By Thomas Sellers Jr.
MEMPHIS — When Cedric Anderson took over the Tipton-Rosemark Academy Rebels Basketball program in 2017, he quickly established his philosophy and identity. Anderson explained to his players defense would be the Rebels calling card. “No matter if the offense is on or off, we can bring defensive intensity every night,” Anderson said. “We’ll give ourselves a chance to win every night.” Anderson harken back to former University of Arkansas Head Coach Nolan Richardson’s 40 Minutes of Hell. “We’ll have 32 minutes,” he said. “We’ll get after the ball and apply pressure all over the court.” Since those November practices in 2017, the Rebels are known for defense. And prior to the tipoff last Tuesday night (Feb. 12) against the Lausanne Lynx in the Lausanne Gymnasium, Anderson got this players focused on ’32 Minutes of Hell.’ The philosophy was executed well by a wave of TRA players to win the Division II-A West Regional contest 56-51. “That was the plan coming in here,” Anderson said. “We wanted to run them, keep them moving. They are much bigger than us so we had to run and bring the energy.” Before unleashing his Rebels on the Lynx guards, Coach Anderson and the TRA players had a feeling-out period against Lausanne. The first quarter ended with TRA ahead 9-6. TRA sophomore forward Alex Anderson scored 5 points in the opening period with a three-point play and a spin play for a bucket. Tysen Banks gave TRA a three-point advantage with a floater in the lane near the end of the quarter. Lausanne came out quickly in the second quarter with a couple of baskets to grab a 10-9 lead. Alex regained the advantage for TRA going coast to coast for a bucket. Anderson drew a foul and completed the three-point play to make the score 12-10. After the Lynx went ahead 15-14, TRA closed out the first half on a 10-0 run with the Anderson brothers taking over offensively. Alex’s big brother Andrew hit a couple of foul shots during the stretch. Alex took care of the rest with 8 points including a reverse layup in the lane to give the Rebels a 24-15 halftime lead. Lausanne made adjustments for the third quarter applying pressure to TRA ball handers Banks, Andrew and Alex. Coach Anderson was prepared with big man Kam Collier moving toward the wing to give room for shooting guard “Saint” Patrick Green. Green was the saving grace for the Rebels hitting back-to-back three-pointers in the third quarter to give TRA a 31-18 lead. After buckets from Andrew and Alex, TRA had a 35-20 advantage late in the period. To close out the third quarter Lausanne went on a 9-1 run to make the score 36-29. In the fourth quarter, the Lynx received offensive contributions from players like Bo Montgomery, Sky Forest, Jonathan DeJarnett, Dylan Woods and Dylan Andrews. While Lausanne players attacked the basket for points, the TRA players tried to run the clock to shorten the game.
The Lynx fouled the Rebels several times sending TRA players to the free throw line. The Rebels attempted 22 foul shots in the fourth quarter. TRA made 14 of the attempts to hold on to the lead for a 56-51 victory.
