A Word From The Outlaw 008

Some things you want to jump right into and get to the heart of so why spend a paragraph or two leading into things?

Monday night didn’t go the way many of my readers would have liked for it to as Dyersburg’s boys season ended with a 65-63 loss to Munford in the TSSAA Class 3A Sectional Round in Tipton County.

I am sure many have seen posts about this game on social media and thank you to the ones who have posted a video from the game so there is evidence out there. I feel a lot better throwing my opinion out there when it can be backed up by hard evidence.

Late in the game, a scramble for a rebound saw a Munford player get the ball only to lose his footing and slip out of bounds. Instead of the ball going back to Dyersburg, who had just hit one of two free throws to cut the once 18-point lead down to five, Munford was given possession. If you find the video online – and if you’re a Trojan fan I am sure someone you have on your friends’ list probably has posted it – you’ll see this. On the ensuing play, Dyersburg fouled which resulted in a free throw and a six-point Cougar lead.

Still, the Trojans battled like their namesake from the Mediterranean coast and took it down to the final seconds before falling.

Now, before any eyebrows raise, I am not going to say that one call cost the Dyersburg boys the game and their season.

For one, at the start of the fourth quarter, Dyersburg was down as much as 18 points before a movie-worthy comeback occurred to turn what was becoming a blowout into a thrilling conclusion.

And, while calls are made and missed in every game, there’s not many games where I look to someone standing next to me and ask aloud “are we playing against fate now?”. For a while there, it seemed like everything Munford threw up found the next in the second and third quarter. Yes, that’s an exaggeration but over the span of those two quarters, the Cougars went from seven down to 16 up. Considering what the school in Munford is currently going through, it was a heck of a performance from them.

In games like this, every “missed” call the officials make is going to be remembered – especially by the team that walks away without the “W”. That’s the nature of sports. But, going back to the call mentioned earlier, while it did not cost the Trojans the game, it may well have made it just that much too hard for them to finish the epic comeback. Either way, coming from as far down as Dyersburg did to even have a shot at winning speaks volumes about the heart and character of the players on the court.

While it will always feel like to those who follow Dyersburg that this was one that got away, let’s all remember our guys could have just mentally went to the bus down 16 points heading into the fourth quarter and not made the Cougars work for it. And, let’s be real, Munford did just enough to make sure Dyersburg didn’t take the lead. With the way momentum was going, had Dyersburg took the lead or tied it in that final minute, I don’t think there would have been any stopping the Trojans.

Now, it’s time to focus on Dyersburg’s girls as they open the TSSAA Class 3A Girls State Tournament on Thursday in Murfreesboro. Let’s hope we all get to hear of pandemonium reigning for a second straight season in the Glass House come Saturday evening.

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