Dragons’ state dream ends in Bristol
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Tristian Lundy goes up for a layup as a Fulton defender falls to the floor during the Dragons’ home matchup Thursday, March 5. Lundy finished with eight points and three assists in the game. - Tony Cox
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Ben Tackett scored 16 points in 24 minutes on the court for the Dragons during the Region 2-AAA championship game against Fulton at home - Tony Cox
The 2025-26 season came to a heartbreaking end for the Clinton High School boys basketball team Monday night as the Dragons fell just short of reaching the Class AAA state tournament.
“Man, I wish we were going to Murfreesboro,” Clinton Coach Chris Lockard said after his team fell to Tennessee High 49-48 in Bristol in the state sectional round of the TSSAA playoffs. “This one hurts. I thought our kids played their guts out.
“That should be us down there celebrating — actually, we should be at home celebrating — but I’m not taking anything away from Tennessee High, and I’m not taking anything away from Fulton in the Region 2-AAA championship game,” he said. “ They’re both very good basketball teams. But this one is going to hurt for a few days.”
The contest was a rollercoaster ride as the Vikings (29-7) and Dragons staged an epic battle for the right to make a trip to the Midstate.
Clinton (29-9), which won the District 4-AAA regular-season title with a perfect 8-0 league record and later captured the district tournament championship, led 16-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Tennessee High, the Region 1-AAA champion, rallied to take a 27-25 lead at halftime as Reed Miller buried a 3-pointer as time expired in the second stanza.
The Dragons battled back early in the second half. Tristian Lundy scored eight of his 14 points early in the third quarter to help Clinton regain the lead.
The Dragons held a 42-39 advantage heading into the final eight minutes of the contest after Tennessee High managed just one field goal in the third quarter.
Jaxson Alcorn finished with 13 points for Clinton, which was looking to make its first state tournament appearance since 2022.
Bryson Maddox scored nine points in his final high school game, hitting three 3-pointers in the first half.
Clinton made a habit of staging miraculous comebacks throughout the 2025-26 campaign, but the season ended with two heartbreaking losses by a combined three points.
The Dragons dropped a 59-57 decision to Fulton on their home floor Thursday night in the Region 2-AAA championship game.
The sting of the loss was especially tough for Lockard, who said saying goodbye to the group made the defeat even harder.
“Tristian and Alcorn did what they were supposed to do,” Lockard said.
“I hate it for these kids. I loved coaching this team. It’s probably the best defensive team that I’ve ever coached. They have grit. They lost here by one point and they lost by two to Fulton, two very good basketball teams, so that shows you what these guys are made of. I’m so proud of my kids.”
The Dragons had one last chance to advance, but Lundy’s final shot as time expired came up short.
In Thursday’s loss to the Falcons, Clinton led 34-26 at halftime before Fulton rallied to claim the region tournament title.
“It was both teams playing hard, and I thought both teams played really well defensively,” Lockard said. “We had some 50/50 things not go our way, whether it be a loose ball or a call here or there.
“From there, it just came down to who had the ball last.”
Maddox had 26 points in his final home game. Ben Tackett added 16, while Lundy finished with eight.
