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By David Walsh

STORY BY CORY WOODROOF | PHOTOS BY WHITNEY JARRELD 

The Nolensville Knights started out their Region 6-AA championship game calling out basketball plays to each other and sending around words of encouragement.

They finished rather happy, and quoting Drake.

“Back to back.”

The jubilant Knights exclaimed the popular lyric on the court after defeating district foe Murfreesboro Central Magnet Friday night at East Hickman 61-36 and claiming a second-straight region title.

“I’m at a loss for words,” senior Zach Campbell said of repeating. “This means a lot to me and the program. We worked hard for this, so it really means a lot to us.”

“It’s special,” head coach Wes Lambert said of the night. “Three years as a school, and we’re going back-to-back [as] region champions. Hats off to our school, our community, our players….we had a great student turnout. It’s special.”

The team struggled to get separation early against Central, a team they’d bested twice before in the regular season. They clung to a 13-12 lead after one and fell behind a bit in the second.

Right before the halftime buzzer, the Knights clung to a small 20-19 margin when Campbell brought forth a thunderbolt of momentum with a last-second trey to give Nolensville a 23-19 lead.

They’d never look back after that, outscoring the opponent 15-4 in the third quarter and keeping the gas on to the final horn.

“At halftime, we refocused, talked about how we’re strong when we’re together,” Lambert said of the second-half performance. “First half, we didn’t play very well together. They were trying to do things on their own. It was very evident in the second half we were patient, moving the ball well, and when that happens, we can be a good team, a really good team.”

“Energy. We talk about energy all the time, providing energy, even from the bench,” Campbell said of what helped the team kick into second gear after a close first half. “We feed off of energy. If we don’t have energy, we’re not a good team. But if we have energy, we’re a tough team to beat. So, our motto…we’ve just got to feed off the energy.”

It might just have been Campbell’s energizing three that gave the team the spark it needed to built its eventual lead.

He had 11 points on the night, while senior post Nate Bloedoen led the team with 12. Nathan Foutch had eight, and Jayden Watkins and Reese Gilbert both had seven.

Bloedorn was the tournament’s MVP, while Campbell and Watkins made the All-Region team.

From here on out, the Knights will be headed home to face East Nashville for a chance at the Class AA state tournament. Nolensville dropped an away game to the team just before Christmas.

“We’re somewhat familiar with them,” Lambert said of the future opponent. “It should be fun.”

The team lost a heartbreaker at home to Whites Creek in the 2018 sectional round, a fate the team will look to reverse once this Monday night at 7:00 p.m. rolls around.

“It just means a lot to the program, just knowing that we’re going home Monday to our crowd, at our court,” Campbell said of what the looming sectionals game means. “It’s going to be tough to beat us at home.”

For now, though, the Knights can reflect on what they’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time, and what that means for the years ahead.

“I think it’s special because when you get this much success early on, kids want to move here,” Lambert said. “Kids want to come be a part of it. Hopefully they see the success that we’re having in all sports. I mean, every one of our sports is extremely successful right now. We’re just proud to be there.”