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COOKEVILLE — Knoxville Webb fans together counted down the final seconds of Friday’s game and then released a shill victory cry.
Spartan players walked up to the wall around the Hooper Eblen Center court and joined in the fun after Webb polished off a 58-40 victory over Ensworth in the TSSAA basketball Division II-AA semifinals.
Webb (33-2) coach Ricky Norris didn’t hide his relief afterward. The Spartans have been defeated by Brentwood Academy the past two seasons in the semifinals and will play in the program’s first state championship since 2019 when it faces Briarcrest (26-4) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
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“Hell yeah. Yes, it feels good. Excuse me,” Norris said. “In this league, when you make it this far, the teams are so good … It’s just hard.”
Norris told his team to go ahead and celebrate its performance against Ensworth (20-12), which included holding the Tigers to 13-of-55 shooting on just three assists. Webb led for all but three minutes and 23 seconds.
“Celebrate for tonight, but I think our mind’s on tomorrow, too,” said Webb junior guard Owen Lentz, who scored a team-high 12 points. “The job’s not done.”
Webb will try to capture its second title and first in DII-AA after winning the 2019 DII-A championship. The Spartans enter Saturday on a 19-game win streak and have yet to lose to a team from Tennessee this season.
Ensworth was formidable with four-star junior guard Jonathan Sanderson and 7-foot junior center Gan-Erdene Solongo. Webb held Sanderson to 16 points on 5-of-21 shooting. Solongo had nine points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes before fouling out.
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Sanderson scored 61 points against Baylor in December. Webb junior guard Shavar Young, a four-star Clemson football commitment…
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Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2025-03-08 02:27:00
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