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Gleason Celebration Story
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Golden Circle All-Star
Games: Hudson Leads
North Girls to Victory
By Joshua Parott,
Jackson Sun
With
the best seniors from
West Tennessee sharing
the floor Saturday
night, the question
wasn't whether someone
would shine in the
Golden Circle All-Star
Basketball Game. The
question was which
player would shine the
most.
Gleason product Kayla
Hudson was the obvious
answer, scoring a
game-high 21 points as
the North beat the
South, 73-65, at
Liberty High School in
front of a crowd of
1,225. The Union
University-bound guard
was presented with the
game's most valuable
player award by
current Union standout
Kaitlin Dudley, who
earned the honor last
year.
"It was just great to
play with this group
of girls," said
Hudson, who helped the
North improve to 3-0
in the all-time
series. "It means so
much to be named MVP
because there were so
many other great
players out on the
floor."
Dyersburg's Jasmine
Yancy and Westview's
Ciera Thomas rounded
out the top scorers
for the North. A
Bethel track signee,
Yancy scored 18.
Thomas, who has signed
to play basketball at
Northwest Mississippi,
added 12.
"You put Yancy and
Thomas together, and
that's a pretty good
combination," said
North assistant coach
Sean Stephenson, who
coached Thomas at
Westview. "They really
helped carry us when
we weren't shooting
well in the second
half."
South Side's Kayla
Merriweather led the
South with 15 points.
Liberty's LaPorchia
Jarrett chipped in
nine. University
School of Jackson's
Becca Morris and
Liberty's Irish
McDonald added eight
apiece in the loss.
It was a bittersweet
end to Merriweather's
basketball career. She
will attend the
University of
Tennessee in the fall,
but won't be playing
basketball. She plans
on trying out for the
volleyball team.
"I really wanted to
win, but it was still
fun," Merriweather
said. "The whole
experience was worth
it."
After trailing by as
many as eight points
early in the first
half, the North
rallied to take its
first lead of the game
at 34-32 on a Katie
Henderson jumper with
three minutes left
before halftime.
Merriweather scored
the South's final five
points of the first
half as the North
faced a 41-39 halftime
deficit.
Merriweather led the
South with nine points
in the opening half,
while Jarrett had
seven. Yancy paced the
North with 12. Hudson
and Thomas added 10
apiece.
The lead changed hands
five times early in
the second half before
the North took control
down the stretch.
Hudson scored seven
points in the final
three-plus minutes as
the North pulled away
for the win. She was a
perfect 4-for-4 at the
free-throw line during
that stretch.
"You have to be able
to handle the ball and
make free throws,"
said Hudson, who was
named the Class A Miss
Basketball, Class A
state tournament MVP
and Jackson Sun player
of the year after
leading Gleason to the
state title. "That's
what you do when
you're a point guard."
South coach Ken
Northcut stayed
positive even after
the loss.
"It's been a great
experience for us this
week," said Northcut,
who led Trinity
Christian Academy to
the Class A state
semifinals this past
season. "You had a lot
of great athletes and
great players out
there playing with
bright futures ahead
of them.
"The North was just
able to make more
plays than us."
Source: Adapted
from the Jackson Sun;
Photo Credits - Katie
Morgan. |
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Golden Circle All-Star
Preview: Hudson,
Frazier Together Again
By Joshua Parrott ~
Jackson Sun
They
walked off the
basketball court
at Middle
Tennessee State's
Murphy Center as
Class A state
champions in
March.
Now Kayla Hudson
will play one last
game for Gleason
coach Randy
Frazier before
starting her
college basketball
career at Union
University next
season.
"I'm excited about
getting to play
one more time for
him and have him
yell at me one
more time," said a
smiling Hudson.
She will play for
Frazier's North
girls team at 6
p.m. on Saturday
in the Golden
Circle All-Star
Basketball Game at
Liberty High
School.
"You get to where
you appreciate
that yelling
because it's
helped make me a
better player,"
she said.
The combination of
Hudson and Frazier
has proved to be
lethal for
opposing coaches
over the past four
years. Hudson
leaves Gleason
with a 122-13
record - tied for
second-best in a
four-year run in
program history.
She also set
school records for
points scored
(2,292) and
assists (686).
As a senior she
averaged 21.8
points per game to
help Gleason
(36-1) finish with
the best record in
program history.
The Lady Bulldogs
also won their
third state title
- the first since
1999.
In the Class A
final, Hudson
scored a game-high
29 points in a
46-36 victory over
Oliver Springs.
She led all
state-tournament
scorers this year
with 72 total
points. Hudson
rounded out her
career by being
named The Jackson
Sun girls
basketball player
of the year, Class
A Miss Basketball
and Class A state
tournament most
valuable player.
Ashley McElhiney
is the only other
Gleason player to
win a state title
and be named Miss
Basketball and
state tournament
MVP in the same
season.
Hudson also set
the single-season
state record for
made free throws
(274) and the
career record for
made free throws
(642).
"She had a good
career," Frazier
said of Hudson.
"She knows how to
play and is a
competitive
person. She
doesn't like to
lose. We hate to
lose her, but it's
time for her to go
and help somebody
else win at a
different level."
What makes
Gleason's road to
the state
championship even
more amazing was
what Frazier and
his players had to
endure when
Frazier was
diagnosed with
thyroid cancer in
early 2006. He had
two surgeries
before starting
radiation
treatment last
June.
After a year of
uncertainty and
ups and downs,
Frazier finally
received a clean
bill of health in
April.
This year Frazier
was named The
Jackson Sun girls
basketball coach
of the year. He is
now 571-104 in his
coaching career.
"Every time you
win (a state
championship) it's
special, and
there's a big
celebration, but I
think I enjoyed
this one more
because of
everything that
had happened and
the fact we hadn't
won a state title
in a while,"
Frazier said. "The
state tournament
was in slow motion
for me. Maybe I
grew to appreciate
things more
because of what
had happened. It
was a lot of fun.
I was very
fortunate and
blessed to be a
part of that."
Hudson feels
fortunate, too,
after recently
getting over a
case of
mononucleosis. She
has been enjoying
life the best she
can, working every
day on her
family's sweet
potato farm and
playing pick-up
basketball in the
evening.
On Friday she will
attend Union's
freshmen
orientation. On
Saturday she will
play in the Golden
Circle All-Star
Game. In August
she will begin
classes at Union
and start the next
chapter of her
life.
Oh, how the time
flies.
"I can remember
going through the
recruiting process
my junior year,
and the end of
high school seemed
so far away, but
now it's here,"
Hudson said. "I'm
ready. I'm excited
about it and ready
for something
new." Source:
Jackson Sun;
Photo Credits:
ANDREW McMURTRIE
/The Jackson Sun
- Joshua Parrott,
425-9634
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All-West Tennessee:
Frazier Had Victories On
and Off the Court
By Joshua Parrott ~Jackson
Sun
|
Randy Frazier looks
back on this past high
school basketball
season with mostly
good thoughts.
"It was fun," said
Frazier, who recently
coached the Gleason
girls to the program's
third state
championship - and
first since 1999. "I
don't think I've ever
had more fun coaching
an entire season."
Before the fun,
though, came other
feelings.
Fear. Doubt.
Uncertainty.
Go ahead and take your
pick. Feel free to
include any other
words that enter your
mind when you're told
you have cancer.
In early 2006, Frazier
heard those words. He
had thyroid cancer.
It didn't matter
Frazier had won nearly
84 percent of his
games in 20 years at
Gleason.
It didn't matter
Frazier so eagerly
awaited the 2006-07
season, when his
daughter, Jenna, would
be a freshman for his
Gleason team.
It didn't matter
because cancer never
bothers asking
questions of
convenience.
"When we found out,
the first thing was
shock and disbelief,"
said Gleason's
do-everything guard
Kayla Hudson. "One
thing that made it
easier on everyone was
that he was a
Christian man. He knew
it was in God's hands,
and knew everything
happened for a
reason."
Although he was unsure
of the reason, Frazier
continued living his
life with hope and
purpose. His first
surgery in March 2006
was unsuccessful. The
following month,
Frazier had his entire
gland removed.
That was followed up
with radiation
treatment in June.
"It was very
emotional, especially
at the beginning,"
Hudson said. "We were
all asking the
question 'Why?' and
'Why us?'
"We knew we just
needed to be there for
each other."
Throughout his
treatment, Frazier
remained steady and
focused. His Lady
Bulldogs won their
first 28 games this
season before
suffering a 56-51 loss
to Lake County in the
District 14-A
tournament.
Gleason, though,
recovered, winning its
final eight games by a
combined 137 points.
The season culminated
with the Lady Bulldogs
beating Oliver
Springs, 46-36, in the
Class A state final.
They played
near-perfect
basketball in three
state tournament
games.
And here's more good
news - the cancer has
not reappeared, as of
last week.
This season's
feel-good story,
though, wasn't Gleason
winning the state
championship. It was
Frazier beating
cancer.
"When you deal with
something like cancer,
it makes you put
things in
perspective," Frazier
said. "In one case,
you're talking about a
game, and then you're
talking about a life.
Some of the things we
went through made us
stronger as a team.
"It taught me to live
one day at a time."
A special thank you
It's time to thank all
the coaches who voted
for the All-West
Tennessee teams, and
the parents, coaches
and scorekeepers who
called in their scores
this season.
The All-West Tennessee
teams, as well as the
superlative awards,
were picked through
balloting of West
Tennessee coaches.
Ballots were sent out
after the state
tournament.
Photographer Andrew
McMurtrie was superb
as usual, coming up
with interesting
angles for the visual
part of this project.
After this
sportswriter typed up
all the information,
copy editor Art Jewell
laid out the section.
Thanks again to
everyone for your help
this season.
Joshua Parrott is the
preps editor for The
Jackson Sun. He can be
reached at (731)
425-9634 or
jparrott@jacksonsun.com.
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All-West Tennessee Girls
Basketball: Hudson Caps
Career in Style
By Joshua Parrott ~Jackson
Sun
Mention
an individual award,
and Kayla Hudson
likely earned it this
season.
She was selected to
the Class A all-state
team. She was named
the Class A Miss
Basketball. She was
honored as the Class A
state tournament MVP.
The Gleason guard also
finished with more
points and assists
than any player in
program history as the
Lady Bulldogs won
their first state
championship since
1999.
"I'm honored beyond
words about those
individual honors,"
said Hudson, who has
signed to play at
Union University.
"Individual honors are
great, but they're not
everything to me. I'm
just grateful for the
opportunity to receive
awards like this."
The time has come for
the queen of West
Tennessee basketball
to clear another spot
in the trophy case.
After wrapping up one
of the more decorated
careers in state
history, Hudson is
honored today as The
Jackson Sun 2007 girls
basketball player of
the year.
"Wow! That's extremely
exciting, especially
with the caliber of
players in West
Tennessee," Hudson
said of being named
player of the year.
"There are so many
great players; so to
be recognized as the
best player is
incredible."
Hudson emerged as the
area's elite
all-around player as a
senior, leading
Gleason (36-1) to the
best record in program
history, despite
losing seven of its
top 10 players from
the previous season.
Not only did the
four-year starter lead
all scorers with 72
points in three state
tournament games this
year, but Hudson also
made 64.5 percent of
her shots (20-of-31),
58 percent of her
3-point attempts
(7-of-12) and 92.5
percent of her free
throws (25-of-27).
She also committed
only seven turnovers
and accounted for 48
percent of Gleason's
scoring at the state
tournament.
As if all that wasn't
impressive enough,
Hudson capped her
career at Gleason with
a game-high 29 points
in a 46-36 victory
over Oliver Springs in
the Class A state
final.
Hudson averaged 21.8
points, four rebounds,
three assists and two
steals per game as a
senior. She set the
single-season state
record for made free
throws (274) and the
career record for made
free throws (642).
She leaves Gleason
with a 122-13 record -
tied for the
second-best in a
four-year run in
program history -
after scoring 2,292
points and dishing out
686 assists in her
career. Hudson joined
Vanderbilt grad Ashley
McElhiney as the only
Gleason players to
ever win a state title
and be named Miss
Basketball and state
tournament MVP in the
same season.
Without a doubt,
Hudson left an
impression on Gleason
coach Randy Frazier.
"I've never had any
player play any better
throughout an entire
season than she did
this year," Frazier
said. "I think I'm a
little biased, but I
don't think there was
another player in the
state that was as good
as she was this
season. She won the
state title, Miss
Basketball and state
tournament MVP. That's
the pinnacle for a
high school player."
Hudson's productivity
drew the attention of
NCAA Division I
programs across the
country, but she
ultimately decided to
stay in West Tennessee
and sign with Union,
which won back-to-back
NAIA Division I
national titles in
2005 and '06.
She is expected to
step in and contribute
immediately next
season for the Lady
Bulldogs.
"I wanted my parents
to have the
opportunity to watch
me play (in college),"
Hudson said. "I'm a
big family person, and
I have so much support
from our small town
and the surrounding
communities. It just
felt right for me. I
fit in there. It's one
of those things where
you just know it was
the right decision."
Frazier expects
nothing but continued
success for his
record-setting guard.
"She's going to a
great program that
expects to win,"
Frazier said. "When
she goes down there,
she knows their goal
is to win a national
championship, and we
had similar goals here
at Gleason. She'll be
a glue player for
them, and she'll be a
leader for them."
Source: Jackson Sun'
Photo Credits: Andrew
McMurtrie, Jackson
Sun.
-Joshua Parrott,
425-9634 |
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ALL WEST-TENNESSEE COACH
OF THE YEAR
Randy Frazier, Gleason
Coaching experience: Went
36-1 in his 21st year at
Gleason and won third
Class A state title this
season - and first since
1999. Has a 571-104 career
record.
Playing experience: Played
baseball and football at
Greenfield and baseball at
Tennessee Martin.
Why
I love basketball: The
competition, skills and
fundamentals can make
average athletes great
players. Teamwork and
discipline are vital.
Most
memorable moment from this
season: Watching the
celebration after winning
the state championship and
seeing the emotion of my
players.
Why
this season was special:
We learned as a group to
enjoy every day as a team
and not take any day for
granted. Many people never
expected this group to
succeed, but this group
continued to work and
improve and turned into a
great team. Source:
Jackson Sun.
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Lady Dawgs
"One Moment in
Time"
Click for Lyrics
Lady Bulldogs Win Third
Gold Ball
By Joshua Parrott ~
Jackson Sun
|
MURFREESBORO
- Only one game
separated Gleason
senior Kayla Hudson
from what she had
prayed for her entire
life: A state
championship.
And with the hopes of
a team, a school and a
town hanging on her
shoulders, Hudson
delivered Saturday.
Destiny met reality as
second-ranked Gleason
pulled away late to
beat Oliver Springs,
46-36, in the Class A
girls basketball final
at Middle Tennessee
State's Murphy Center.
The victory clinched
Gleason (36-1) its
third state title and
first since 1999 -
which was the last
time the Lady Bulldogs
made the state
tournament before this
season.
"It's all a blur. I
can't believe it,"
Hudson said moments
before bursting into
tears. "We're the best
team in the state.
It's just awesome to
have a dream come
true."
Hudson was a huge
reason why that dream
was realized. The
Union signee poured in
a game-high 29 points
after hitting four
3-pointers and
13-of-14 free throws.
After the game, Hudson
was named the Class A
state tournament MVP
and Class A Miss
Basketball.
Oliver Springs (29-8)
trailed for the entire
first half before
briefly taking the
lead twice in the
third quarter. After
Gleason took a 28-24
lead early in the
fourth, Oliver Springs
pulled within two
twice midway through
the period.
Gleason - which had no
player taller than
5-foot-7 - responded
by spreading the floor
in an attempt to milk
the clock and force
Oliver Springs to
foul. The move worked
as Gleason hit
18-of-20 free throws
in the fourth and
23-of-26 in the game
to pull away.
Hudson scored 13
points in the fourth
after hitting 11-of-12
shots at the line in
the quarter.
The loss snapped a
16-game winning streak
for Oliver Springs,
which advanced to its
first state final
since 1983.
"We had to chase them
around, and that gets
in your head," Oliver
Springs sophomore
Kayla Christopher
said. "They knocked
down free throws, and
that's going to win
you games.
"It's really
frustrating, but they
did a good job of
keeping the ball away
from us."
Christopher, who
scored 53 total points
in her previous two
games, had a
frustrating shooting
night and was held to
10 points on 3-of-10
shooting. She was the
only player to score
in double digits
against Gleason this
week in three state
tourney games and was
named to the
all-tournament team.
All-tournament
selection Lauren
Copeland added nine,
while Jennifer Smith
chipped in eight for
Oliver Springs, which
committed 10 turnovers
and shot only 39
percent from the
floor.
Gleason didn't fair
much better, making
only 36 percent of its
shots, but had only
four turnovers. Senior
Candace Green missed
seven of her nine shot
attempts, but was
6-of-6 at the line for
11 points.
"I thought there was a
lid on the basket,"
said Green, who was
named to the
all-tournament team
along with Gleason
freshman Jenna
Frazier. "I just knew
our defense was going
to get us where we
needed to be."
As it did all week,
Gleason jumped out
early Saturday,
scoring the game's
first five points.
Oliver Springs trailed
Gleason 16-12 at
halftime.
Christopher missed her
first three shots
before hitting a
3-pointer with 4:15
left in the second
quarter. She finished
with five points on
1-of-6 shooting in the
opening half.
Despite Christopher's
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