A fans’ guide to the AAA girls state tournament

Here’s a closer look at Wednesday’s quarterfinal match-ups for Central and Houston in the girls AAA state basketball tournament at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center

Central

Coach: Rashad Haynes (third season, 83-20) Record: 28-6 Opponent: Oak Ridge (30-3), 10 a.m. Key wins: Only team to defeat Division 2-A champ Northpoint and the Lady Warriors did it twice, both by one point. After losing to Whitehaven in the district tournament to claim a three-seed heading into the region, Central knocked off nationally-ranked White Station 72-68 on Feb. 27. They lost to Houston in the region final before going on the road to knock off Munford 53-29 on March 4 and advance to state for the seventh time in nine seasons.

The lowdown: Central is one of the best teams in the state and also one of the most fun to watch. Haynes’ team doesn’t have a lot of size so instead the Lady Warriors spread the floor, run and look to get the ball to their shooters. Most of the time, it works. Jireh Washington and Johne’ Stewart were standouts on last year’s tournament team while Brianna Cooks has surged late in the season; she scored 34 in a do-or-die victory over White Station in the Region semis. Central will need to play with energy and force the pace. First games of the tournament are never easy but if the shots are falling, this is a dangerous team.

On deck: A win would put the Lady Warriors against either Stewarts Creek (25-6) or Dickson County (28-7) in Friday’s 10 a.m. semifinals.

Houston

Coach: Ben Moore (first season) Record: 27-3 Opponent: Clarksville (27-5), 2:45 p.m.

Key wins: Houston enters the tournament on a roll, having won 13 straight games since a loss to Northpoint on Jan. 16. The Mustangs defeated a solid Collierville team to win the 15-AAA tournament before knocking off Central 61-54 in the region final. That earned them a home game in the sectional round where they defeated Arlington, 56-52.

The lowdown: Houston is 49-6 over the last two seasons which, not coincidentally, are the two seasons they’ve had Jayla Hemingway. The sophomore, a strong, powerful guard, has already surpassed 1,000 career points and is the type of player who can take over a game at any time. She rarely has to, though; Houston is blessed with terrific balance. Destinee Wells, a 5-6 freshman, was MVP of the region tournament and combines nicely with sophomore Madison Griggs. Shaela Gardner (6-0) is a savvy senior leader while classmate Rochelle Lee (6-3) brings lots of size,

On deck: It will be a major surprise if Houston or Clarksville isn’t playing Riverdale in Friday’s 11 a.m. semifinal. The defending champs are nationally-ranked at 31-0 and should get past Morristown West in their opening game.

Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas