Numerous Upper Cumberland Athletes Make All-State Team

Photo by Kailee Means / UC Sports Nation

The TN Report All-State teams have been released for the 2020-21 girls basketball season, and as many would expect, many familiar names from around the Upper Cumberland made the cut.

Here is a class-by-class breakdown of the athletes that were named to the teams.

Class A

Katie Arms (Clay County): Arms led the Lady Bulldogs to a 21-11 record and an 11-3 mark in district play. She played a major role in the team’s first State Tournament Appearance, as she scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the team’s win over Peabody in the State Quarterfinals. Arms was named to the All-District First Team, the All-District Tournament Team and the All-Region Tournament Team, and has scored over 1,000 points in her career.

Kassie Monday (Clarkrange): Monday played a vital role in the Lady Buffaloes’ third consecutive trip to the State Tournament, as she was named both the District 6A MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. The Miss Basketball finalist had many standout performances, like when she scored 26 points to help Clarkrange take down Class AAA foe Stone Memorial in Crossville. She also scored 21 points in the Lady Buffaloes’ Region Semifinal win over Whitwell.

Kaylie Monday (Clarkrange): Another key cog in the Lady Buffaloes’ 27-6 season, Kaylie Monday earned a spot on the All-District First Team, the All-Defensive Team, the All-District Tournament Team and the All-Region Team for her play this past season. Remember that Stone Memorial game that Kassie had 26 points in? Kaylie led the way with 27 of her own. Another big game of her’s came in the District Championship, where she scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Clay County.

Class AA

Brooklyn Crouch (Upperman): The junior floor-general put together a fantastic season for the Lady Bees, as she was named to the District 8AA First Team, and for the second season in a row, Crouch was named the Defensive Player of the Year. One of her best games came against Marion County in the Region Quarterfinals when she scored 21 points, among them was her 1,000th career point.

Emery Baragona (Cumberland County): It was a great season for the Lady Jets’ sophomore point guard, as Baragona was named the District 7AA MVP and broke the team’s record for assists in a season with 170. All of this played a major role in CCHS’s continued dominance of the district, as they won their sixth consecutive district championship. Baragona had many great performances throughout the year, as she put together double-doubles against David Crockett and Chattanooga Christian.

Haylee Johnson (York Institute): Johnson led the Dragonettes to their best season since the 2007-08 campaign with a 23-9 record. This included a berth in the substate round against Meigs County, where Johnson scored 25 points to lead all scorers. Johnson will be best remembered on the court for her half-court buzzer-beater she hit in the Region Semifinals against Upperman to tie the game and force overtime.

Reagan Hurst (Upperman): You cannot talk about great talent in the state of Tennessee without talking about Hurst, the 2020-21 Class AA Miss Basketball award winner. She led the Lady Bees to a 29-2 record, and was named the District 8AA MVP. She scored 33 points in the aforementioned win over Marion County, and also added 30 points in a win over Macon County earlier in the season.

Class AAA

Tessa Miller (Stone Memorial): The Class AAA Miss Basketball finalist closed the book on her career with a phenomenal senior year in Crossville. She became the first Lady Panther to grab over 1,000 rebounds, and she had multiple games where she attempted 10 or more shots without missing a single one. One of her best games came late in the season against Cookeville, where she put up a dominant 24-point, 19-rebound double-double.

Gracie Dodgen (White County): The MTSU Signee also put the finished touches on an excellent high school career by becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer in girls basketball. She also set a new state record by hitting 15 threes in a win over Kingston on Dec. 19 for a career-high 45 points. She was named to the All-District Team for her performances as well this season.