5 Upper Cumberland Athletes Named Finalists For Mr. And Miss Basketball Awards

Photo by Kailee Means / UC Sports Nation

The TSSAA announced their 30 finalists for the 2020-21 Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards on Thursday, and five Upper Cumberland athletes are included in the field.

Class A Girls – Clarkrange’s Kassie Monday

Clarkrange Senior Kassie Monday goes up for a layup against Jackson County on Feb. 1, 2021. (Kailee Means / UC Sports Nation)

Monday is currently the leading scorer for the Lady Buffaloes, averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 steals per game. She’s scored 1,930 points in her career, along with over 406 steals and 569 assists.

One of Monday’s standout performances came on Jan. 30, when she scored 26 points and combined with her sister, Kaylie Monday (27 points), for 53 points in a 68-56 win over Stone Memorial. Monday also scored 26 points in a recent win over Pickett County, and she scored a game-high 28 points against Cumberland County in a 74-37 victory.

The Lady Buffaloes are currently ranked fourth overall in the Associated Press poll, and are 20-5 on the season with an undefeated 14-0 mark in district play.

The other finalists for the award are Loretto’s Karly Weathers and Gibson County’s Madison Hart.

Class AA Girls – Upperman’s Reagan Hurst

This is Hurst’s second year as a finalist for the award, as she has led the Lady Bees to an undefeated 26-0 record and a 13-0 mark in district play. All of this equates to the Lady Bees being ranked first overall in the AP Poll, and 23rd overall in the national polls.

For the season, she’s averaging 19.4 points per game, along with 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals. The Tennessee Tech signee has put together multiple signature performances this season, and none were bigger than her 30-point game in a 74-44 win over district rival Macon County on Jan. 19.

Hurst exploded for 30 points once again on Feb.5, when she scored 19 of her 30 points in the first half of a 65-48 win over Cleveland.

The other finalists for the award are Macon County’s Jalynn Gregory and Westview’s Jada Harrison.

Class AAA Girls – Stone Memorial’s Tessa Miller

Miller has been a dominant force in the post for the fourth-ranked Lady Panthers, as they look to make their return to the Glass House in Murfreesboro after being a state semifinalist last season.

Stone Memorial Senior Tessa Miller was named a Miss Basketball Finalist on Feb. 11, 2021. (Kailee Means / UC Sports Nation)

For the season, she is averaging 19.7 points and 10.5 rebounds in District 6-AAA, a year that has the Lady Panthers sitting at 20-3 overall and 6-1 in district play. The Belmont Signee has had multiple games where she hasn’t missed a shot while attempting 10 or more field goals, and one of her best games came recently against district foe Cookeville.

With the Lady Panthers leading 21-12 at the end of the first quarter, Miller led a defensive shutdown period where the Lady Cavs were held scoreless and Stone expanded the lead to 42-12 at the halftime break. Miller finished the game with a 24-point, 19-rebound double-double.

The other finalists for the award are Maryville’s Denae Fritz and Riverdale’s Acacia Hayes.

Class A Boys – Clay County’s Grant Strong

Strong has been a man on a mission for the Bulldogs, as he says he’s been motivated by the cancellation of the State Tournament last season.

It’s shown on the court in his production, as he is averaging a Class A leading 33.6 points per game, along with 10.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest.

He’s already over the 1,000-point mark with over 1,300 points in his career as just a junior, and he was named the District 6-A Most Valuable Player as a sophomore.

His signature performance came on Dec. 15 against Monterey when he scored a career-high 48 points in a 73-61 win over the Wildcats. Strong currently has the Bulldogs sitting at the second overall spot in the AP Rankings with a 20-2 record.

The other finalists for the award are Cosby’s Trey Johnson and Madison Academic’s Walter Peggs.

Class AAA Boys – White County’s Grant Slatten

The Ole Miss signee has had a year for the record books in Sparta, as he became the school’s all-time leading scorer on Dec. 21 against Cumberland County.

White County Senior Grant Slatten fires a running jump shot against Cumberland County on Dec. 21, 2020. (Kailee Means / UC Sports Nation)

Slatten scored a program-record and career-high 59 points to lead the Warriors over the Jets by a 105-82 tally in the Sonic Shootout.

For the season, Slatten is averaging 36.6 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per contest. He’s scored over 2,400 points in his career, and has been named the District 6-AAA Player of the Year twice.

Other standout performances include a 44-point outing Slatten had earlier in the season, also against Cumberland County, and he recently led the Warriors over Rhea County with 33 points.

The other finalists for the award are Houston’s Mason Miller and Siegel’s Matthew Schneider.