Hot start helps Siegel end Eagles' season

MURFREESBORO -- On paper it looked like Shelbyville Central didn't stand a chance and even though it came up short on the scoreboard, no one can question the effort the Golden Eagles played with against host Siegel in the opening round of the Region 4-AAA tournament on Saturday night.

The Stars claimed a 54-44 victory despite being outplayed the final three quarters of the game.

Siegel (19-8) jumped out to an 11-0 lead then were outscored 44-43 the rest of the game.

"I'm just so proud of these kids," Shelbyville coach Kevin Thomas said. "I thought they came out here and really played hard. We knew we were going to be outmanned coming over here but our kids didn't back down and we took it right at them.

"Siegel starts off quick and I told our kids that no matter what happens at the start of the game that we just had to keep playing and playing. We got within three points at one point and that says a lot about the effort our kids played with."

The Eagles (16-13) outscored the Stars 16-12 in the second stanza to trail 28-21 at halftime and 14-12 in the third quarter to stay within striking distance at 40-35.

"This team had to go through and deal with a lot of adversity over the past month but they took it the right way and did the right things and had positive attitudes," Thomas said. "We had some young kids find out a lot about themselves and what they need to work on. They played with a lot of heart and determination and that's great because we got them for the next couple of years."

Oscar Butler led the Stars with 16 points, Cedric Williams had 14 and Marc Gooch 11. Middle Tennessee signee Kerry Hammonds, who recently returned to action after suffering a broken ankle earlier in the season, was held scoreless.

The Eagles had six players net six or more points. Seth Jarrell paced them with nine points.

The loss brought an end to the high school basketball career of senior Nathan Jefferies, one of the most improved players from his freshman year that has come through this program.

"Nathan is just a great guy and is an extremely hard worker both on and off the court," Thomas said. "It's been fun to see him mature as a person. He's a kid that goes to school, goes to practice then goes to work. He's just a great example for others to follow and he's been a joy to coach because he's played with a lot of heart.

"Our other senior Emmanuel (Andrews) has had a great career scoring over 2,200 points. It's a shame to have the career he had in high school and not be able to finish it but he'll have an opportunity to further his basketball career."

Siegel plays District 8-AAA champion Lawrence County at SCHS in the region semifinals on Tuesday night at 6. Columbia faces District 7-AAA winner Oakland, which won the region last season, in the nightcap at 7:30.