a foul and hitting both shots from the line.
Coach Treadway was disappointed in Midway’s offensive outing, but took responsibility for the performance, “Tonight we just weren’t very smooth offensively. We looked like we lacked discipline at times, and that’s my problem, something I have to fix.”
Harriman is a complete team and is positioned for their best state title run since the Blue Devils won the state championship in 2017.
“They’re hard to defend. You can’t just stop one of them. You have to find a way to stop them all. Tonight, we just couldn’t do that,” said coach Treadway, speaking of a Harriman team that has 4 all-district players in Grayson Kreis, Zane Lawhon, Jordan McCullum, and Martel Yeager.
Midway senior center Evan Lemons was in foul trouble early, and with his presence missing on defense, the Green Wave could not stop the Blue Devils inside, and Harriman only added to its lead for the remainder of the game.
“Evan has played big for us the entire last month of the season. He’s doing the things that only Evan Lemons can do for us, and he’s doing them well,” coach Treadway said of his team’s only senior starter.
Despite the loss, Midway finishes in the top 2 of the division for the first time since 2003, and they are locked into the regional tournament as the second seed in the district which begins on Saturday when they host Wartburg.
Coach Treadway knows that Cowell and Reed will continue to be the foundations of Midway’s success, holding the team together as they try to mount a run through the regional tournament and qualify for a shot at the state championship.
“We go as those two go. Brennan Reed is the gas in our engine and Dalton Cowell is the oil,” said coach Treadway. “When those two are working well together, and firing well together, our engine runs a lot smoother.”
MVP of the game – Jordan McCullum. The 1A-District 4 tournament MVP changed the arc of every shot he contested, and his presence in the paint forced Midway to try to shoot their way back into this game after falling behind early. McCullum had 28 points also, dropping two three-pointers and going 4 of 5 from the foul line.
Harriman 23 17 10 12 - 62
Midway 11 13 7 11 - 42
Leading Scorers
Harriman (24-2):
Jordan McCullum 28, Martel Yeager 14, Ace Jackson 9, Kaden Henderson 5, Cam Anderson 4
Midway (11-16):
Dalton Cowell 19, Peyton Steele 8, Brennan Reed 7, Cooper Queener 3, Dawson Buckner 3
Follow Justin Braden on X @jkbradenco for more prep sports coverage and an opportunity to comment on this article and others. Criticism and feedback of the media improve the quality of coverage given to student-athletes in east Tennessee.
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