Independence Falls in Class 4A Quarterfinals to Top-Ranked Whitehaven

Defense fueled Independence’s third straight appearance in the state tournament and it almost got them an upset of top-ranked Whitehaven.

But the Tigers pulled away in the last four minutes of a 40-36 win over the Eagles in a Class 4A quarterfinal at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center on Thursday night.

Independence (23-12) held Whitehaven (31-3) to a season low in points, but the Tigers still won their 24th consecutive game.

“It starts with Tylan (Lewis,)” Eagles coach Mark Wilkins said. “He has won just year after year. He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen in high school.”

An Abilene Christian signee, Lewis held Whitehaven’s Class 4A Mr. Basketball, Taquez Butler, to 13 points.

Lewis, a four-year starter, led the Eagles to a 114-32 record that included a state title his junior year, a state runner-up showing as a sophomore and a sectional appearance when the point guard was a freshman.

“It’s been a great journey; it’s been a fun one, for sure,” Lewis said. “It’s also been a tough one, just graduating a lot of guys last year. A lot of people didn’t think we were supposed to be here, so I’m super proud of our guys to get here.”

Independence’s hard-nosed defense held its eight postseason opponents to an average of 36.4 points per game.

“I think we did the best we could defensively,” Eagles guard Dawsyn Miller said. “Just a couple of offensive things, some mistakes, a couple of calls that could have gone the other way. We just needed to perform a little bit better offensively to get the win.”

Indy hit just 30.6% from the floor and only made 10-of-20 foul shots. 

“Yeah, that hurts,” Wilkins said. “That’s something we’ve usually done a good job of and these guys have done it for how many ever years they’ve been here. But it’s what the game is. You see great teams all the time on every level, and for some reason the ball just doesn’t go in at the free throw line.”

Trailing 39-36, Independence called a timeout with 9.6 seconds left to set up a 3-point play for Miller, but the senior guard’s shot from the top of the key bounced off the front of the rim with one second left.

“We kind of debated what we should run, but I figured everyone came to the conclusion we’re gonna give it to the guy who’s hit a lot of big shots,” Wilkins said. “He had a great look and I’d do it again, same shot. The kids wanted that play. It just didn’t fall tonight.”

Whitehaven’s Ottabwa Dickson hit a foul shot to account for the final margin.

Independence junior forward Harris Hall fouled out with a game-high 12 rebounds and nine points.

“We got stops the last four minutes of the game and that’s why we came out with the victory,” said Whitehaven coach Willie Kemp, a Class AA Mr. Basketball guard at Bolivar Central in 2006. “(Wilkins) is one of the best coaches around. He was ready for us.”

Whitehaven will face Oak Ridge (30-3) in an 8:45 p.m. semifinal Friday.

“We just stayed connected, and we were able to pull it out,” Butler said of the Tigers’ strong finish.

Hillsboro (32-5) will play Bradley Central (25-8) in the 7:15 pm. semifinal.

Guard Nick Degnan, a Brentwood transfer, led the Eagles with 10 points in a defensive struggle.

“It was my dream to play on a court like this, to be able to play the last game of my senior year (at state) is a great feeling,” Degnan said.

Wilkins said playing in District 10-4A against strong Williamson County opponents helped get his team back to the Glass House.

“I think our league is the best in the state from top to bottom,” Wilkins said. “That gets us prepared for these moments.”